The Second Trimester | My First Pregnancy

They - the people of the internet, doctors, midwives, and past moms- all say the same thing "the second trimester is the honeymoon period of your pregnancy", and OH MY GOODNESS was that true. People always ask me how I am feeling and these last 3 months I have felt great. Besides being more tired than usual and a few other symptoms, I really had a great trimester. I am now 4 days into my third trimester while writing this and I am having a very different experience. But I'll write more about that in October, for now, I want to tell you guys about my second trimester.

Changing Body

My body has gone through a huge growth spurt in my last month of the second trimester. I've 'popped' and my belly has clearly rounded out. Along with my belly, my breasts grew a full cup size, and my thighs and hips have grown, I am assuming the growth in my thighs and hips are to accommodate the extra weight throughout my torso.

Overall, all these changes have taken a toll on my personal outlook of my body. I find I have a constant internal struggle with missing my pre-baby body and focusing on whether my weight gain is in the right amount of required weight, while at the same time, I am proud of my body for growing my child and find the changes beautiful and truly an amazing experience. I am so lucky to have it. These changes in my body have been the most difficult for me, and I know this internal battle will continue not only through this pregnancy but also post-partum.

Growing Breasts

Like mentioned above, my breasts have grown a full size in the second trimester. Unfortunately for me, they decided to do all their growing in 4 days instead of throughout the months. During my 4 days of torture, the pain became almost unbearable. My nipples became swollen and engorged and the breast itself became heavy and sensitive to touch. Luckily, I came out of it with only 1 stretch mark. To help ease some pain and discomfort I did some research and spoke to a couple of women who went through it - and this is what I came up with.

1. Warm Baths - soaking my body in a warm bath with Epsom salts helped take some of the weight and pressure off my body. Removing gravity I think was the biggest factor in preventing stretchmarks and easing discomfort. I think being in a pool will have a similar relief.

2. Warm Compress/Heating Pillow - when I was in the bath I made sure I had a warm compress on my chest, and when I got out I put a heating pillow on. The warmth will allow the ducts to form and if there is a blockage will soften the colostrum and allow it to pass. It is important that the heating pad is set to low and that it does not touch your skin at any time. I kept the heating pad on for a maximum of 20 mins at a time and only used it when the pain became intolerable.

3. Oil Massages - massaging the breast tissue was also very soothing. When doing the massage I always used my BioOil. This worked two-fold, I would be able to release some of the pressure and tension on the area while also hydrating and protecting my skin as it rapidly grew.

Between these three remedies, the pain and pressure passed - and with only 1 small (~1") strech mark. For reference, pre-pregnancy I was a small 32C and now I fit comfortably in a 34D.

Hip Pain

As I commented above about my hips growing, that also came with some serious hip pain. At one point it felt like a pinched nerve. Looking back I now believe that my hips were beginning to shift to allow baby to drop in the final month. No matter how much I stretched, kept active, or how I slept I could not overcome the pain. In the end, I decided to reach out to a holistic chiropractor to help me with my hip and joints moving forward. It is important to speak to a professional to assess your body and help you with smooth labor.

Sleeping Adjustment

At this point, many women need to adjust their sleeping patterns and habits. For me, it was fairly simple. I purchased the Snoogle Supreme from BuyBuy Baby and began mainly sleeping on my left side. Additionally, I now wake up every morning around 3:00 AM to go to the bathroom - it does not matter what time I go to bed or how much I drink. Adjusting from a tummy sleeper to side sleeper was the most difficult adjustment in my sleeping pattern, but the Snoogle made the adjustment much easier.

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Leakage

Although it is uncomfortable to not only discuss but also experience, it is very common to create additional discharge during this time. As long as there is no odor or thick texture, there is nothing to worry about. For myself, I did choose to wear a panty liner when I knew I would be out and about all day, and would change my underwear about three times a day when home. I would recommend purchasing the period panties to help feel more comfortable throughout the day. The best part about those is that you can use them postpartum as well!

Special Note: I did want to have a special shout out to my first-trimester post. While some of the symptoms I wrote there did ease, some of them did continue into the second trimester and now third, but became a more mild version. In my case, my sense of smell is still heightened towards dairy products. My gas and bloating have shifted to be triggered by garlic and onion now and I am still more tired than usual - not as bad as the first tri - but I do require a nap after a busy day. If you haven't already, click here to read about my first-trimester experience.

It's easy to talk about the negative symptoms of pregnancy, but there is a reason why 'they' say this is the honeymoon period of your pregnancy. Your hair begins to thicken and grow quickly and I have developed that pregnancy glow. Even though I have weird pimples and marks on my face I didn't have before - they are somehow masked by this glow that my skin puts off. I am now visibly showing so I no longer need to ask hubby if I look pregnant or bloated - I always look pregnant. If you choose - you get to learn the gender of your baby during the second trimester. Shawn and I had a mini celebration and picked our baby's name!! and my favorite part - your baby enters the viable stage. After 24 weeks your baby is considered viable if you go into early labor. For myself, it was a huge relief knowing my baby had a 90% chance of being okay and healthy if something (god forbid) happened to me. Yet another enjoyable moment of the second trimester are the baby kicks!! Feeling my baby kick and roll inside me brings me so much joy each and every day. I get the feeling that I am never alone - but in a good way, not a check over your shoulder way. Knowing and feeling that baby is safely inside me and having a dance party is a perk for me, and whenever I get nervous that baby has been too quite - I just give my belly a little poke, and baby gives me a little kick to say "yup still here, just taking a nap mama".

I hope you are all enjoying your pregnancy! I'd love to hear about your experiences and how they differ from mine. Remember that every woman, pregnancy, and child is different, and although it is great to hear experiences from other women you should never compare between them. Make sure you're speaking with your healthcare provider if you have any questions and concerns as they will know best!

Stay healthy and happy mamas!

Written July 2020