The Second Trimester
Ohhh the 2ndtrimester!
The time has flown by, I must say I’ll miss this period of having her with me all the time. She is safe, close, reminding me of her presence with kicks and flips from inside. Writing this, I am in the beginning of my 3rdtrimester at 28 weeks. I can’t believe it.
The second trimester was full! It was full of emotions, feelings, shopping, some scary moments, some unpleasant worries, crying, laughing, aches and excitements. And lots and LOTS of vegan ice cream! Shane and I got married, we found out our little babe is a girl, I took some hikes, had our first baby shower, a few doctors appointments and had my first mothers day to a human!
So, the second trimester is from roughly week 13 to week 28 so it seems like a lot happens during this time and your body changes a lot! I have been super lucky to still be able to workout throughout my whole first and second trimesters without any sickness or real terrible symptoms that I know a lot of mamas go through. So I am so grateful for the mild symptoms that I have had so far. I am growing out of clothes as my belly has grown so a round ball! I have lost a lot of muscle which I think has led to some weight loss but overall at the end of my second trimester I am weighing 125lbs and I started at 118lbs-ish so about 7lbs of gains. It has been very exciting growing our little babe and though its not always easy watching my body change I know that I am growing the love of our lives in there! Little Radley is so strong, she must get that from her mama, and she reminds me with powerful kicks and rolls!
I started having sciatic pains early on the right side at like 16 weeks and like the doctor said it would, it has gotten worse. Its really my only real symptom that is frustrating. It can make it hard to walk and workout as much as I want too. Plus my job is me on my feet for 8+ hrs so I have some varicose veins in my thighs now but not too bad. As I have gotten bigger I have totally relied on my big C pillow that I sleep with to get comfy with at night. There have been a few nights in the end of the trimester weeks 26-28 that I tossed and turned all night because little Rad was having a kick dance party in there, and there was just nothing I could do to get comfy.
The Leaking
I started producing colostrum (the first milk you produce) at probably week 26-27, which has made for some interesting wardrobe malfunctions lol. Its all natural and it all means everything is working like it should.
My Belly Regimen
I have continued everyday religiously to apply my Burt’s Bees Mama Bee oil and belly butter to my belly. I have not one stretch mark on my belly but I wasn’t as concerned with my thighs and hips and boy do I have some extra tiger stripes now. So I would definitely recommend doing the belly oil everywhere belly and hips and butt. I would recommend the Burt’s Bees Mama Bee brand as it has been the only oil and butter I have used and it has kept my belly clear of stretch marks.
Cravings
I haven’t had any real craving besides ranch dressing. I do love that and vegan ice cream. The Hagen Daz non-dairy chocolate truffle is to die for and coke slurpees have been my go to. Other than that I really just crave whole fruits, like nectarines and peaches. I have kind of lost my want to cook and bake which I was doing a lot before I got pregnant so I kind of feel bad for my husband as he has suffered from this side effect more than me lol.
Maternity Clothes
My favorite brand of denim that I have been wearing is the maternity brand from Target called ‘Isabel and Ingrid’ and I have gotten like every pair of shorts they make with the full belly pull over panel. When it comes to tops and dresses, I haven’t bought “maternity” brands I can still pretty well fit in my clothes. Leggings and workout gear I have stuck with are low rise shorts that I have already had and Lululemon Aligns in size 4 and I pull them all the way over my belly. When I need extra support I wear my Belly Bandit Sleeve under whatever I am wearing. I have found that for lounging and not at work clothes I like to have my waistband below my belly, that seems to be more comfortable.
Mothers Day
This Mothers day was different. For every reason. I wondered if I got to really soak in the Mother’s Day feelings since I’m a mama to be and my girl isn’t here yet. But then my dad told me something that struck my heart. “You were a Mama from the moment you knew about her”. Which made sense to me because everything changed when I knew she was coming. Like everything. My perspective, my goals, my responsibility, my hopes for myself and now for her. My heart grew instantly. I want to give her everything. Let her know that she can do anything. I want to be her platform for whatever she wants to say and do. I can’t wait to see what she does in this world. I do know that she will be better than me, I already know this. She’s here…but she’s just with me every moment which She reminds me of by her kicks and spins. For the past 23 weeks I haven’t been alone, not for one second. What a comfort she has been in this magical time that I am so lucky to experience. This Mamas Day is different in every way. Thank you Radley Haze for choosing me
And to my Husband. There was a night I sat with you in the backyard and laughed so hard. So hard that it made me feel more emotion. You saw it on my face. I could almost break into a sob. And then I did. A hysterical, laughing, sobbing mess. I have been an emotional wreck the last few days and you have been right there to rub my back, wipe my tears and grab your own belly to laugh so hard you cried too and tell me it’s going to be ok. This growing a human thing is hard. And we won’t always get it right every time. But knowing that I can completely fall apart into a hysterical sobbing laughing mess with you, I know I have made the right person my home, my sanctuary, my safe place for me and our baby. And I love you for being that for us.
This growing a human stuff ain’t always easy. Watching your body change isn’t always easy. Losing muscle, gaining a belly, losing your favorite clothes, gaining cellulite and stretch marks. It’s all different. It’s all beautiful and magical. But it’s freaking hard. I have cried over the strangest things, because…hormones!!! I stepped on my own shoe lace and it untied and I almost came unglued! I lost is yesterday because the nail lady didn’t have time for my manicure so I went home and cried 😂 duh… It’s a weird balance. I have never been more proud of the body I have right now, like I’m making another brain and set of lungs and I don’t even know how I’m doing it! But it’s also hard fitting into none of my jeans or shorts and my back hurts and aches all the time. But guess what! At the end of this journey, I start a whole new one. I get a my very own human baby! I can’t wait to meet her. I can’t wait to teach her how to love her body through all its phases and how to be strong. I already love her so much. Lots of emotion, lots of hormones, lots of amazing magical changes are happening. The second trimester has been a wild ride.