Hello third trimester!!! Alright I feel like I’ve got the hang of this pregnancy thing. Let’s give it a go with my second trimester recap. So much like my first trimester, my second trimester was again anticlimactic. Since I didn’t get any morning sickness or have food cravings in the first trimester I was sure I’d at least get some cravings in the second….nope. This child has literally been an angel and I’m just praying that she stays that way after I deliver.
By the way, as I made my way into the third trimester things got slightly less anticlimactic but nothing out of the ordinary. Here’s a couple of things that happened during the second trimester from symptoms to other things.
Unwanted Advice/Opinions
Welp, I could write a whole book about this one. At the end of the day the only thing that prevented me from snapping on anyone was that I think people mean well, their delivery just sucks. For instance; if you want to know the gender of your child before giving birth then that is your prerogative. Do you know how annoying it is to keep telling a pregnant person “what’s the point, you treat them the same no matter the sex.” or “don’t you wanna be surprised?” How about because I said I want to know and leave it at that. It’s also why we won’t be revealing baby girl’s name until she is born, too many opinions. Literally no one knows, not even our parents or closest friends.
My favorite is people projecting their pregnancies on you. People swear up and down that since something happened to them it’s gonna happen to you. And sometimes it was terrible things. The nail on the coffin for me is the people that tell you about how awful their birth experience was or how much it hurt. Now why would I want to go into labor with such negativity energy? Sometimes people need to just keep the comments to themselves.
Growing Uterus
Welcome to the wild world of pregnancy. I love sharing my experience because I feel like some of the things I’m going through no one talked about. Not sure about you other mamas or if you forgot but I felt it every time my uterus was growing and stretching. I really felt it in the first trimester but the second trimester was more frequent since baby was growing faster. Please don’t be alarmed or freaked out, it’s not the most comfortable experience in the world but super manageable. Honestly if no one explains this to you, it could even feel a little worrisome. Fret not, it’s just a growing pain. I felt it most when I wasn’t active, so just resting but you almost become numb to it after a while since you know it’s expected.
If I could describe how it feels I’d say like the most mild period cramps ever but no actual cramping…if that makes sense. Just like a pressure sort of situation.
Fetal Movement
Y’all this is THE BEST feeling in the world! As long as I feel her moving I feel like I’m doing something right. I don’t exactly remember when I first felt her but I told my mom at about 13-14 weeks that I was feeling slight flutters. Since the baby is so small then, they say if you feel flutters or butterflies in your stomach that’s the baby moving. At about 18 weeks those flutters turned into little “swipes”. I was feeling tiny kicks by 20 weeks and that same week Sheldon felt her kick for the first time! Haha it made me feel like I wasn’t crazy because I could never catch her at the right time for him to feel.
Appetite Increase
Hahaha y’all know the DJ Khaled song “All I Do Is Win?” Well all I do is eat. I still don’t get any cravings (bummer) but I am always hungry. As the day goes on I can see something on TV or on social and be like “oh I want that.” I think about what I am going to eat next while I’m eating haha. It can be very annoying sometimes, especially when the hunger pains wake me up from sleeping. Another thing, I hear that if you breastfeed your appetite is even more intense!
Braxton Hicks Contractions
Don’t be alarmed, it’s perfectly normal as long as they go away as quickly as they come. I was 25 weeks when I felt the first one and honestly I haven’t felt them since. So Braxton Hicks Contractions are basically practice contractions. Your body is just preparing for the big day! It was oddly exciting to know that this was happening because it makes everything feel more real and put into perspective that we will be meeting this tiny human so soon. What did they feel like? The strangest feeling. I kept feeling a slight tightening in my lower belly and then it would release. It lasted about half an hour. I told my doula and she assured me that as long as they stop and I’m not feeling them in my back then all is well. FYI if you start feeling contractions in your back you may be going into real labor.
Backaches
Thank goodness my backaches aren’t too bad or frequent. Obviously they are annoying because I can never get comfortable at the moment but I thank God it’s not constant right now. They started for me at about 25 weeks. Baby girl is getting bigger and my belly heavier so naturally my body is over compensating for the extra weight. What helps me is during my workouts I make sure to target my back. Strengthening my back muscles feels like in balances me out a bit. Massages are great too, Sheldon got me this massage gun and it’s amazing. The best thing for my backaches is rest.
*Edit/Update* Totally eating my words at 28 weeks because the backaches and my hips have been bothering me more as she gets bigger. As much as I mentally want to do everything I have definitely been taking it easier these days.
Swelling
This started for me at 24 weeks. My wedding ring set no longer fits and it makes me so sad. It’s hopefully only temporary so in the meantime I wear another ring that is bigger. I first noticed it in my hands and then in my feet at 25 weeks. My feet only swell after standing for a long period. The doctor says your hands will be their most swollen in the morning and then go down as the day goes on. Opposite for your feet and ankles. They will be their smallest in the morning and most swollen at night. As with anything in pregnancy, any excessive swelling you will need to notify your doctor.
From the Q&A
What do you like most about being pregnant?
I LOVE feeling and now seeing her move. Don’t get me wrong, it’s such a weird concept and slightly creepy but nonetheless amazing.
Anything embarrassing happen yet?
Besides gas at any time, I did have a moment that Sheldon just was like “get in the shower.” These pregnancy hormones just hit different. I won’t completely embarrass myself here but it was pretty funny.
Do we have a name picked out?
Yes, we do have a name picked out but as said above we will not share until birth.
When am I due?
I actually answered this in this post but I will answer again. I am due beginning of April. Not saying the exact date just because I don’t want people anxiously on baby watch, feels like too much pressure lol.
In other baby news, I had my glucose test yesterday. People exaggerate so much how bad it is because I thought it was fine. Friday I get to see baby girl in an ultrasound. I’ll be adding an ultrasound picture to this post on Friday in case you want to come back and see. Also, I’m in the process of trying to find a dress for our baby shower. Thank you for following along on this journey it is and has been such a special time.
Thanks for reading!