Ah the golden trimester! I loved the second trimester, especially closer to the end when my belly really popped and I started looking pregnant instead of bloated. My energy levels were high, the nausea I was experiencing went away, and I could finally enjoy food again! I also started to feel my baby kicking which was probably my favourite thing about pregnancy.

I did start getting a little clumsy during the second trimester. Scroll to the end of this post for a funny outtake from a video we were shooting during the second trimester.

Have an awesome second trimester

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Second Trimester Recap

We did some travelling during the second trimester because I knew it would be uncomfortable later on in the pregnancy.

TSA says the body scanners are safe for pregnant women but, the research I have done says they aren’t safe for anyone. If you are interested in learning why check out this article in Natural News. I have always opted for the pat down and usually, it only takes a few minutes but I highly recommend allowing lots of extra time just in case. During one of our flights, I waited 45 minutes for them to find a female TSA agent to pat me down. I think it would have been even longer if my pregnancy hormones hadn’t kicked in. I started crying because I was about to miss my flight. They finally found someone to pat me down and I ended up sprinting to my gate as they were closing it.

In this picture, I’m chillin’ on a beach in the Maritimes at 22 weeks. It was a surprisingly hot day and there wasn’t any fog.

Second trimester bump watch

The second trimester is exciting because my bump popped and was starting to show. It was fun not having to hide it anymore and I loved having people ask me about my pregnancy.

Raiding my friend’s closets for maternity clothes was also so much fun. I really didn’t want to spend a lot of money on clothes that I would only wear for a few months and I was lucky to have lots of friends who had recently been pregnant. I did do a little maternity shopping, but I was able to keep it to a minimum. Some of my looser shirts still fit during the 2nd trimester which was a bonus.

Favourite things about the second trimester

I loved the amount of energy I had during the second trimester. I didn’t feel like I needed to nap anymore and I wasn’t falling asleep on the couch at 9 pm. It was nice to bump up our social life a little.

I also started feeling my baby kick around week 16 which was amazing! I was listening to my student’s present their food demos and all of a sudden there was a little kick that totally threw me off guard. It was so exciting!

Whenever I felt something I would get so excited and call my husband over to put his hand on my belly… and then nothing would happen. It took a while for my baby’s kicks to be consistent enough for my husband to feel them. It is such a cool sensation to feel him moving around in there. Even though I could feel the movements internally, I would pretty much always have one hand on my belly. Feeling him kick is really the best thing ever and probably my favourite thing about being pregnant.

Second trimester exercise

During the first part of the second trimester, my exercise regime stayed the same. I was still walking my dog for an hour a day and going to yoga 3 times a week. Around week 25 the butt muscle pain I was experiencing hit its peak and I had to stop doing yoga and cut down on walks. It took about 3 weeks for the pain to totally go away and I was able to start walking my dog for 2 hours a day.

Second trimester cravings

I didn’t have too many cravings during the second trimester. One of the weirder cravings was for hot dogs. I haven’t eaten a hot dog in years but I really wanted one! We ended up researching the best hot dogs in Toronto and I thoroughly enjoyed my fancy $10 hot dog. It was not the healthiest lunch but it was delicious.

With the warm summer weather, I also started craving ice cream. One of my favourite things to do is walk along the Toronto waterfront with my husband and our dog while enjoying gelato out of a cup. There are some really yummy gelato places that usually have fun dairy-free options. Every now and then I would order a regular dairy-based gelato knowing it would give me gas. The ice cream below is actually totally healthy and made with bananas! You can get the recipe in my cookbook Healthy Dairy Free Desserts.

Second trimester mood

I found I worried a lot less during the second trimester. The anatomy scan and genetic testing came back with no potential problems so I was able to relax. Since I could feel my baby moving around in there, I was no longer worried that something had gone wrong. Those little kicks are so reassuring.

When my butt muscles were really bothering me, I did get pretty down. I was in so much pain and I really didn’t like the idea of cancelling my yoga membership and not exercising. I thought I would be in pain for the rest of my pregnancy and I didn’t know how I would deal with that. Thankfully, I was able to use the tips I share in my book Healthy Holistic Pregnancy to completely eliminate the butt muscle pain.

It is important to remember that nothing is permanent during pregnancy. Everything is changing and growing on a daily basis so something that bothers you now may be totally gone in a week or two.

Second trimester sleep

Sleeping in the second trimester was a little more challenging as my belly grew bigger but I was still able to sleep really soundly. I was trying to only sleep on my side and I found having a pillow between my knees was much more comfortable. I also put a pillow behind my back to make sure I didn’t sleep totally on my back and to make it easier to roll over. Rolling over with a pillow between your knees really messes up the sheets.

Second trimester healthcare

During the second trimester, we had monthly visits with our midwives. It was great because we got to know both of the midwives who will be attending the birth along with our student and the alternate midwife. The appointments were a half an hour so we had lots of time to ask any questions we had.

We decided to do a genetic testing ultrasound at 15-weeks and an anatomy scan at 20-weeks so we got to see our baby twice! It was really reassuring to know that everything is looking good.

We also took time during the second trimester to start thinking about our birth preferences. My mom is a hypnobirthing instructor so I knew I wanted to sign up for hypnobirthing classes. We did a lot of research and signed up for a class that started near the beginning of the third trimester.

What I was happy to leave behind in the second trimester

I was SO incredibly happy to leave that butt muscle pain behind! It was so nice when it finally subsided and I was able to move without any pain. I was also really excited to start exercising and doing prenatal yoga again.

I was also happy to leave headaches behind. Around week 15, I started experiencing headaches whenever the weather and pressure changed. It was bad timing since it was springtime and we had lots of rainy days that caused headaches. This lasted for a few weeks and thankfully went away.

The last thing I was happy to leave behind was swelling and overall puffiness. Around week 25 I noticed that the skin on my calves felt tight when I crouched down and my face looked puffier on TV. After using a bunch of suggestions in my book Healthy Holistic Pregnancy, I was able to totally eliminate the puffiness completely!

Check out my other pregnancy-related posts here. 

Healthy Holistic Pregnancy

My book Healthy Holistic Pregnancy provides you with detailed information on the best foods to eat and key supplements to take to support your growing baby. It also explains in detail which supplements and superfoods you may want to consider avoiding when you are pregnant due to safety concerns.

Pregnancy can also come with many discomforts and symptoms; the good news is there is something you can do about it! Healthy Holistic Pregnancy provides natural solutions for over 25 common pregnancy symptoms including morning sickness, stretch marks, fatigue, and back pain.

Healthy Holistic Pregnancy has a bonus section on yoga and essential oils safety. It also contains 15 nourishing recipes that will take you through the first trimester and beyond.

Click here to buy Healthy Holistic Pregnancy!

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