Well I’m almost 38 weeks pregnant as I write this and realized last week I hadn’t done a blog post for the 2nd trimester recap. Since the 3rd trimester is almost over I figured I might as well do a joint 2nd & 3rd trimester recaps blog post to share how those went.
2nd Trimester
I’ll quickly touch on the 2nd trimester because luckily, there was nothing too crazy to report. I was happy to get my appetite and my energy back around week 16, and also felt baby move really early too around 14 weeks. And I’m pretty sure she hasn’t stopped moving since then, lol. She is almost constantly in motion it seems like…just kicks me all the time. I love it though. It’s just interesting to compare it to Emma, whose movements were much more gentle and almost “lazy” haha. This baby karate chops me all day long.
We took several beach trips in the 2nd trimester, had our babymoon to Hilton Head and also enjoyed pool time. I was able to up the intensity of my workouts again since I was feeling so much better and also begin eating more normally since my aversion to basically all food had gone away. Praise.
Really not too much else to report from the 2nd tri!
3rd Trimester
I feel like almost as soon as the 3rd trimester hit, the exhaustion came back full force and just took me out. It was basically like my 1st trimester exhaustion all over again. Couple that with trying to care for a toddler every day…let’s just say I was on the struggle bus daily lol. My workouts definitely took a hit too…each week that went by I just got more and more tired so while I tried to keep up doing my Besst Workouts App circuits, I started incorporating much more walking each day with very modified strength exercises at the end.
My hips have been killing me at night even though I sleep with king size pillows on either side of me so I can rest my belly on them and can put my top leg over the pillow. I don’t sleep on my back (generally not recommended during pregnancy) and obviously not on my stomach…so it’s just going from side to side all night long. Oh, and peeing…all night long. On a good night I only wake up 2x to pee, but on a regular night it’s more like 4x.
I had to learn to show myself a whole lot of grace in the 3rd trimester because it was really nothing like what I had experienced with Emma. I had lots of energy and was walking 5 miles a day and still doing full strength workouts. I also did not have a toddler then 🙂 That first pregnancy is CUSHY let me tell ya. We don’t even know how good we have it to just be able to lay around whenever we want! Emma still luckily naps between 12-3, and let me tell you, I basically HAVE to take a 30 minute nap (at least) to be able to function properly for the remainder of the day.
Braxton Hicks started early in the 2nd tri and continued through the 3rd…in fact I’m getting one right now. They are definitely a bit more intense than they were first pregnancy. I’ve been taking lots of baths which has been so nice and something I didn’t really do the first time. We didn’t have a bath tub in our primary bathroom at our old house so I guess I just never felt like going to the other bathroom but now we have a tub that is so comfy and I basically have been taking a bath everyday for the last few weeks! Since week 35 I have been using a few drops of evening primrose oil in the bath too…it’s great for moisturizing your skin but can also potentially help with your skin stretching out for birth to reduce the risk of tearing. There’s also some evidence that it can help your cervix dilate and/or soften. Of course you should always talk to your provider to get the OK before!
Another “new” thing I’ve been doing is going to the chiropractor every week/every other week since about week 30. It can really help you get baby in an optimal position for labor and also reduce your aches & pains! You want to try to find a Webster Technique certified chiropractor for this.
Last week around week 37 I started feeling nauseated and my aversion to food came back – not as full force as in first trimester – but definitely was coming & going. I had several of you on Instagram tell me that meant labor was imminent but it’s been about a week and she’s still in there, soooo I guess not for me lol. I am continuing to bounce on the ball and do my Spinning Babies daily activities…and other than that just waiting for her arrival! At this point, I am ready whenever she is 🙂
xo,
Bess
Leave a Reply