Second Trimester Bumpdate

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Officially 35 weeks into my pregnancy, so it’s time for a second trimester bumpdate. If I’m being honest, the second trimester was somewhat of a relief compared to the first trimester. Not only are you in what some people call the ‘safe zone,’ but those icky first trimester nausea symptoms start to subside. By about 14 weeks, my nausea was SO much better. I felt more like myself, I was eating more of a ‘normal’ diet, and my energy level was back. Better yet, my 12 week appointment confirmed that my SCH (subchorionic hematoma) had  healed.

If you’re new around here, I had a serious bleed at about 7 weeks where I thought I was miscarrying (again). A doctor’s appointment confirmed that I had an SCH, which is essentially a blood pocket on my placenta. It can be dangerous and risk placenta abruption if large, but generally they resolve on their own without any problems. Thankfully this was the case for me as well.

Second Trimester Fainting Episodes

The second trimester was not without it’s own struggles and hurdles. At both 12 weeks and 16 weeks I had pretty serious (and public) fainting episodes. I still can’t explain what caused it, but I felt an urge of lightheadedness and a racing heart rate prior to passing out with very little notice. The first time was at 12 weeks when Drew and I were out to brunch. I passed out in a restaurant while waiting for a table. I was out for about 30-45 seconds and when I woke up we called the ambulance to check my vitals, but everything checked out fine.

The second time was at 16 weeks, and I was with Drew’s family at a brewery. I was sitting in a chair and out of no where passed out to the floor. This time I was out for about 1 minute-1 minute and 30 seconds. We called an ambulance and once again my vitals were fine. Since it was the second time we decided to go get checked out in the emergency room (this was pre-covid). They did a ct-scan on my brain and there were no signs of abnormal brain activity. They recommended I visit with a neurologist to get a second opinion and sent me home.

During my appointment with the neurologist, she also ruled out any seizures or abnormal brain activity and attributed the fainting episodes to vasovagal syncope. She said it was likely a problem with changes in blood pressure between mom and baby that can make your body pass out, kind of like a ‘reset button.’ It can also be triggered by nausea, diet or a quick change in body temperature. It’s scary when it happens, but ultimately harmless and just something I would need to work through. Thankfully, the fainting episodes disappeared after the second time and I haven’t had any issues since.

Second Trimester Q&A

How has it been being pregnant with Covid-19?

I’ve gotten this question SO much, and I think it’s because lots of mamas are at a loss with how to feel during time time. We’re all walking in unchartered territory and no one knows how to cope or what precautions to take. Covid-19 started becoming a BIG deal in our area around the start of my second trimester. It was extremely scary because there were a ton of unknowns, and no one truly knew how the virus would affect pregnant people and unborn babies. Drew and I took a lot of precautions and quarantined very strictly for the first month or so of my second trimester. Keep in mind at this time we were both working from home in an 800 sq. feet apartment… it was not easy.

After more information came out about the virus and they determined pregnant people, and especially unborn babies didn’t have any more risk or complications with the virus, we started to become a little more laid back about our quarantine. We were still very cautious of course, but we started allowing me to leave the apartment, visit a grocery store with a mask, etc. Our mentality was, I can’t stay cooked up for my entire pregnant or I’m going to go mentally crazy and as long as we took necessary precautions, we had to continue living out life.

As far as how it’s been for me mentally with Covid-19, I have to admit it hasn’t been easy. We were finishing building a house during my second trimester, so it was nice to have somewhere to put my focus, but I was going absolutely stir crazy in our apartment and our house closing kept being set back due to delays with materials caused by the virus. I definitely had a couple of mental breakdowns throughout the process, lol, but now we are settled and moved in and I couldn’t be happier.

The only other thing I’ll say about the virus that has been a pretty big bummer is the loss of ‘missed memories.’ That’s what I’ve coined it at least. I imagined getting to do all these ‘things’ during my first pregnancy that are memories I’ll never get back. A baby moon, a huge baby shower celebration, visiting with friends and family during my pregnancy before baby comes, etc. It’s been a bummer for things to not go as I had originally planned, but then I think about everyone else that is experiencing similar feelings. The brides who have to postpone their weddings, the graduates who will never get to walk across stage and look back on those memories. We’re all going through this in some capacity and it’s okay to grieve the moments we will never get back. It’s tough on everyone, and my heart goes out to anyone who feels like they’ve had missed memories through this experience.

Have you picked a name?

We have! I thought this would be one of the hardest tasks for Drew and I because we could never agree on names in the past. For some reason, when the pressure was on we we’re able to pick one pretty quickly. I want to meet her prior to announcing her name, so we plan on sharing once she is born.

When did you start showing and feeling baby kick?

Looking back, I think I started showing around 20 weeks, and by this I mean, showing where people could question whether or not I was pregnant. Prior to that, I could have just put on weight due to the pandemic, lol! As far as feeling baby kick, that happened a little earlier around 18 weeks. I wasn’t sure what to feel for, but one afternoon I was laying on my stomach on the bred looking at my phone and I felt what seemed like something inside me scurry across my belly ha! It freaked me out a first, but then I reminded myself that I was pregnant and it was probably baby movements. It’s hard to determine what is baby and what is air bubbles in your stomach, but once you feel it the first time, there is no denying what it is. It was such a cool feeing that I wanted Drew to be able to feel, but he probably wasn’t able to feel movement until around 22 weeks on the outside.

How are you feeling? Cravings/aversions? How are you sleeping?

Honestly, second trimester was a game changer in terms of nausea compared to first trimester. Overall, I felt really good. Other than a growing belly and an increased appetite, I wouldn’t have even realized I was pregnant. I was very thankful for that. Throughout my pregnancy my biggest craving has been sugar, hands down. It’s also funny that I have been gravitating towards foods of my childhood. Grilled cheeses, pop tarts, toaster strudels, cereal, fruit snacks, lol. It’s like I started growing a kid and became a kid, lol! I haven’t had a lot of aversions during my second trimester thankfully. During my first trimester, pretty much everything sounded disgusting to me aside from carbs. I couldn’t eat meat, vegetables or drink coffee.

As far as sleeping, I thankfully didn’t have any issues during my second trimester. I also continued to sleep on my stomach throughout my entire second trimester (okay’d by doctor, of course). I will say, this pregnancy pillow was a game changer for allowing me to sleep better. It takes a little while to find the right position for comfortable sleeping, but once you do, it really helps allow you to sleep in positions you otherwise wouldn’t be able to. I also noticed that sleeping with it between my legs helped with hip pain that started popping up during second trimester. Highly recommend!

What have you done so far to prepare for baby?

To be honest, not a whole lot. Since we were in transition between apartment and house, it felt silly to start buying a bunch of baby stuff. It was tough, because I was definitely in nesting mode and ready to move into the house, but the virus and lots of other things out of my control allowed me to have a more laid back attitude about everything. I started prepping my baby registry and creating visual boards for the nursery, but other than that, I was truly in a holding pattern until we moved into the new house. It definitely has made me realize that there is plentyyy of time to prepare for baby and there is no need to stress. She will get here and have everything she needs and that is what matters.

As far as baby classes, Drew and I honestly haven’t done a lot to prepare. I’m also of the mentality that you can prepare for every possible scenario and something will always throw a wrench in to give you an outcome you didn’t prepare for. Luckily both he and I have nieces and nephews that have helped us prepare for caring for a baby. I think we have a pretty good idea of what to expect. The only thing I am super nervous about is breast feeding because I know it’s a huge unknown and very tough challenge for a lot of moms. I’m going into it with the mentality of ‘a fed baby is a happy baby’ and not trying to put too much stress on the situation. I’d love to breast feed, but if my body tells me differently, there are lots of great formula options out there and baby girl will be taken care of. To each their own.

What maternity clothing items have you started to purchase?

I’ve chatted about this several times over on Instagram, but I honestly didn’t start buying a ton of maternity related items until third trimester. I was super thankful that bump hadn’t grown too much so I could get away with my loose normal clothes or sizing up in non-maternity items. By third trimester it was time to start investing in larger bras and more comfortable maternity items. A couple of things I absolutely recommend you invest in depending on what season you are pregnant are some longer camisoles to fit over bump, some midi or loose fitting maternity dresses, nursing bras or bras without underwire, and some maternity shorts jeans or leggings (depending on your season).

Last but not least, I also found myself wearing chambray shirts or loose fitted shirts over dresses when I didn’t want the bump on full display. It definitely made me feel more comfortable. These were necessary items I worked into my wardrobe with non-maternity items and so far it’s worked out great. If you’re pregnant in the summer you’ll also want to invest in some larger sized swimsuits or maternity swimsuits. It will make you feel more comfortable because you definitely need long torso one pieces to get you through. I purchased this cheap one on Amazon in several colors and it’s been great.

How much weight have you gained and how have you dealt with body changes?

Normally, I would have a tough time answering this question because I am very body conscious and fitness oriented, but honestly, I’ve learned to embrace the beautiful changes happening to my body. I gained 30 pound through my first and second trimester, which on a pre-pregnant day would sound like a lot to me, but after experiencing a miscarriage last Fall, I’m proud of what my body has been able to do in carrying a healthy baby (something I was unsure I was able to do). There definitely has been weight gains in places I never though I could gain, but overall, I’m doing what it takes to carry my baby and will focus on the lbs. after baby is here and healthy. Every body and every pregnancy is different, so I don’t think there is any room for comparison. What your body needs to do to support a healthy pregnancy is always going to be different from what my body needs to do to support a healthy pregnancy, and that’s what is important.

In addition, I’m not disappointed in the weight gain because if I’m being honest, I haven’t done a lot to combat the gain. I’ve done very light workouts here and there throughout my pregnancy, but overall I’ve just taken a break from working out. I’m tired all the time and my joints hurt, so working out isn’t as enjoyable. In addition, I’ve given into my pregnancy cravings within moderation, and haven’t forced myself to hold back. My mentality was I shouldn’t restrict myself if it’s what my body is asking for. So far, this mentality has worked for me, and I’ll focus on getting myself back to my normal self once baby is here. 🙂