Well, we made it through the second trimester! Woop woop!
Here is a recap of all the annoying, and wonderful, things I’ve personally experienced throughout the second trimester. Although, this is by far my favorite season of pregnancy when you slowly start to feel normal (or at least, more so than your new ‘normal’). I’ve tried to be better documenting the physical changes of the bump this trimester, as the first trimester flew by with hardly any bump photos. But, I am doing better than I was with Everley’s pregnancy. It was one regret I had, being so sick last time, that I only have 4 bump photos total and my at-home DIY maternity photos. I vowed to be better this time around!
So, a few MAJOR things have happened since our last update with you all. We did a gender reveal when we found out that the baby was a GIRL!
See all the confetti photos in this blog post with all the details. Everley has been doing really well, and often kisses my belly and refers to “baby” when she’s talking. For her birthday we got her two little Miniland Dolls that she takes everywhere, and it has been nice watching her play and change diapers, put them to bed, rock them to sleep and feed them. I’m hoping she’ll be this helpful once the little one is earthside… we shall see!
Not long after finding out the sex (maybe a week – haha), we decided on her name!
So little one is being referred to by her nickname “LaLa” as the name will stay secret until she’s born. But we’ve definitely chosen her pretty name and it’s a little unique, along with a little traditional (a little like the old/new mix of Everley Capri). We both LOVED her first name and struggled for a while to decide on a middle name, but when I said the middle name out loud while researching names in bed one night, Rohan said, “That’s it!”. And that was that!
Since then, we’ve purchased a few personalized items for her room and her baby bracelet with her name on it. It made her feel so much more part of our little family now she has an identity and a little name we and Everley can call her. We’re so excited to share it with you when she enters this world!
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28 WEEKS – SYMPTOMS
ALL THOSE FUN ANNOYING THINGS
Lightning Crotch (Early Second Trimester)
Probably the most annoying symptom of allllll the pregnancy symptoms. If you have ever been pregnant and experienced this, you know exactly what I’m talking about. I only had this with Everley for the last few weeks, but this time around, I had it since Week 19 until Week 22 (starting not even halfway through!). Easily my least favorite thing about being pregnant! Fortunately, this seems to have gone away for now. Hoping it doesn’t return and was due to where baby was sitting at the time against a nerve.
Mild Heartburn (Late Second Trimester)
This hasn’t caused too much trouble just yet, but I am starting to feel the effects of mild heartburn if I eat lying down or have something greasy or spicy for dinner. I do believe the wives tale about heartburn being linked to a head full of hair, I had heartburn really bad with Everley and she was born with lots of hair (which I liked). I’ll happily suffer through this one if it means this little girly will have a full head of hair!
Cravings
Mediterranean Food! Lentils, Beans, Rice, Soups, Zucchini, Pita & Naan Breads… literally all the things I normally wouldn’t eat (apart from Naan). But if I’m going to crave anything I suppose these are the best things to crave! Obviously, the occasional need for something sweet. But the sweets have been kept at bay for the most part (except during Christmas time).
Sleeplessness
Luckily, the nausea has now subsided around Week 18, mainly because I think I have preempted this time around and have been taking my Diclegis (but when that ran out, I subbed it out for a Sleep Aid at night and it seemed to have the same effect). I have been taking Unisom. Any night I don’t take the Unisom, I cannot get to sleep, I toss and turn and have a really rough time getting enough rest to keep up with Everley the next day. Also, without a good night’s sleep, I find the nausea creeps back in and knocks me flat for the day. So for now, we have moved on from the Diclegis drugs, and onto a sleep aid, which really seems to be helping.
Dry Skin & Stretch Marks
Now, this could be due to the fact we are in the middle of an ice cold dry Winter, but my skin has never been drier! When I bend or move my body, it stretches so badly that I start getting super itchy (and on skin that’s already stretched out, the itching is constant). I have never used so much oil and moisturizer in my life! Haha. The stretch marks I have aren’t new. They are ones from Everley’s pregnancy, but I feel like as my body stretches out again, the marks become darker and more noticeable again. I try to Bio-Oil my belly every night (that I can remember), which helps with the dryness and also the permanent marks. So far this pregnancy I have not put on as much weight as I did with Everley, so I’m hoping this means that I won’t get any new lines. But if I do, I guess I’ll embrace them too!
Restless Leg Syndrome
Some people won’t believe this or have ever experienced this. But I promise it’s a real thing! My husband can vouch for that, especially when he gets randomly kicked in the night. He’s told me countless times that it’s his least favorite thing about me… haha. Unfortunately, there is no cure or known solution for this medically. It is just a random twitch in your leg that you feel as if you need to move your leg to get rid of it, almost like a muscle spasm. But I’ve found a warm shower, or a good massage with oil often makes it subside or ease a little (but not every time). It’s certainly been MUCH worse during my second trimester than ever before.
Health Issues/Scares x 3
1. I had a little scare with my glucose levels after doing the first Glucose Test (ew, I hate it). Went back and did the second more intensive test (had to drink that feral drink again!) and waited for results. Everything came back fine. So no gestational diabetes for me! Yippee!
2. The same week as the second Glucose Test I had probably my most frightening health scare to date – regardless of being pregnant or not. I actually had presented with severe headaches and blurred vision, alongside numbness in the right side of my face and my right hand and forearm. These symptoms only lasted about 10-15 minutes, but it was enough for me to freak out and call my OBGYN who asked me to go straight to the ER for tests. By the time we got there, everything had gone back to normal and I was left with a minor headache. I opted not to go down the MRI route to check for stroke. The doctors treated me for an abnormal migraine and released me. Obviously, these symptoms are ones I will be very aware of should it happen again, and (fingers crossed it doesn’t) if it does, we will go straight to ER for MRI and look into it further. But needless to say, I was probably the most scared I had been for my health, ever.
3. This one might be a little TMI – but read on if you’re curious or want to know what some pregnancies can REALLY be like. The third health issue is one I haven’t shared publicly until now. I ummed and ahhed about sharing it as it’s quite personal. But I figure it may help someone else identify an issue they might be experiencing that’s similar, and know that this feeling is not normal.
From about Week 25 I had been feeling very weighted and heavy “downstairs” and as a result constipation ensued and caused a LOT of swelling and pain in my lady parts. I actually likened this feeling to recovery after Everley’s birth and was terrified something major was wrong with me as I shouldn’t be feeling that much pain down there that inhibits my walking, bending, toileting and everyday activities. At Week 28 (yes, I know I’m stupid for waiting 3 weeks before telling the doctor about it), but I managed to scrape in at the end of the second trimester when I finally asked my OB-GYN if that feeling was normal or not, as I was so swollen that I couldn’t wipe after going to the toilet without wincing – let alone have sex without crying!
She checked me out and diagnosed me with a blood flow issue due to baby’s position and the pressure against certain veins not allowing correct blood flow from my torso to my legs and back, resulting in my poor little hoo-hah swelling up and becoming very painful. I was thinking I had a prolapsed uterus or something sinister and immediately went to the worst case scenario. So it was a nice relief to know that a maternity belt (brace) should help with clearing up the symptoms and give me some physical relief from the intense pain I was feeling. It is also supposed to help lower back pain too, it kind of holds up your belly to allow less strain on your lower abdomen, allowing better blood flow and weightiness carried low. I’ll keep you updated as to how it goes in my next trimester update! Here is the link to the exact maternity belt I am using.
NOTE: Our site may contain affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking a link I recommended, I may make a commission off that purchase through that site.
WEEK 16 | WEEK 17 | WEEK 18 | WEEK 20
WEEK 22 | WEEK 24 | WEEK 25 | WEEK 27
28 WEEKS – FAVORITE THINGS
THINGS I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT
Pregnancy Pillow
This I could not sleep without! It also helps with tender, heavy breasts, shoving it between them and between your legs lets you get some rest, comfortably through the night. Had this from the moment I found out I was expecting (4 weeks). Let’s be honest, I’ve been using it even when I wasn’t pregnant after having Everley. It’s my best friend.
Maternity Belt
Here is the link to the exact one I am using and a few others… I usually just wear this in the day time when I am standing upright or sitting down. It’s not the most comfortable thing in the world, but my goodness, it’s better than the weighted feeling I described earlier, getting worse.
Medication (Unisom)
A sleep aid that has replaced my Diclegis from the first trimester and into my second trimester. It helps me doze off so I can relax enough to get a good night’s sleep and also somehow helps with the nausea.
Coffee
I have one coffee a day. If I miss it, I get severe headaches. I have never been a coffee addict, and rarely would have more than one a day anyway, but find that if I go without, the symptoms are maximized while pregnant. To avoid headaches, I have one in the morning after I’ve eaten breakfast. And that usually keep the headaches at bay, unless they’re happening for another reason.
Dressing Gown (Robe)
If I don’t have to wear pants, I won’t. I’m being so serious right now, so stop laughing. I practically live in my robe every day at home. Mom bun or claw clip hair, dressing gown, no make-up and some form of slippers on my feet. As comfortable as I can be. Here are some robes I’ve got my eye on…
Maternity Underwear
From about 9 weeks, my normal underwear was too tight which made me feel sick. Fortunately, I knew these existed from my pregnancy with Evie. And had them on standby… they’ve been a lifesaver. Perfect for most women in their second trimester. Here are some of my favorites…
Oils & Moisturizers
Because of how dry my skin has been and to avoid any more stretch marks in the second trimester and the third, using massage oils and moisturizers has been a must. Here are the ones I use, and some others I really want to try… I swear by Bio-Oil!
BBQ Pop Chips
My go-to late night snack! Delicious, and way better than eating a bagel or donut!
NOTE: Our site may contain affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking a link I recommended, I may make a commission off that purchase through that site.
POST DETAILS
Pictured in this post are some of my favorite items I’ve purchased for LaLa. Our bassinet is something we had with Everley, and it goes really well with this stand we also have. This pretty sunset toned muslin swaddle was one of the first things we bought for her, and this special little Maileg Cat Toy (which Everley seems to have claimed as her own).
We have a little square white felt letterboard we use to keep track of the weeks of pregnancy, which featured in our first and second trimester post update. I also have recently discovered Hallmark Baby and am obsessed with their Strawberry line, so we have the play mat, swaddle set and baby rattle (we also have some of the clothing too).
Everley has her two Miniland Dolls here and here (named Ruby & Luna), wearing their beautiful little handmade outfits from Etsy, here and here. She’s wearing a pretty little GAP eyelet dress in Coral which seems to be becoming a favorite color of ours. And you can shop our pretty new rug from Safavieh at Overstock.
NOTE: Our site may contain affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking a link I recommended, I may make a commission off that purchase through that site.
