Second trimester: 10 tips to watch for
Photo by Somnox Sleep on Unsplash
What should you expect out of your second trimester? For me, getting through the first trimester passed quickly in a cloud of progesterone oil injections and deep fatigue. Once I hit 14 weeks, though, things started to change and I felt more like myself.
So what can you expect from the second trimester and what should you be doing? Here’s what I did to navigate this unknown stage of life for me.
Second trimester tips
Prenatal vitamins: Hopefully you’ve been taking these since the first trimester but if you missed this step, make sure you’re fully in gear now. Prenatal vitamins help supplement the key ingredients your baby will need to grow. The key word being “supplement.” Make sure you’re eating a balanced diet on top of your pills. Also pro-tip, if it isn’t obvious, read all the ingredients of your vitamin and the instructions on how and when to take them. Your pill might be once a day or up to 8 times a day depending on what brand you’re using. I opted for Thorne Basic Prenatals which are a 2 a day pill. Also talk to your doctor or midwife, you may need to add extra vitamins on top of your prenatal if they are missing something major. A common one to add is extra Omega-3.
Start your reading: The thing about pregnancy is you really don’t know what you don’t know. I started with the classic “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” book and worked up from there. I’d also recommend “Expecting Better” which takes a more scientific look at pregnancy and birth to help you make a plan.
Protect your back: Sleep matters. Invest in some good body pillows and your body will thank you. I use two, one on each side of me to support both my stomach and my lower back.
Sleep on your left side: This one can be tricky, but it’s recommended to start sleeping on your side as much as you can. You don’t want to sleep on your back as your stomach getting heavier as it can hurt your lower back and compress blood vessels. Sleeping on your right side can also compress important blood vessels leading to a higher risk of stillbirth among other scary things.
Start your kegels: You can start kegel exercises at any time, but most women start around 20 weeks or so. Kegels are a great way to strengthen your pelvic floor which will be key during labour. Basically, the exercises have you tighten and release your pelvic muscles to make them stronger before they’re really needed. Check out this guide to some basic exercises to get you started.
Be careful of cat litter: If you have a cat at home, get a self-cleaning litter box if you can or pawn the chore off on someone else. If neither of those is an option, use a mask when cleaning and wash your hands right away. Parasites in cat feces and litter can be harmful to the baby.
Moisturize if you want to: Stretch marks can start popping up in the second trimester so you can start a moisturizing routine if you wish. Honestly, most accounts agree stretch marks are genetic and there’s nothing topical you can do about it. If you’re going to get them, you’re going to get them. Check with your mother or grandmother to see if they had stretch marks. If they did, odds are you will too. Still, moisturizing your stomach can help with dry skin and itchiness as your body expands so there’s really no harm. I started using Bio-Oil every day at 18 weeks so I’ll give you an update later if it’s helped anything (Update: at 35 weeks I’m starting to have small, minor stretch marks below my belly button but no where else.).
There’s an app for that: Check out some of the baby apps online to help you track your pregnancy. I recommend “BabyCenter” and “HiMommy.” Both will send you helpful updates and tell you things like your baby is the size of an avocado. The HiMommy app will even send daily updates about what is happening with your baby’s development. My favourite update so far was the one telling me good news, my baby’s tail was detaching. 😲
Be careful of hot baths: Heating up your body too much can do neurological damage to your baby. Likewise getting too cold isn’t a great idea either. It’s time to embrace warm baths or take shorter showers. It’s also a bad idea to use hot tubs or saunas for the same reason. You don’t want your body temperature going over 38.3 degrees C to be safe.
Talk to your baby: It might feel weird at first but you’re bonding with your baby every day they’re in the womb. Try talking to him or her. They can hear you as they develop.
Enjoy the second trimester
So far, the second trimester sure beats the first. I hear the third is back to being tired all the time so I’m going to enjoy the energy I have now. I feel pretty normal in most ways. My clothes still fit. My routine remains much unchanged. I can still work and enjoy life as usual. Really the largest changes are diet based. Of course, I’m well aware that with each passing week my little jelly bean is developing and soon enough I’ll have a lot more to think about than if I got enough fruit and veggies today.