One Woman’s Honest Second Trimester Story And What Helped Her Through It
The second trimester is often called the honeymoon phase. And for Zoe it genuinely was. But not without its own surprises. Here’s what she experienced and what helped her through it.
Here’s what we cover…
- The Nausea Didn’t Stop at Week 13
- What She Went Through
- Food and Sleep
- Feeling Her Baby Move
- Nesting and Preparations
- How She Felt Emotionally
The Nausea Didn’t Stop at Week 13
Something worth knowing is that the second trimester doesn’t always begin with instant relief. For Zoe nausea gradually faded around weeks 15 and 16. Even then a predictable wave hit every day at around 4pm for about an hour and a half. She managed it by lying down, sipping Sprite, chewing gum and getting fresh air. By week 17 it was completely gone.
What She Went Through
Between weeks 19 and 20 Zoe experienced sudden dizzy spells from blood pressure drops, especially when standing up too quickly or after intense bursts of activity. She managed these by lying down, lifting her legs, deep breathing, drinking water and eating something. She made sure she was never walking around alone during this phase and kept an eye on her blood pressure regularly.
The sour taste in her mouth and sensitive teeth from her first trimester finally disappeared around weeks 19 and 20. She was thrilled to be able to eat tomatoes again.
She also experienced a heavy weighted feeling in her legs occasionally caused by the growing uterus pressing on nerves. And a strange fizzy sensation along her lower ribs as her uterus expanded and pushed against them, making it hard to eat big meals. Sometimes she had to stand up mid dinner just to get relief.
Her bump grew rapidly between weeks 17 and 19 and her skin felt intensely itchy during that stretch. Moisturising twice a day with body oils and lotions helped enormously.
Towards the end of the trimester heartburn arrived which made it painful and worse when lying on her right side. Gaviscon became her go-to. Lying on her left side helped.
On the brighter side, her body hair grew much more slowly than in the first trimester. And the painful breast sensitivity completely disappeared.
Food and Sleep
No unusual cravings this trimester. Just a continued love of strawberries, which she ate constantly. She also ate a lot of Kit Kat Chunkies and cake pops and discovered that sugar reliably got her baby moving.
Sleep was much better than the first trimester. She found a U-shaped pregnancy pillow from Amazon to be an absolute lifesaver for comfort.
U shaped Pregnancy pillow is linked below for you..
Sleep only started declining towards the end of the trimester with heartburn, baby kicks and frequent bathroom trips.
Feeling Her Baby Move
This was Zoe’s favourite part of the entire second trimester.
She initially mistook the early flutters for gas, which she laughs about. But at week 18 after eating a cake pop she felt a distinct sensation like a tiny elastic band snapping low in her belly. She quickly learned that sugar and lying down was a reliable way to feel her baby move. Her partner felt the kick from the outside the very next day.
By weeks 18 and 19 their baby girl was kicking daily, especially in the mornings, evenings and after sugar.
They also had a 4D scan during this trimester which Zoe loved. Seeing her daughter’s facial features for the first time was something she found really special.
Nesting and Preparations
Both Zoe and her partner went into full nesting mode this trimester. They cleared out rooms, organised the house and set up the nursery completely. Even though the baby wouldn’t use the nursery straight away, having it ready gave Zoe enormous peace of mind.
She also loved watching her bump become more and more visible around the halfway point. She didn’t struggle with her changing body at all. She marvelled at it.
How She Felt Emotionally
With nausea gone Zoe felt like herself again. Her anxiety eased, the crying spells reduced and she became much more social.
Her main source of stress this trimester was information overwhelm. People constantly sent her book recommendations, podcasts, parenting courses and birthing methods. Combined with time flying by faster than expected it sometimes felt like too much.
What helped her? Letting go of the pressure. She decided to only read what she actually wanted to read and to trust her own instincts. And that made all the difference.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the information out there mumma, you don’t have to consume all of it. Trust yourself. You know more than you think.