6 Reasons Why the Second Trimester Kicks A$$

The second trimester for me was the BOMB! Now that I am in my third trimester, I am truly TRULY appreciative of how great it was (more on the third trimester later – ugh!). Some women say that starting the second trimester is like flipping a switch because all of the first trimester symptoms disappear and you start to feel like a human again. For me, I was pretty lucky in that I didn’t have much morning sickness or fatigue in the first trimester. But the second trimester has hands down been the best and here’s why!

1. I started looking pregnant

I struggled with the changes my body was going through in the first trimester, mainly because I just felt like I looked frumpy and not pregnant, and I couldn’t even tell anyone about the pregnancy! In the second trimester, that bump was definitely there – tiny but mighty – and the news was out. I stopped worrying that everyone thought I had a little too much Taco Bell and started getting excited about our baby boy! It’s so amazing to see what my body has been capable of. I love looking down and seeing my bump, knowing that I am creating a life that’s half me and half my hubby! There truly is no feeling like it in the world. All. The. Feels.

2. Exercise was still easy

I am so lucky to belong to the most supportive CrossFit gym and have coaches that are super attentive, educated, and motivating. Thank you CrossFit 460 and Velvet Minnick – I love you!!!! Velvet actually created a group for our gym’s preggo mamas – CrossFit 460 Mommy Strong – where she posts scaling options for the workouts at the beginning of each week. We are able to share pregnancy updates, CrossFit tips or anything we want with each other! It has been so helpful to have this group of supportive and strong women in my life. I think there are 5 of us that are pregnant right now (one just had her precious little girl!). Our baby is the only boy…he is going to have some little ladies fighting over him soon!!!

I was able to run until I was 7 months pregnant, I tried to get a few hikes in, and I think I worked out most days of the week during the second trimester. I loved getting some workouts in with the hubby and I think more than anything staying active helped my mood and energy levels stay up. It was amazing to see what my body was capable all while growing a little one. It also made me sleep like a dream. I definitely encourage everyone to stay as active as possible – even if it just means taking your dog for a walk outside! Enjoy being able to move your body while you can, because it does get a lot harder.

3. We started working on the nursery

My wonderful mother and sister-in-law came to visit and I don’t think I have ever seen the hubster get so motivated to get things done. The three of them set up the nursery in about three hours flat while I sat there with the puppies and watched everything come together. I think this is when everything became REAL!

Our baby was going to sleep in that crib!

His itty bitty clothes already filled the closet – and I mean FILLED.

I would rock him, read to him, and feed him in the corner of that room!

He was going to have explosive diarrhea all over that changing table someday!

YAY!

Having the furniture put together so that I could organize all the wonderful baby stuff friends and family sent as we got it was so nice. It hasn’t been nearly as overwhelming as I think it could have been if I tried to do it all at once.

4. It was the perfect time for a baby moon

Ty and I decided to take one last big trip before the baby gets here! We both love traveling and try to get to at least one new international and one new US destination a year. We chose Iceland because it’s not too too far away but still pretty adventurous, it was inexpensive to get to, and I didn’t really feel like going to a tropical destination without being able to enjoy a margarita to be honest! (Plus there is always the Zika risk!) See my previous post on travel in pregnancy here!

It was so much fun getting to spend a week together exploring such a stunningly beautiful place – and eating all the pizza the country had to offer! Who knew Iceland would have the most delicious pizza!?! And this is coming from a New Yorker! We soaked in the Blue Lagoon, drove all the way across the country, saw icebergs, black beaches, and more sheep, horses, and waterfalls than I could count. It was a week we will never forget that’s for sure!

5. I started reading ALL THE BOOKS

I am a self-proclaimed book-worm and a liiiiiittle bit of a nerd! Back in the day, I was an English major and there is nothing I love more than curling up on the couch with coffee and a good book. In the second trimester, I finally got over my fear of miscarrying and finally let myself get super excited about this little human that is about to enter our lives. I wanted to learn about everything. Sure, I’m a Family Medicine physician and have delivered 100+ babies and take care of them every day in clinic, but I certainly have never had one of my own. Something tells me that is a whole other ballpark! I asked everyone I knew about what books to read and so far I have checked these off my list:

They probably aren’t the typical books everyone reads before having a kid – but I’m not that typical! I’m going to do a little review of them in another post! If you have any other book suggestions, I would looooove them!

6. I got to shop for super cute maternity clothes

My growing belly gave me the perfect reason to shop (as if I need help in that department!) I don’t really like spending money on clothes for work to begin with, so I asked my father-in-law to send me some scrubs to wear for clinic and spent my money on cute clothes for my days off. We also had a few weddings that I got to dress my bump for!

I tried my best to get as many non-maternity items as I could but there were some things I just had to splurge on! I allowed myself one nice pair of maternity jeans, and really liked the maternity lines at ASOS and H&M. Affordable and as fashionable as you get with a belly! Old Navy was great for stretchy non-maternity dresses that would grow with me. Target had the best maternity T-shirts that covered my tush and I could wear with leggings. I got the Blanqi leggings that are advertised absolutely everywhere, and I really like the way they feel, but I didn’t follow the washing instructions and they piled up after one wash! My fault I suppose! I recently discovered Nordstrom Rack has a small but pretty awesome online maternity section – I wish I knew this sooner! I ordered a couple of workout pants from there and otherwise for the gym I just sized up in Target shorts with a stretchy waistband and they have worked great!

Let me know if you are interested and I can do a whole post on my maternity wardrobe!

What are you looking forward to in the second trimester or what did you love if you have been through it already??