Navigating the Second Trimester

Hello again! I’m back with a pregnancy update, summing up the highs and lows of the second trimester. For anyone who hasn’t read my first blog, go back and read it! It’s all about my first trimester, with my favourite tips and tricks for getting through it, as well as my favourite Mom Store products.

I didn’t have high hopes going into the second trimester. In my first two pregnancies, I didn’t experience a boost in energy or the dissipation of first trimester symptoms, and ultimately ended up hitting a real wall at around 20 weeks. I was pleasantly surprised this pregnancy when the vomiting started to ease at around 14 weeks, and I started to feel like I had a bit more energy to manage at work and be a mum to my two little girls. While the vomiting and nausea didn’t go away completely, this was my first time experiencing anything close to the second trimester boost everyone told me about - which was a very welcome development!

There are lots of fun milestones in the second trimester we have enjoyed ticking off. I started to feel baby’s movements, and we had scans where we got to see our wee one (who our daughters have affectionately named Peanut Rose). We had scans at 14 weeks and 20 weeks, which I found to be a real pick-me-up during a physically difficult pregnancy. My bump also started to pop out, which my daughters have found to be really exciting. My four-year-old's favourite activity is balancing her rubber ducks on my growing belly when we have a bath together in the evening.

As I started to show, we also decided as a family it was time to start telling more people. Lots of people tell their wider friends and family about their pregnancy at the end of their first trimester. For this pregnancy, it felt right to wait a little bit longer to tell people outside of our immediate support system. So, we didn’t announce on social media or at work until after 20 weeks. The outpouring of love and support has been so special, and again has been a really lovely boost to get me through the days of fatigue and vomiting. At 24 weeks, I got to celebrate a very special milestone: graduating with my PhD, and I feel so grateful to have had all three of my babies with me that day.

Now that I’m at the end of my second trimester, I am definitely starting to slow down a bit more physically, and I’m still struggling a bit with the nausea and vomiting. But it feels surreal to be writing this and already be at the start of my third trimester! With my second baby, the vomiting stopped at 32 weeks. So, cross all of your fingers and toes for me that it will be the same for this pregnancy!

Some of my top tips for navigating the second trimester

Enjoy the boost, but don’t overdo it

While it can be really tempting to rush to be as productive as possible and make the most of the second trimester, remember that your body is still working really hard to grow your baby. As much as you can, enjoy the boost of energy and make the most of it while still taking time to rest. Keep drawing on your village of support to help where you need it, and remember it’s totally normal to not be at your usual capacity.

If you don’t get the boost, I promise you can do this

If you are reading this and feeling dismayed because you don’t feel much better in the second trimester, or your symptoms have eased but you still feel exhausted, I’m so sorry. This was me with my first two pregnancies, and it can feel pretty devastating not to get the boost everyone promises is coming. It’s okay to feel disappointed and like it’s really unfair - it is unfair! But I promise you can do this. Something that really helped me in my second pregnancy was shifting my mindset from “it will get better soon” to “what do I need this week to get through?” Focusing on the things I could do (or ask other people to help with) that would make managing pregnancy a little easier really helped, compared to continually telling myself it would be better soon and then feeling disappointed when that didn’t happen. It’s not fair, but you’ve got this!

Start thinking about parental leave and the baby admin

Ah yes, the fun bit. When I say baby admin, I don’t mean the cute stuff like planning outfits and redesigning the spare room into a nursery. I mean the really glamorous stuff like planning your Paid Parental Leave (PPL) and what paperwork needs to be done when the baby is born. It’s a good time to start familiarising yourself with the IRD website, how PPL works, and looking online to see what the process is when baby is born to get a birth certificate. In most cases, these aspects of welcoming your baby can be done online and are pretty straightforward. But looking into it now means nothing will be a surprise later on. There are also government payments, like Working for Families (WFF), that many parents can access through IRD, so it’s worth looking into this too. While you’re at it, if you are planning to return to paid work in the first 12 months, it’s worth looking into daycare and putting your baby on a waitlist. It’s probably the last thing on your mind, but don’t get caught out like I did. In some areas across Aotearoa, daycare waitlists can be 12-18 months long.

Go-To Mom Store Buys for the Second Trimester

The Hug Hot & Cold Gel Pack

This has been a godsend toward the end of my second trimester as various aches and pains have started to emerge. It is super quick and easy to warm up in the microwave, and the strap means I can keep it in place on my lower back or under my bump when I am resting (normally it is my husband's job to hold a heat pack on my lower back). The straps can be tucked into the cover when I’m not using them, and I know it will continue to be used in our family well beyond pregnancy and postpartum.

Main Squeeze Pregnancy & Postpartum Belt

Okay, I won’t lie, when Anna said she would send me the Carry belt to try for my pelvic pain, I was a bit of a sceptic. I had tried a similar product in my first pregnancy, and found it to be really rigid and restrictive. It was scratchy and uncomfortable, and I barely used it. Imagine my surprise when I tried this belt and found it had none of those problems. It is super stretchy and soft for a support belt, meaning it curves to my body and doesn’t cut in. Somehow, despite feeling so much softer, it still offers great compression and support - truly the best of both worlds! I often put it on for relief when I get home from work, and it supports me through the dinner and bedtime routine with my daughters.

The Side Piece Pregnancy & Feeding Support Pillow

I’m not going to overexplain my love for this one, because the love I have for the Carry pillow has no words. It arrived in my life just over halfway through my pregnancy and has been by my side since. It’s the perfect Goldilocks pregnancy pillow (not too firm, but not too soft). I bought pillows from other brands at a similar price point in previous pregnancies and found they clumped together after a few uses, but I’ve been using the Carry pillow for weeks now, and it is still perfect. I fear it will remain in my bed well beyond pregnancy.

Electrolytes

Still vomiting, still needing electrolytes to help support me through this! I also started having uncomfortable Braxton Hicks contractions toward the end of my second trimester, and my midwife suggested electrolytes to help ease them. The best thing about Mom Store is that they stock a range of brands and flavours of electrolytes, so you can always find something to suit your needs and pregnancy cravings.

Thank you for reading along as I document the experience of having my third baby! If you missed it, you can read all about my first trimester in The Journal. I’ll be back with future blogs unpacking my third trimester, as well as my experience of postpartum. Of course, I’ll be highlighting my favourite Mom Store products along the way!