What the Second Trimester of Pregnancy Was Like For Me

I can’t believe I’m already in my 3rd trimester. This pregnancy is FLYINGGGGG! If you read my first trimester of pregnancy post, then you know I thought the 1st trimester felt very slow. Well let’s just say the 2nd trimester is completely different. It went by rapidly. So many things were happening to me that it made the second trimester go by a lot faster.

So as promised, I am sharing with you what the second trimester of pregnancy was like for me. Before I begin, I want to give you all a friendly reminder that this is MY experience. Everyone’s pregnancy is different. You may experience the same things or may not at all. I think a lot has to do with your own body, your baby, and what your health and medical history was like prior to having a baby. If you are new here, I was diagnosed with cancer five years ago and that has been a major part of my life. So when it came to wanting to have a baby, there was a process and risk involved.

If you are curious what the process is trying to conceive with cancer (or after cancer), I go into more detail in this post. So please don’t be discouraged if you are following me and have been wondering why I have so many appointments and see so many specialists. It’s just part of my process.

SHOP THE OUTFIT: Maternity Overalls | Puff Sleeve Sweater | Monogram Necklace |

What The Second Trimester Of Pregnancy Was Like For Me

It was an eventful trimester! I’ll do my best to organize my thoughts and break it down the best way I can. This time, I used more products that helped me get through some of these pregnancy symptoms and I’ll be sure to share all my pregnancy product recommendations!

Second Trimester Symptoms

Overall, a lot of the symptoms I experienced in the first trimester still carried over well into the 2nd trimester. UGH. When people say that the second trimester is the honeymoon phase, that was not my experience especially the first half (especially morning sickness). So I guess this goes to show that everyone’s pregnancy is different.

Morning Sickness / Nausea

Morning sickness was one thing I was looking forward to getting rid of in the second trimester. Unfortunately, that still happened. I was still nauseous. Luckily, the vomiting stopped around 17 -18 weeks-ish? But yeah the morning sickness was still very strong during the first half of the 2nd trimester.  In the second half, it got a lot better and I was able to manage it a lot more. Then around 25/26 weeks the morning sickness went away. THANK GOODNESS!

Gas

Oo boy am I gassy!! Sorry if this is TMI, but not going to lie that I’ve been farting quite a bit and they’re even so unexpected haha. It would even shock Tre. But at the same time I would feel so relieved haha.

Food Aversions / Food Cravings

Sadly, I still have zero food cravings. Overall, during this pregnancy I have been eating less than what I normally do. A lot has to do with my stomach just feeling very full quickly and some food aversions. The food aversions I had in the first trimester also carried over to the second trimester but it’s not as intense. For instance, I can tolerate being around pizza, onions, garlic, bacon, tomato, etc. In the first trimester, the moment I saw these foods I wanted to vomit. So I guess that’s an improvement. Towards the end of the second trimester, I was able to eat some of them. For instance, as long as it is not a lot of onion and garlic, I’ll be fine. The thought of eating pizza is starting to sound appetizing, but I’m not feeling that brave yet haha.

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Fatigue

Yup, I was still very tired. I just had to push myself to get through the day without overdoing it. When I hit around the 24 weeks mark, I had a little bit more energy.

Indigestion

Oh yeah, I have major indigestion during this pregnancy. Hence, why I can’t eat as much. To get over this, I eat a lot smaller meals more frequently. I’m currently carrying really high which I think contributes to the indigestion. But sometimes, after every meal or even after drinking water no matter how small my intake is, I still feel the indigestion. As the baby continues to grow, the indigestion gets stronger.

Nasal Congestion

I noticed early on that my nose always feels stuffed. It’s not to the point that I feel like I have a cold, but it just seems stuffier than usual. It turns out that nasal congestion is a common second trimester symptom.

Charlie Horse

UGH getting a charlie horse in the middle of the night is the worst! It only happened a few times but for some reason I could not tolerate it and would be whimpering. So I try to increase my water intake. Overall, I am exceeding my water intake for the day, but I guess my body needs even more. I’ve been using the Belly Bottle to keep track of how much water I am drinking and to make sure I’m drinking quite a bit.

SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction)

SPD is basically discomfort in the pelvis area. I noticed it would feel sore in the pelvis area and walking is uncomfortable and I’d be waddling haha. Overall, my OB/GYN tells me it is common and this is because the pelvic area is loosening (basically prepping for labor). SPD also can occur when you are carrying a larger baby which in my case I am. So my doctor recommended I get the Belly Bandit Maternity Support Belt. And I love this belly support belt. It really does help with SPD.

Headaches

Unfortunately, I’ve been getting a lot of headaches. Which I’m not too surprised because in general I’m prone to getting migraines. At least I am able to tolerate these headaches. When I know I have one, I increase my water intake to make sure I’m well hydrated and take it easy for the rest of the day.

Rashes

Remember when I announced I’m pregnant on Instagram, I mentioned that there is this mysterious rash my medical team was very concerned about? It’s not any of the rashes that would happen during pregnancy. Hence, why they were concerned. So they suspected it was PR but the biopsy couldn’t 100% confirm it. So they’re not ruling it out. That was so scary because if it is PR, there’s a high chance of miscarriage, and I was 20 weeks at that point. Right now, things are okay with the rash and I’m using a prescribed ointment if I flare up. So I’m hoping it is not PR. But I feel a sense of relief that I made it to the 3rd trimester and so if pre-term delivery is needed at least the baby has a better chance of survival.

Liver Enzymes

Along with the complicated rashes were elevated liver enzymes. My liver doctor had to take a series of different tests to check if I have any autoimmune diseases or any rare liver diseases that may need medical attention asap. Luckily, I tested negative for any additional diseases. And of course, there were talks about maybe my cancer spreading to my liver. So the second half of my 2nd trimester has been stressful. They recommended I stop taking Tylenol for my headaches and they switched out my blood pressure meds for something that is easier on the liver.

I’m just thankful at the moment when I had to do a liver ultrasound that there is no evidence of cancer. For now, all my doctors agreed that since I’m so far along in my pregnancy that the focus is the health of the baby. And after the baby is born, they can focus back to my health. Especially since at this point, they really can’t do much because I’m pregnant. For instance, they can’t start new medications, do additional scans, etc.

Dry Skin

I normally have dry skin, but ever since the 2nd trimester started my skin is extra dry! I notice my skin is all flakey. So I’ve been more diligent on moisturizing. What really worked for me is using Necessaire Body Serum and Necessaire Body Lotion. It is able to keep my body well moistured during the day without irritating it. For my belly, I’ve been using the Bio-Oil. Love to use this body oil as a belly oil! It absorbs very well and adds elasticity so that the bump is able to accommodate the stretch in the skin. For some people, they claim it also helped them prevent stretch marks. Right now, I don’t have any stretch marks. But I can’t confirm if it is because of Bio-Oil or genetics.

Pregnancy Product Recommendations

Below are products that I swear by and love so far in my pregnancy. I also wrote a gift guide for pregnant women if you are looking to find the perfect gift for expectant moms.

What Surprised Me About Pregnancy

Even though I’ve been having quite a bit of health scares and drama (ugh, cancer), I would not trade any of it. Maybe it is just me, but I assumed the worst situations during my pregnancy but there has been a lot of beautiful moments and I have to thank pregnancy for them.

SHOP THE OUTFIT: Leather Boots | Sweater Dress (runs large, size down) | Double Ring Leather Belt | Monogram Necklace |

Self-Esteem

One thing that I found the most surprising is how I feel about myself. Again, I know everyone’s pregnancy is different but I have never felt more confident in myself physically and mentally until I became pregnant. I don’t always have the best self-esteem, but man do I just love myself during the pregnancy. My self-esteem and confidence has boosted. I have never ever felt so beautiful. I would look in the mirror and felt good about the person staring back at me. This is what I like to call “baby magic”.  I’m only sharing this because I have never felt this type of confidence in my life.  I never felt this good in my own skin. So thank you Sweet Pea for letting mommy feel this incredible. Even if this feeling is temporary, I will forever cherish and remember that it is possible to feel good about yourself.

Growing Belly

I’m also very obsessed with my growing belly. I think it is the cutest thing ever and it makes dressing up so much more fun! I know most people feel better or comfortable in athleisure clothes during their pregnancy, but for me I just want to wear something nice. Having a baby bump is a short-lived moment so I am going to embrace it for as long as I can. I get so excited to get up in the morning and figure out what I should wear for the day even if I have nowhere to go. I just want to dress for myself. My favorite places to shop for clothes are Hatch, Pink Blush Maternity, Mango (obsessed with their maternity overalls that I have both colors), Nordstrom, and H&M.

SHOP THE OUTFIT: Striped Turtleneck | Maternity Jumpsuit |

Feeling The Baby

OMG I get so excited every time I feel the baby move or kick! It’s so incredible and sometimes I feel like my Sweet Pea is communicating to me. It gets even better every week because the baby’s kicks get stronger and more visible!

Wow this post is long. I had no idea I had so much to say! But it was an action-packed trimester! Now that I am in my third trimester, my OB/GYN said I should start counting the kicks and she recommended I use the Count The Kicks! app. Maybe your OB recommended the same app as well but I really like the app. It makes counting and tracking the kicks much easier!

Our gender neutral nursery room is pretty much done and now I need to start thinking about my hospital bag! Any recs?

xo RD