Reflections of the 2nd Trimester and Initial Thoughts on the 3rd Trimester

Hi there! I’m sitting here, now 31 weeks pregnant, well into my 3rd trimester and finding myself in a state of reflection. Pregnancy is a monumental, yet relatively small portion of one’s life. I find the physical, emotional, and mental transformation very interesting. I love being able to read about/relate to other women’s experiences. Join me in my personal musings if it interests you too!

First Trimester

I wrote about my dreadful first trimester in the blog: Woes of the First Trimester. Looking back, I think I really started turning a corner around 17-18 weeks? The first trimester ends around week 13, and I did find I had less nausea and fatigue after about 12 weeks, but the last time I vomited was actually 16 weeks. Ugh. I am not good at recovering quickly and going about my life after vomiting. Whoever is… you are a superhero.

Second Trimester

In my second trimester I found I was able to play with my toddler, take less naps, get outside more, EAT more, and stay up a litttllleee later than 7pm...most of the time. Functioning with more energy and no nausea is totally amazing. Second trimester was pretty nice!

Familiar Aches and pains

Unfortunately I did start to have early pubic symphysis pain, sometime around 21 weeks. This was a surprise as I had the same pain with my first pregnancy but much, much later in the 3rd trimester. If you don’t know, pubic symphysis pain feels like your pubic bone would like to crack apart when you do certain daily movements like: getting out of the car, sitting up in bed, putting on underwear/pants, and the list goes on. It’s a throbbing/radiating pain that I don’t wish on anyone. Learning to breathe, move with mindful intention, and a visit to a physical therapist have all been helpful for me. I also think that I’ve sadly gotten use to this pain as my current “normal”.

Food cravings and aversions

Interesting difference from this pregnancy to my first is that I have really had little to no food cravings. With my first I was OBSESSED with watermelon, ice cream, cereal, green olives, and chocolate milk. With this second pregnancy I went through a phase where I was eating a lot of tomato soup and tomatoes on BLT’s etc., but other than that I haven’t had strong cravings. My appetite is good now, and I like to eat a lot of servings of whatever someone will give me, but I don’t long for anything. EXCEPT, the one thing that is very different for me right now… I love creamer in my coffee. I have been a plain black coffee lover for most of my adult-life, and now this baby wants creamer.

Oh yeah, and I despise shrimp. My non-pregnant self actually LOVES shrimp though. Come to think of it this pregnancy might be better characterized by aversions than cravings. I have an aversion to strong seasonings/flavors like garlic and most seafood. I also normally love garlic, onions, and full flavor. Currently I don’t care for it. I get real gnarly heart burn as well, so battling that and choosing what is worth it it to eat is a dance. Should I eat chocolate after dinner? Usually the answer is no, because then the heartburn keeps me from sleeping. Don’t worry…I’ll eat the chocolate around breakfast/lunch time instead. ;)

Mood

Reflecting back I have found that my mood was more stable and positive in the second trimester with this pregnancy. I have noticed that I was less tearful, anxious, and on an emotional rollercoaster than with my first. I think that it’s been a little easier on me generally knowing what to expect and that this does not last forever. My first pregnancy I think I felt so confused and alienated by what was happening to me that I was very overwhelmed by it all.

I am grateful that I have wrapped my head around the whole concept a little better this time. Aside from my 1st trimester, which totally threw me for a loop. However, I still wouldn’t say I love pregnancy. I’m not one of those “I’ve never felt more beautiful” kind of pregnant people. I’ve learned that that feeling is normal and is okay, albeit less socially acceptable to say (which I do hope changes). I truly feel that accepting my own feelings around pregnancy has helped me immensely with coping. I can be grateful, appreciative, so excited, and generally dislike being pregnant. Telling myself it’s okay to feel my feelings, and not try to be/feel something I’m just not has made a world of difference for me.

Third Trimester

As I slide right into the 3rd tri...things are getting more uncomfortable physically, more moody emotionally, and whoa, just real. I feel excitedly anxious about the reality of being cracked open again by a new precious little life. I’m so excited, so ready, yet so not ready, and so nervous. It’s such a huge transformation in life.

More familiar challenges

Crawling in and out of bed has me breathing so heavy my husband is worried that perhaps I just ran a marathon, or that I’m going into labor. Getting up and down off the floor several times a day with my toddler is a tiring challenge. That constant pubic symphysis pain making it all the more challenging with each passing day.

One day a few weeks ago, my 2-year-old got a bit stuck in a swing and there was a minute of panic where I couldn’t get him out because my bump was in the way. We were able to solve that problem with just a little more strategic pulling...thankfully.

Moving the laundry from the wash to the dryer is hard. Bending down to pick up that paper I dropped? Nah..it’s dead to me now. Maybe when I have another reason to get down on the floor I will get back to that thing I dropped hours ago.

humor helps

I think I have more of a sense of humor about pregnancy in this second and third trimester, which feels good to me. I hope I can continue with that. I know that this time is fleeting. I CANNOT believe that I am having a baby in less than 2 months. It feels SO SOON! After the drolls of the first trimester, time has truly flown. Having a toddler to keep you busy certainly makes the second pregnancy fly faster.

Nesting

I am now in major nesting mode. I need to rearrange the house, clean everything, order new furniture, find baby and breastfeeding stuff, and …. Oh yeah, do I even remember how to do this newborn baby thing?!?! How about recovery for myself? How is this all going to go when we have TWO little darlings to take care of now? I’ll just keep cleaning and organizing my way to clarity!

Life transformation on the horizon

In closing, this time of transformation has me intrigued. Big things are on the horizon, big things are happening right now really, and I’m SO SO interested to meet this new little life that will change our family forever. What a special time of life this truly is.. that is a fact.

Baby Bump Life