Some people say the 2nd trimester is the best trimester and I would have to agree for my pregnancy. The 1st trimester felt uncertain, not everyone knows, and I felt sick. The 3rd trimester comes with its own aches and pains but is exciting in its own way!
I don't think I appreciated this trimester as much as I should have. It was easy to get caught up in the things to do and focusing on the new symptoms. For me, this trimester was probably the easiest for me in terms of symptoms. Although the symptoms were not enjoyable or easy, they were the easiest for me to manage so let's dive in.
Symptoms
Nausea/Dry Heaving
This symptom GREATLY reduced in the 2nd trimester (especially since I stopped eating beef). There were exceptions like smelling something that was amplified due to pregnancy nose. Especially when I was cleaning out the fridge and there's that container that was pushed to the back and forgotten about...
Congestion
This symptom was a little worse than it was during my 1st trimester but still manageable with Zyrtec daily.
Heartburn
I started having heartburn often but not consistently... at first. I would take Tums to help but it would only help for about 5 minutes. Then I stepped it up a notch and tried Pepcid. Pepcid was a GAME CHANGER!
Round Ligament Pain
I started having round ligament pain earlier than I expected! My understanding was that round ligament pain was from the bottom of the bump and up the sides. Then I started having sharp pain shooting from my belly button to my sides and hips. Apparently it's basically like any stretching of the belly which makes sense but was not pleasant.
Sciatic Nerve Pain
Oh man. I started having that sharp pain from my lower back alllll the way down my leg. It was only ever on my right side. I couldn't bend over. I would get stuck in that spot. To lay in bed, I would just have to let my body fall straight and flop because I could not bend at my hips. One time I got stuck on the floor and couldn't get up. This ended up with my husband laughing at me and I was dying laughing because I wasn't even 20 weeks pregnant and already couldn't get off the floor.
Shortness of Breath
I can be pretty determined and I'm an overachiever. If I want something done, I am going to get it done. So, I would often over do it and be short of breath pretty often. Or just changing the sheets on the bed would leave me short of breath.
So many bathroom breaks
As a therapist, I work on a hour to hour basis. So I was going to the bathroom between every session because I knew it was highly unlikely that I would make it through 2 hours.
Lightheaded/Dizziness
This symptom started to get better in the 2nd trimester. Not sure if it had something to do with the increase of blood in my body or because the bigger I got, the slower I had to get up anyways haha.
Worth Noting
Going to the Chiropractor
This is the best thing I did for my pregnancy. I started going at 24 weeks but I wish I had started going earlier. Within 2 visits, my sciatic nerve pain went away. My round ligament pain significantly improved. I basically went weekly until the end of my pregnancy. Plus, it was magical to sit in a big massage chair with a giant ice pack on my back after my adjustment.
Significant weight gain
So I lost weight in my 1st trimester due to nausea and throwing up. In my 2nd trimester, I was slowly gaining weight until I showed up to my 28 week appointment. The normal routine is to first step on the scale and I was SHOOK. I told the nurse that I wasn't expecting that number but she didn't really react. So then I'm meeting with my doctor and she's checking my chart. She stops, looks at the nurse and says "is her weight right?". I immediately said "I was wondering the same thing". It is also worth noting that if my doctor is shocked then that just confirms to me that this is NOT normal. My doctor, with a confused look, asked me "do you feel like you've gained 14 pounds? You don't look like you've gained 14 pounds." All I could do was shrug me shoulders and say "my appetite has grown but I didn't think I had gained THAT much weight". We reweighed to double check and it was was correct. I gained 14 pounds in just 4 weeks. NOTE: my 24 week appointment was at a difference office than my 28 week appointment. So the scales could have been a little off or I really did gain 14 pounds in 4 weeks haha.
Making My Back Swell
Remember when I said that I'm an overachiever? This is a prime example of that. I was determined to have many things done before my baby girl arrived. One of those things was to finish painting our bedroom which was maybe a quarter painted at the time. So I'm 18 weeks pregnant and I decided I wanted it done TODAY. Of course I didn't bother asking for help and my husband had no idea how much painting I was planning to do. So for hours, I was taping, painting, getting on and off a chair to paint high spots, and moving furniture. I did sit down every once in a while and snack while drinking plenty of water. Eventually, it was done! My husband was not happy with me since I didn't ask for help but oh well. That night, my lower back is in SO MUCH PAIN. I asked my husband to massage it and he said yes. When he feels my lower back, he just paused then said "babe, no wonder it hurts, it's very swollen." It literally felt like a bubble on my lower back because of how bad it had gotten. I iced it and drank a ton of water. Sleeping was very difficult... for days. I could barely walk... for days. So learn from me. Don't over do it and ask for help.
Nesting
I was nesting earlier than I feel like they usually talk about. Probably because I had some energy back and I basically wanted everything done by the time I was in my 3rd trimester. Which being on the other side, I know it was not necessary to be that prepared but it kept me sane at the time.
Feeling Her Kick!
I had an anterior placenta (in the front) so I was sad thinking it was going to take so long to feel her. But it was earlier than I thought it would be! I was 15 weeks when I felt her kick my side because I had her all scrunched up. It just felt like a weird flutter and it was days before I felt her again. But before I knew it, I was feeling her all the time.
The Anatomy Scan
I was looking forward to the 20 week anatomy scan to see her and know that everything was okay. It was amazing and comforting to see her! She was so dramatic with her hand by her forehead like "leave me alone". At the end, you can see the ultrasound tech input each detail into the system. She pauses before putting in one part. The tech said "Just letting know before I type it so you don't stress out. Her kidneys have more liquid than we would like but it's not concerning yet. It usually fixes itself." I really appreciated her warning us and lessening the concern right off the bat. There was obviously a little worry at first but my doctor also provided me comfort.
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