I can’t believe my 2nd trimester is over in a week. A friend told me that 1st trimester feels the longest since you’re obsessed with tracking your weekly progression and your symptoms are the worst. 2nd trimester flies by, and 3rd trimester is when the countdown begins. So far I completely agree. My 2nd trimester flew by and I think it’s because I felt “normal”. There were days I didn’t even feel pregnant since I got my energy back and felt like myself again. I stopped becoming obsessed with my pregnancy progression, since a lot of my symptoms became mild so I wasn’t thinking about them constantly. Overall I feel like I’ve had a very smooth pregnancy so far which I’m sooooo grateful for, and it’s bittersweet to me that my 2nd trimester is coming to an end.
Some positive moments of my 2nd trimester pregnancy journey:
My energy came back
I didn’t realize how tired & crummy I felt 1st trimester until I got my energy back at 16-weeks. During my 1st trimester, all I wanted to do was rest. Working-out felt like a chore because of how tired I was and I even disliked walking. During my 2nd trimester, I got back into the habit of working out regularly (I started practicing yoga everyday) since I became motivated with a new goal to prepare my body for a smooth pregnancy and delivery. I also channeled my energy into producing more content (specifically IGReels) and baby planning. I created my baby registry, read a lot of books, planned my babymoon, and baby shower.
I felt the baby kick and somersault for the first time
I first felt the baby kick around 19-weeks. It was pretty mild and felt like my stomach was digesting, but in a very odd and unrhythmic way. I knew it was the baby though since it felt different and most moms start to feel baby kicks around 18-weeks. As the weeks went on, I started feeling the baby kick & somersault everyday. It’d happen mainly after I ate or after sitting down for a long time. Usually in the morning, during work, and after dinner. Since I didn’t feel pregnant during 2nd trimester, the kicks and movements felt like a gentle reminder of the life I’m growing/carrying inside my stomach. Most moms say they miss the kicks the most from being pregnant. I wonder if this will be true for me too.
Embraced my body changes & new curves
My body shape has always been straight without curves. I’m pretty petite throughout, with small breasts, a small butt, and no hips. Although my curves are now happening in specific parts of my body (specifically my belly and boobs) I honestly love it. Oddly, I feel more sexier than I did pre-pregnancy. I’ve never had stretch marks, and noticed I got stretch marks on my thighs/lower butt. While stretch marks could be alarming, it made me excited knowing my butt is getting bigger haha. They say you can’t prevent stretch marks, but I’ve been applying bio-oil all over my belly, boobs and butt to try to minimize the stretch marks. Outside of my body, my hair is way more full. When I shower only 4-strands of hair falls out now, compared to like 15 before. Everyone says your hair falls out after giving birth so in the meantime, I’m appreciating my head of voluminous hair.
Overall appreciation of moms
Educating myself on pregnancy and parenting has given me a whole new appreciation for motherhood. I’ve had a few close friends get pregnant and share their journey with me but going through it yourself is an entirely different surreal experience. I’ve become very invested in learning about pregnancy, birth, and parenting and have never digested so much similar content before across YouTube, books, Quora articles, blogs, and podcasts. My favorite podcasts include The Birth Hour, Is it Normal and What to Expect, and I’m currently reading Expecting Better by Emily Oster. I’ve also been loving reading other influencers birth stories, and was especially moved by Margo & Me’s birth story. I can only imagine how much my appreciation for motherhood will intensify as I get further along the process. I now understand why the mom community is so strong. It’s incredible what we go through and such a unique journey. Motherhood is crazy beautiful and I’m so excited and anxious about what’s to come. Thanks for reading. 🙂
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