Pregnancy isn’t going to be easy each day, but it’s also not going to hard everyday either. This was something I didn’t think I would be able to believe coming out of the first trimester. Now that I am entering the third trimester I am feeling GOOD… mostly. These three months were much more bearable, and enjoyable, compared to the first three!

Weeks 13 and 14, I was still transitioning into the next trimester… I was coming off the constant nausea, seeing the acne clear up slowly and my mood was lifting! I was so thankful to see these changes. The second trimester came with many joys.

The Best Parts.

What I loved about this trimester was all the fun firsts that come with pregnancy! Things like the maternity clothes, the gender reveal, the growing belly, the kicks – oh, the kicks… those are hands down the best part!

Maternity Clothes

The shopaholic in me could not wait for this part of the pregnancy! I love clothes and this was a great reason to expand my wardrobe and see what this clothing has to offer. And let me tell you… it has A LOT! I did not realize how beneficial maternity clothing really was until I tried wearing my crop tops, jeans and some sweatpants past their time. I was actually so excited to start wearing maternity that in the first month of finding out we were pregnant, I bought two pairs of jeans 😅.

Places like Target, Motherhood Maternity and SHEIN have wonderful selections at a decent price! There’s always some kind of sale or discount code to use when shopping.

With this being my first pregnancy, I was unsure exactly how to buy maternity clothes based on the sizing. One of my momma friends told me that you buy at the size you were before getting pregnant… easy enough! In case there are others out there that were unsure, I hope I could provide some insight for you!

Through Tommy’s Eyes

One of my favorite parts of pregnancy is sharing this experience with Tommy! I may be the one carrying our baby but this is OUR pregnancy. I want him to be able to enjoy this journey as much as possible. Throughout I have tried to share with him to keep him involved; whenever baby girl kicks/moves, he feels my tummy – if we aren’t together, I’ll share her movement – he’s always talking with her to have her know his voice – we are both logged into the Ovia Pregnancy app, where we track her growth and what is new with her. We are both so engaged with her.

It is indescribable to watch the father of my child already share so much love with our daughter, before she is even here. I grin from ear to ear each time, sometimes tears fill my eyes because it is just the most beautiful thing to witness. He is overjoyed with each kick, it just doesn’t get old. To see his reactions when he feels her kicks, to listen to him sing as he sings along to her, the touches and taps he does on my tummy to interact with her, I never want this to end.

Gender Reveal

We just could NOT wait. We knew we wanted to do our own personal reveal to find out the gender. Our plan was to get a confetti filled balloon, bring it to the apartment and take a video. Once we got the envelope at the office, we went right home and opened it! Might I add that the day we went was just for an ordinary visit… we did NOT expect to find out that day but it was much better that we did! What a pleasant surprise!

The technician that assisted us was absolutely wonderful! She knew at this point she would be able to determine whether there was a “bowling pin” there or not… no bowling pin, clearly! It became a mission to get a good image so that we knew for sure whether it was a he or she. We could not be more excited… we both thought maybe we wanted a boy but now that we know we’re getting a little girl, we’re elated!

Tommy will make the PERFECT girl dad. I am already jealous knowing that I’m going to have a daddy’s girl running around but that makes me ecstatic for him to have that!

Gender Reveal Video

Growing Belly

This is the trimester the belly finally makes an appearance! At five months, you still couldn’t even tell whether I was pregnant or just bloated. The middle picture was taken at 25 weeks, the time I officially “popped”. It’s so weird to look down and notice you’re a little bigger from the day before. This was one of the things I was looking forward to most! I know once I’m at 8/9 month mark, I’m probably not going to be loving how uncomfortable the belly is making me but for now… I’m enjoying the moment!

Building The Crib

The crib has arrived!!! It was supposed to come early November and it came the last day of September! WAY quicker than we expected, AND it was coming from Brazil. We chose the Wave Crib from Nestig. This crib converts from a mini crib to a full crib into a toddler bed. Between the transition, the style, the easy assembly, this was the clear winner for Melanie!

Symptoms.

The symptoms in the middle three months are much more pleasant. With the nausea in the first trimester, it made it harder to get through each day. Now that I don’t have that to deal with, I was able to take this on like nothing! That was until the itching came… one of my most severe symptoms has been itching. I basically got two months of relief in the pregnancy so far but I’ll take that over nothing!

It is unbelievable all the symptoms that can occur during these nine months. Some so minor and some so extreme. I never would have guessed half of them. EVERYTHING is a symptom for pregnancy! When does it end!? 😅

Migraines

I was blessed in the first trimester, now that is over and the migraines are back. I can’t say they were any worse compared to when I wasn’t pregnant but migraines on top of back pain or any other symptom… no. fun. Thankfully the migraines didn’t last the entire trimester. They only lasted a few weeks and suddenly vanished again. I don’t even think I remember when they went away. All that matters is that they did!

Heightened Emotions

There was something about this trimester that my hormones were eating away at. I was okay most days but there were some that really got me. My emotions would take over and I would get UPSET. I didn’t like surprises, I would fixate on a thought and overthink, I wasn’t happy with the idea of being this upset and that would upset me more… there were two different times that it really hit me but when I was in those moods, it felt like it would never end. I’m just fortunate that it was limited and most days have been happy!

More Energy

It was like the flip of a switch… my energy was back, and probably even better! I was able to take on tasks without feeling like I had to sit down every few minutes. My whole body felt GOOD, I was sleeping well, I was rejuvenated and ready to take on each day!

Itchiness

This is where the trimester took a turn. I started getting this itchiness on my body at about 20 weeks. I’ve heard of abdominal itchiness being a pregnancy symptom but no one ever told me about full body. I understand this is a more severe symptom that not everyone experiences but for the ones that do… I feel for you.

From the neck down, I have been constantly scratching. It is causing me to leave marks and bumps because it’s so hard to stop. I looked it up and it isn’t PUPPPS or Cholestasis, doctors haven’t even brought those up since I am not itchy on my palms or bottom of my feet. I went to get bloodwork done to eliminate the possibility of it being my gallbladder or liver. Thankfully it’s nothing like that!

I can’t wear certain clothing. It irritates my skin that much more depending on the material, how tight it is, if it’s too warm, etc.. etc.. One item in particular, a bra… it would make my back THAT much more itchy. So nippy pads it is!

Random Congestion

One of those smaller symptoms to experience is congestion. For me, I am good during the day but it comes on in the late hours. When I wake up to go to the bathroom, I’m a bit stuffed up. I blow my nose and I’m good to go until the next time I wake up. By the time I am awake for the day, it has cleared up! I’ll

I feel this can fit in the same category… bloody noses. Bloody noses are a thing with pregnancy too! I’ve never been prone to them so I didn’t feel too worried about this one, and turns out I didn’t need to! On occasion I will blow my nose and there will be a little blood but nothing excessive. Just something else to look out for in the second trimester!

What Comes With This Trimester.

Genetic Screening (20/22 weeks)

This test will be required around the 18-22 weeks mark. The genetic screening is done to identify any changes in your DNA. This can determine risk for developing a certain condition or passing on a genetic disorder to the baby.

I had mine done at 20 weeks and then had to go back… thanks, Mel! Baby girl tends to be very shy so when we go for sonograms, she hides her face. Tommy accompanied me to the first one and we hoped that would be all we needed! I went back at 22 weeks to get her face, profile and hands done to confirm the rest of her was healthy too.

“The baby is the boss” became the tagline of these visits. It’s all dependent on how the baby moves and wants to rest in your there. The technician can only do so much to nudge her. Either way though, we got some GOOD pictures. Our first visit, we got a CVS receipt worth of sonograms! In the second visit, we got that adorable 3D image… that has to be my favorite image so far!

Glucose Test (26 weeks)

This was the test that I had been dreading. The glucose test screens for gestational diabetes – diabetes that develops during pregnancy. I heard so much input on how nasty the drink is, how easy it is to throw up, the orange flavor is the best option, if you fail you’ll go back for a three hour test, etc.

We scheduled the test to be sure that Tommy could come along with me so I wouldn’t have to go through it alone. (Yet another time this man has supported me through and through ❤️) I didn’t realize that I would have to take the test when I went in to get my vitals checked, which I do without him. Thankfully it was easy peasy! I was given fruit punch, which tasted like a healthier version of Minute Maid.

I found out that I passed without any issue! No three hour test for me! I didn’t even feel nauseous when I got it done so that was a relief. I may have had to go back for the genetic screening but luckily not the glucose test!

Looking Ahead…

We’re in the home stretch now!

Coming out of the second trimester, I am completely expecting the last three months to reflect the first trimester in ways. I am anticipating the fatigue and sluggishness, just with more itching and less sleep. My mom is staying positive for me, “maybe the itching will be gone in the last trimester!” but it just feels so hard to believe because of how bad it’s been but we will see!

It’s been amazing to feel and SEE Melanie moving and grooving. She has truly made her presence known and I can’t wait to see in the coming months how much more she wiggles around and to see her little hands and feet poke out of my belly!

See ya,
Samm 🌻