As you enter the second trimester of pregnancy, here are a few suggestions that I have learned in my pregnancy:
- Go on a babymoon! After reaching the second trimester, my body felt much more normal again, and I was ready to go on vacation! Bring medicine with you such as acetaminophen, antacids, laxatives, your prenatal vitamins and any other medicine you think you might need. I spent a bit of time making sure I had medicines packed in case I needed them, which made me feel more carefree about traveling. If flying, my advice is to avoid small airplanes. A train also might be more relaxing. Cars and campers can also pamper!
- Go maternity clothes shopping. If you’re like me and like to shop, enjoy! I have been told it is wise to buy nursing clothes to function as pregnancy clothes, and then when the baby comes, you have clothes that make nursing easy. One resource for nursing clothes is Latched Mama.
- Be wary of eating out. I recently got food poisoning after eating out at a chain restaurant. Try to have emergency medicine on hand. It is recommended for pregnant women to eat thoroughly cooked foods, and thoroughly washed fruits and vegetables. Thankfully, I was able to reach my OB doctor through her office’s call center when I was very sick on an early Sunday morning, and she called in a prescription for me.
- Get ready to feel your baby move! I recently started to feel my baby, and it has been one of the coolest experiences I have ever had in my life.
- Eat colorful fruits and vegetables. This one is sometimes hard for me. Oranges are a recent favorite fruit, and they are a good source of vitamins and minerals for both you and your baby, along with apricots, mangoes, pears, pomegranates, avocados, and many others.
- Stay in tune with what your body wants and needs, including naps and food cravings. For example, take short naps for about 20 minutes (this won’t interrupt your REM cycle and potentially disturb your night’s sleep). I recently got a pregnancy pillow that is “C” shaped to support my belly and back as I sleep.
- Continue to build and lean on your support network. If you wish, start to use resources to learn about what to expect with the baby and what items s/he needs. You can create a registry from multiple stores using myregistry.com.
- Keep taking or start taking baby bump selfies, if you so desire. My bump started to become more noticeable in the second trimester!
- Journal about the pregnancy. Consider writing a letter or letters to your baby now and sharing with them when s/he is old enough to understand. My pregnancy is already more than halfway over, and it has been going fast. I try to write down special thoughts and feelings to have to look back on and cherish in the future.
- Get your sonograms. My first and second trimester sonogram experiences were truly full of awe and wonder. My sister-in-law calls the sonograms “magical.” In my second trimester sonogram, the baby looked in the direction of the ultrasound camera, and it looked like he or she was looking right at me. It was surreal. And to see the tech zoom in and take photos of my baby’s tiny legs, hands, feet, spine, head, heart, etc. was stunning. I decided to wait until the birth to find out if my baby is a boy or a girl. I look forward to the surprise!
By Mary Piescik
