Week 23: Living the good life of the second trimester

By Published On: November 18th, 2014

Oh, the second trimester. I’ve been cruising through it for […]

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Oh, the second trimester. I’ve been cruising through it for the last several weeks, and all of the sudden it hit me: This is the sweet spot of pregnancy. We’ve long since left behind the days of the gross-feeling first trimester and we aren’t quite to the awkwardly huge, ready-to-pop third trimester. So, in celebration of this great trimester, I jotted down some of the many things that makes it so wonderful:

  1. The perfect bump: It seems like for most pregnant ladies, by the time you get a bit into your second trimester, a perfectly-sized baby bump emerges. No longer do you have to worry about the lady at the grocery store wondering if you just ate a few too many nachos at the Mexican restaurant last night. But, your bump is still small enough that maternity clothes fit great. Believe me, this too will pass, and you will get to the point where all you want to wear is a huge tent in order to make sure that everything is covered and you don’t have any sort of belly hanging out—so enjoy this time while it lasts. Also, the prominent bump is great because it is now just big enough that when you have emotional outbursts or extra hunger, you don’t have to explain anything. Just point at your belly, and people won’t say another word.
  2. For most of us, we’ve come out of the fog of morning (or afternoon, or evening) sickness. You no longer wake up unexpectedly from a nap you never intended to take or find yourself locating the nearest bathroom whenever you leave the house just in case you need to toss your cookies. Plus, my appetite is back JUST in time for the holiday season. I personally think Thanksgiving and pregnancy pants were pretty much made for each other.
  3. You start to feel kicks! Oh, the joy! Is there a better feeling in the whole world than feeling your child squirm and wiggle inside your belly? As your second trimester goes on, the random flutters turn to routine kicks and punches, and you welcome every little movement. Am I the only one that sometimes chugs a glass of orange juice and sits still just to see if I can feel a few extra kicks? Plus, one day the kicks get strong enough where your husband can feel (and see) them, and his mind is completely blown!
  4. And along with those kicks, you start to let go of (some of) the fears from early pregnancy. I think for most moms, you always have a ticker of worries running through your head for the 40 weeks. Yet as you start to feel the baby more and see your little one on ultrasounds, you can begin to feel a bit of reassurance.
  5. Sleep is still (pretty) easy to get. I’m still getting mostly solid nights of sleep right now, and I’m going to savor every dreamy minute. Once the frequent bathroom trips start, they will be followed very shortly by the frequent night feedings for several months, so my good sleep days are numbered.

So there you have it, friends. Whenever you start to feel a little down in the dumps, look on the bright side of trimester number two! Enjoy it while it lasts. And what would you add to the list? What do you love about the second trimester?