Yay second trimester! Hopefully the nausea and major fatigue has started to wear off. Or it’s something to soon look forward to! My second trimester was an eventful one to say the least. Thank God everything we planned fell in this trimester, I couldn’t even imagine doing it in either other. Your second trimester which I’m sure you already heard about is the fun trimester. You get your glow, your energy back and everything tastes so much better than you could’ve ever imagined.
During my second trimester we had a bunch of traveling and life changes going on. My sister and I had been planning a family vacation to Disney World for the first time over a year in advance! I remember thinking after I found out, “not the Disney trip. I won’t be able to ride any of the rides with Dad ” insert biggest sad face on planet Earth. The weekend before Disney Kevin planned my birthday present getaway (my birthday is in October) to New York city during Christmas time and I got to see Lion King on Broadway. Talk about an EPIC birthday present. You’ll learn I’m just a big kid at heart and this was a huge check on my bucket list! Thanks again Kevin😀 I love you.
So one of the things I discovered during my second trimester was sciatica pain. Holy shirts and pants (name that movie quote) was this the worst thing ever!! Where did I discover this pregnancy side effect, 
walking through Time Square of course. Sciatica pain, which I hadn’t ever heard of until it happened to me, is pretty much your nerves getting pushed on by your expanding uterus. Why does it suck? It literally will immobilize you for a few minutes or longer from moving. And it is excruciating pain! We were trying to find the Rockefeller center from our hotel and BAMM I froze dead in 
my steps. Kevin is 8 inches taller than me so me staying his pace I may as well just jog. It doesn’t help the situation. Not knowing what it was and thought it was just an extremely painful leg spasm, I played down how much pain I was truly in. Needless to say our eventful weekend became very slow-paced. Something that benefited the reduction of my pain was sleeping with a pillow in between my legs. In doing this you want to make sure the pillow/s you are using help realign your hips with the rest of your body. You have extra weight your back is holding up and when you are laying down you will roll over more on your side twisting your hips to adjust the difference. Causing more back and sciatica pain. I learned this from a masseuse who specializes in pregnant women. You can find more information about sciatica pain here.
Finally the trip we had been waiting for our whole lives was happening, Disney😄! My mom fortunately rented a scooter and we took turns riding it around for a week. Instead of all the cool rides, I took the food filled show options. Epcot was awesome because every food you could want from anywhere is 
there. Let’s just say I was in Italy and Paris a bunch. One night we were taking a stroll and they went to get big meals my heart and belly were set on finding a turkey leg. Oh yea, I ate the whole thing. Needless to say had I been in any other trimester it wouldn’t have been as exciting. I wasn’t too big or exhausted and I wanted more to eat them a bowl of rice crispies because it was the only thing that didn’t sound nauseating. Not only because of the food situation (but seriously it was heaven for a preggo) but the experience was just as wonderful! During Christmas time Disney turns the park into a winter wonderland. It is so perfect you think you’re dreaming. They light up 
Cinderella’s Castle and it is just a magical indescribably beautiful sight. I cried when I saw it (talk about hormone takeover). But as a little girl you see these magical castles and fairy tales and when you’re an adult they all come back to life. Dreams do come true at Disney no matter what age you are!
Instead of flying back to D.C. from Disney I flew home for the holidays with my family in Texas. It was so wonderful being home. Every time I’m back in Texas it is NEVER enough time. Finally three and a half weeks later I get back to D.C. not to relax and be back home but to pack and move across country to the West Coast. Talk about STRESS OVERLOAD. I definitely could’ve used my Postpartum present to myself during all of this. If you haven’t read it yet make sure and check it out here to find out what you’ll NEED! Going through all these changes and long long drives put my back pain, sciatica, and exhaustion into overload. Not to mention being on the road usually ends up in not the healthiest diet. We made a stop in Scottsdale for one of the 4 LIFE CHANGING seminars I go to yearly. It was AMAZING as always and gave my back a little break. Just a little. So what am I rambling on about all of this for? To make you read my babbling of course! Just kidding below I’m going to go over the main body changes you’ll start to notice in your second trimester.
For example, HOPEFULLY your little baby bump will start to show! Mine didn’t really show up until like 24 weeks but I had the awkward bump that you couldn’t tell if I was a little heavier than normal or 
pregnant FOREVER. None of my pants fit me because the first thing I did was bloat up so the belly band was a HUGE saver for me. You can find the things you need as soon as you find you’re pregnant in this post (You’re Pregnant Now What?! Important Tips to do immediately). And the Belly Band is one of them for sure! Other exciting things happening to your body besides sciatica, and back pains is a growth in the boobies! They are preparing to feed your baby and with that comes the extra storage and going up a cup size or two. So make sure and wear an extra supportive bra so they aren’t sagging to your knees in a year.
Hair growth is through the roof during your pregnancy, get it? Through the roof? Your head…yea corny I know, whatev. Seriously though! You’ll grow hair everywhere even in places you didn’t even know you could. Adel laughs and brags that her last child brought her a full on beard which she named Larry. Not to fear though, most unusual and unwanted hair will go away a few months after your baby arrives. Yes you’ll be extra hairy for nearly a year. Who are we Amazon women?! So enjoy the extra peach fuzzed puberty for the following months and maybe even make a name for it…eh. .
Achew! Your immune system pretty much doesn’t exist while you’re preggo by the way. So if you are feeling extra nasally and congested for a month or so, it is pretty normal. I felt like I had a cold all through the end of the first trimester and into my second. As if going through pregnancy didn’t make me feel bad enough, just throw a 2 month cold on top….I would’ve preferred a cherry…or a jar of them. If you start to feel a cold coming on or cold like symptoms, make sure to only use remedies approved by your doctor. Things I would use to help me get through a preggo cold were: A humidifier, nasal rinsing, AirBorne, and approved over the counter products (there ain’t much). There is a TON of natural remedies that are safe for pregnant women, just choose the ones that are right for you and your situation. I recently discovered essential oils and tried them out when Michael and I got sick. If you haven’t checked that post out yet you can check it out here.
If you weren’t already going to the bathroom more than usual, it only gets worse. The further along you get the more you are going to be asking, “where is yalls bathroom?” A tip for any event or outing you attend, as SOON as you arrive find out where the closest bathroom location is so when you’re in the middle of the event you are frantically waddling (you probably aren’t waddling yet) around looking for the Lue.
Oh my gosh the headaches started for me during this trimester and AHH they blow. Like seriously blow. And because you’re pregnant all the good pain relief you can’t take. What better timing. Taking yoga really really helps this side effect. Yoga also is AMAZING for your back pains, if you haven’t already started getting back pains. Don’t worry, it’s all uphill from here!
Heartburn, the ol faithful heartburn is torturous! Ah you’re going to be poppin’ TUMS like skittles! Almond milk and tums became some of my closest friends starting the second trimester.
Oh, the glorious glorious days. You’re peeing every 10 minutes, your head is pounding, pain shooting up your butt down your leg, temporary paralysis from sciatica and heartburn. Yay!
During this Trimester too I highly recommend starting to take a protein supplement. You need double the protein during your pregnancy. Not everyone has the time to be counting up how many grams of protein are in each of their servings of chicken breasts, beans, nuts and all the fun things you eat. 
Something I wish I had known about earlier in my pregnancy is PROTIVA. It is the only proven protein supplement to improve your nutritional status during and post pregnancy. And it tastes so FAB! You can find Protiva here. I have also been taking it postpartum and will be doing a separate post on yummy protein preggo smoothies so make sure to subscribe to get updated on that! For me it truly made me more energized and I always felt refreshed after having a shake from them. So, go check out the link above and seriously consider trying it out!
Isn’t stepping over into motherhood exciting?!! I know it doesn’t sound too exciting after reading my post, or it might but either way it is! If you didn’t find out early, you get to see your little beans ultrasound and find out the gender this trimester! EEK! Talk about the most exciting doctors visit! Now this is a good amount of info to take in, but who are we kidding, I’m sure you’re just like me and are googling like crazy to intake as much information as you can about your changing body. If you are currently in your second trimester you go momma! Hang on the ride only gets more exciting, and exhausting. I sometimes wonder if we get so exhausted to prepare us for the exhaustion of motherhood? Humm.. If you are about to be in the second trimester woohoo, remember what I said in the beginning, you get your energy back, your stamina, and everything tastes YUMMY! Have fun sexy mammas and don’t forget to name your beard!