Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Must Have's - Second Trimester


Last week I gave you my "Must Have" list for the first trimester.
I figured I'd continue the trend this week with my second trimester list,
which I know you've all been on the edge of your seat wondering about.
What can I say....my life is the definition of thrilling excitement.
Try to keep up, okay? 

Anyhow...

Things definitely got easier for me pregnancy-wise after about the 14 week mark.
I got most of my appetite back and was able to walk up a flight of stairs 
without feeling like I needed a nap.

Let me just say, though, that I've never felt that "pregnancy glow" 
that you hear so much about.
I'm beginning to think it's a myth.
And all those women that proclaim to LOVE being pregnant
are lying through their teeth.
Kind of like how I don't believe that nobody remembers the pain of childbirth.
While I'm sure the beautiful baby in your arms makes you googley eyed with love,
I'm pretty sure I'm gonna remember pushing a watermelon out of me.
Even with an epidural.

Now, back to this list...
In the 2nd Trimester, my McDonald's cravings and nausea dissipated, 
but the growing baby bump added its own challenges,
including sleeping, dressing, and getting through the day,
which is mostly what this list is based on.  



1.  Body Pillow
Sleep became difficult in the middle of the 2nd trimester, especially because I like sleeping on my back and the weight of my new tummy often left me feeling light headed if I spent too long flat on my back.   A friend lent me her Snoogle Pillow, which I love because I can have the curvy part between my knees and the straight part behind my back.  That way I can kinda turn on my back without being completely flat.  You could also just use a bunch of regular pillows, or a regular body pillow, and save a few bucks.

2.  Belly Oil
Another friend of mine sent me this Earth Mama Stretch Oil.  She had twins and managed to avoid stretch marks.  While I think that's mostly a hereditary thing, I'd like to avoid it if possible.  This oil smells so good and I love rubbing into my growing belly every day.  So far I've got no marks, but we'll see what the next 9 weeks brings!

3.  Empire Tops
Early on in the pregnancy I went to TJ Maxx to get a few tops that I could wear to work and camouflage my belly.  Even if you've already told people you're pregnant, there's still that stage where you feel like your baby bump could be taken as a too-many-cookies bump.  That's where the empire waisted tops come in handy, giving you some flowy fabric to hide behind.

4.  Maternity Pants
At some point you just have to bite the bullet and get some maternity pants.  Since they're usually not cheap, I figured I'd rather buy them earlier than later and get as much use out of them as possible.  I've ended up with a couple pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of work pants, some leggings, and some yoga pants.  The low rise ones are nice early on, but as I got bigger I liked the full panels a little better.

5.  Bra Extender
Somewhere in the 2nd trimester I invested in a few new, bigger bras.  But after a while the bands started to feel too tight because I think my rib cage is expanding.  Or I'm just gaining weight.  Instead of getting more new bras, I found these extenders which you hook on to the back to add an inch or so.  This is one of those simple things that I thought was just amazing.  Why didn't I think of it sooner?!

6.  Open front cardigans (again)
The temperature in my office usually ranges from stuffy and hot, to frigid and cold.  So I always have a sweater or cardigan with me.  I'm including open front cardigans in my list again mainly because they pretty much work at any stage in the pregnancy, don't have to be "maternity," and can be used when you're not preggers.  

7.  Maternity layering tanks
During the pregnancy, I found that I liked having an extra layer under my shirt.  It helps to hide a protruding belly button, and also feels better against my skin than the panels on most maternity pants.  I love these tanks from Target because they're super light and stretchy, as well as these from Old Navy because they're affordable and don't show too much cleavage, which is nice at work.

8.  Thermacare Heat Wraps & warm baths
As my belly gets bigger I find that it's putting more and more strain on my low back and pelvis.  I like wearing the Thermacare wraps during the day to help ease the pain.  They really stay hot for 8 hours, and are thin enough that you cant see them under your clothes.  I also really miss taking hot baths at the end of the week and have compromised with warm baths instead.  Sometimes I'll turn up the heat a bit and just fill the bath enough it hits my low back but not cover my belly.  That way I get the heat I like and don't feel like I'm "cooking" the baby.

What were your "must have" items during your pregnancy?

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