Make sure you are read up on the first trimester HERE. That one was a doozy!

*This post is from when I was pregnant with Miller. I am going to do a comparison from then to now with baby #2! I hope you like that I am doing it this way! The first paragraph with always be Miller’s story and second will be baby boy’s!

The photos in the green dress are from when I was pregnant with Miller! Here is a pic of my bump at the same time with Baby Boy:

*This dress is from two years ago but I linked similar options from the same store below

Maternity:

Non Maternity:

The Second Trimester

Every body is different and every baby is different. This makes everyone’s pregnancy different! You may have experienced all of the below or none of the below. You may have been at one extreme of a symptom that wasn’t as bad for me! Just because I didn’t go through it doesn’t mean I don’t want it shared!

PLEASE share your own stories about the second trimester in a comment at the end of this post! This a great place for everyone (pregnant or not) to come together and learn about pregnancy. Other pregnant women may read this and feel comforted by the fact they are not alone, and women that are yet to be pregnant can be educated on what happens during this time in pregnancy!

Hemorrhoids

With Miller:

Yep. I am going there. FIRST. This is because I got hemorrhoids immediately going into my second trimester. What are hemorrhoids? Good question. I had to Google this as well. Check out the definition on WebMD HERE.

They are most often caused by constipation. Which is a STRUGGLE in the second trimester. It was especially a struggle for me since this was something I had never experienced before. I did not EVER get constipated. I have the highest metabolism ever so food left my body pretty regularly.. TMI?

I could tell something wasn’t right. You get itchy down there and it can seem a little swollen. So gross, I know. And it hurts. You may think it is all just constipation UNTILLLL one day you look in the toilet and there is blood. I FREAKED OUT GUYS! I called everyone. “Mom, I just pooped and the water is reddish pink!!” No one wants to see blood ANYWHERE during pregnancy. This is when I knew for sure I had hemorrhoids. They can ‘pop’  when you go #2 and they are bloody. Ew.

Sorry if I am not explaining this is the ‘correct medical way’. This was just my experience.

Shortly after the blood scene I got subscribed to Colace from my doctor (you can also grab them at any drug store). I started taking a pill a day and it kept me flowing and the hemorrhoids left shortly after!

To prevent this from happening:

-Don’t let it build up. If you are constipated tell your dr. ASAP, pick up some colace, or start other pregnancy-safe treatments at home (prunes and other remedies!)

-Grab a squatty potty. This will help you poop 100% easier! My sis and brother in law still use theirs after the baby haha!

If you have hemorrhoids already.

-Take the steps necessary to loosen your stool.

-Consult with your dr.

-Baths help and you can use witch hazel pads down there too if it is really bad!

With Baby Boy:

Unfortunately, hemorrhoids don’t just go away. I have had them since having Miller. At least with baby 2 I knew to start taking a stool softener right away! The new Women’s One a Day Prenatal Advanced (w Brain Support) actually have a stool softener in them too!

I have bled once from the hemorrhoids already during this pregnancy though (bleh)!

Bumpy Face

With Miller:

This is the best term I can use to describe what happened to my face during this semester. I never got break outs before pregnancy but during pregnancy (especially in second semester) I could NOT get rid of the small bumps that spread all over my face. They are itchy too!

Any remedies for these guys? I mostly have them on my cheeks and forehead!

With Baby Boy:

No bumps or pimples or anything of the sort with baby boy! Skin seems to be smooth and glowing (or maybe I just found the best routine for my skin here in CO!)

Big Boobs

With Miller

If your husband says he is more of a ‘butt guy’ just wait until he actually has boobs to compare it too haha (sorry to my mother-in-law who I know is going to be reading this!)

Your boobs will get massive! I think I still have a ways to go but I am already up two cup sizes.

You may love them and think they are fun or you will be like me and realize all of your clothes fit wayyyy differently and you can’t wear all those low cut numbers you used to wear! Needless to say I am getting used to them but ready to have my old friends back!

Your husband on the other hand may start asking questions about possible plastic surgery after you breast feed a couple of kids!!

But with the boobs come the veins..

With Baby Boy

Used to this by now and may even think about making these things a permanent thing once I am done breastfeeding, haha! The do look a lot droopier this time around though.

Veins

With Miller:

Yall the veins are unreal. I already had them pretty bad in arms and hands (nurses always said I have the best veins for drawing blood, yuck), but now I can see them everywhere!!!

I can mostly see them in my boobs. It is so gross. They are super prominent, big, and just everywhere.

I am starting to see them in my lower stomach and my thighs. This is all the result of your blood flow and it pumping extra hard to get everything to the baby. I think I read that anyway..

With Baby Boy:

Not seeing veins in my belly or legs yet, but I am sure that is coming!

Lower Back Pains

With Miller:

This started during the last month of my second trimester. You can’t sit comfortable, sleep comfortably, or walk for long periods of time because of lower back pain. The bigger you are the worse it will be because you won’t be used to carrying the extra weight.

I put a small lumbar pillow at my back when I am sitting but and a pillow in between my legs for sleeping. I still haven’t figured out how to help while standing. Exercise maybe?

With Baby Boy:

No lower back pain yet whoop whoop! It was soooo bad with Miller so I am hoping that was just a one time thing or maybe she sat differently than he is or something. Who knows but I am sooo happy about it!

The Kicks

The Miller:

There are ups and downs of every pregnancy. The ups? YOU HAVE A BABY INSIDE YOU!! SUCH A BLESSING!! Another huge up are the little baby kicks you will start feeling during the pregnancy.

I LOVE the kicks! When she is super active (which she almost always is) I put my hands to my belly and leave them there until she is done. I love each and every one! It feels like someone is just fist bumping me over and over again!

Sometimes I can feel her shift her entire body!

That being said… she hasn’t started kicking super hard yet and she isn’t close to my ribs yet. I am sure the kicks will get a little more painful in the upcoming months!

There is also this thing called lighting vagina. This happens when she rolls onto a nerve or kicks at a nerve that sends lighting bolts to your vagina. Guys, I know this sounds like it may be a good thing… but lightening vagina IS NOT a good thing. It is so painful!! Like super hard shocks down there. I usually have to get up after a couple and walk around and try to move her!

With Baby Boy:

I still can’t get enough. The best feeling there is. I immediately put my hands to my belly and leave them there when I feel him start to kick! He is a super active little booger too!

Clothes Shopping

With Miller:

During the second trimester your baby starts growing at rapids speeds, and so does your belly. You could buy a dress that fits great and 4 days later you can’t zip it up (yes, this happened to me!) Shopping becomes VERY HARD and you mayyyy have a breakdown or two.

I ordered so much for my trip to Canada and got it in and maybe half fit and out of those they didn’t fit that WELL. I had to sit on the couch and take some deep breaths!

Invest in some dresses that you will be able to wear no matter how big you get (like this Leith dress) or a comfy swing dress from Lou & Grey or LOFT. These will be the items you will reach for on a daily basis. Oh and a great pair of leggings!

With Baby Boy:

You already know this is coming with your second child so it doesn’t affect you near as much (or at all)! Frankly I haven’t even thought about it and can’t believe I complained about it in the post with Miller!

Travel

With Miller:

I went overseas at 24 weeks (a full post on that coming soon), and it was ROUGH!! Think reallllllly long and hard about planning something like that if you will be 23 weeks or more.

I think quick flights to the beach are fine… but an international flight to tour a new place is going to be really hard on your body and it will take you a long time to recover once back home.

With Baby Boy:

I moved during my second trimester but that wasn’t really traveling or taking a vacation. Haven’t taken any of those since COVID! I don’t plan on doing a baby moon at all with baby boy just to keep him and I safe!

Stretched Out Tummy

With Miller:

There will be many days in your second trimester when you think your stomach cannot possible stretch out ANY MORE. It is so uncomfortable and leaves you taking a lot of big breaths and you will just be waddling around the house.

Think of being super full times 100. The skin on your belly will just seem soooo stretched. Hard to explain.

With Baby Boy:

Yep! I feel like I can’t get any bigger or more stretched out but since I have already had one kid I know that’s not the case. They make room!

Lack of Sleep

With Miller:

Get ready to start losing sleep in your second trimester.

Sleeping on my back is the only comfortable position and it is totally unsafe for the baby. The baby can roll onto the vena cava and that can block up her air supply. I wake up on my back still all the time and freak out.

I have a wedge underneath my stomach now and may finally try a pregnancy pillow. I just didn’t want to get one while I was traveling a lot.

You roll over A LOT through the night because your body gets sore quickly in each position. Once you have rolled over you sometimes wake the baby and have to wait for the kicking to stop before falling asleep again.

With Baby Boy:

I take half a unison every night to sleep! Helps me fall back to sleep when baby kicks wake me up. My dr cleared it but you definitely need to check with yours too! I highly suggest it if you have a toddler you are chasing around during the day! Sleep is so important!

Mood Swings

With Miller:

I can literally go from crying at being so happy to crying from being so sad within 10 min. The swings are unreal. I am getting moody super easily and trying so hard not to let Troy see any of it!

I had to hold back choking sobs when TSA took my greek yogurt parfait. I mean whaaaaat???

I am sure these will get a lot worse in the third trimester!

With Baby Boy:

No mood swings at all! I was hormonal in the first trimester but seemed to have flattened out in the second.

Gestational Diabetes Test

With Miller:

This is a fun one guys :/. Between weeks 26-28 your doctor will have you take a glucose test to see if you have gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs in 2-10% of all pregnant women. You get it during pregnancy and it ends once you have the baby.

If you have it you will just need to go on a diet recommended by your OB until you give birth. In some cases, women who have it can later develop Type 2 diabetes. In most cases that doesn’t happen though! You can and will have a perfectly healthy baby if you have gestational diabetes! You just have to stop inhaling the bad-for-you foods for a couple of months!

Your doctor will have you drink a super sugary drink, wait an hour, and then do a blood draw. BOOK THIS IN THE MORNING AND DO NOT EAT BEFORE YOU GO! 95% of people I have talked to failed this test by a couple of points because they ate beforehand (me included!)

If you fail, you have to book another appt and will definitely be told to fast this time. They will then draw blood, then you will drink the drink, and then they will draw blood three more times every hour. It takes about 3 1/2 hours total. I just took mine last Friday and got the call Monday that I passed it with flying colors.

With Baby Boy:

I FASTED ALLLLL MORNING and had my test at 2pm and PASSED!!! As hard as it is, I highly suggest fasting! You don’t want to have to take that second test just because you had some toast in the morning!

Position with a Baby Boy vs Baby Girl

Baby boy is sitting soooooo much lower than Miller did. I feel so much more pressure down there and after a short walk I feel like he may just fall right out! It is such a crazy feeling. I feel like he could seriously come any day now, but I am still three months away!

At my 20 week appt he was breech, but I am not sure if he has flipped or not. I won’t find out until my 36 week appt.

*I hope I am not being too negative in this post. Being pregnant is a beautiful thing that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I feel so connected to her, love to sing to her, and Troy loves kissing my belly and teasing both of us! These experiences above are just a few things you go through in order to have your baby, and 100% worth it!

The Outfit

Sandals

Chloe Bag

Kendra Scott Earrings

Lipstick: Cute Pop

 

xox Amanda

*photos by Adria Lea