16 Amazing Second Trimester Pregnancy Tips and Must-Haves
Updated: Nov 14, 2022
When the second trimester of your pregnancy starts, from about 13 weeks to 28 weeks, you start to see/feel changes in your body. Not only does your belly start to grow other parts start to be affected as well. Even though you may no longer experience morning sickness and fatigue, your body is still working hard to create a new life and you will notice. You continue to eat healthily and exercise regularly to remain in good condition but there are a few more tips and tricks to help you through the second trimester of your pregnancy.
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Baby Registry
Your second trimester is the perfect time to start thinking about your baby registry. Here you can find a list of items I recommend for a baby registry. It is a rather minimal list but a baby does not need many things. A baby needs a safe place to sleep, needs to be cleaned regularly, needs food, and is close to mom. That is all a baby needs. All other items are just convenience (which may be great but not necessary). This blog post also has a list of items I recommend you don’t need for your baby and why.
Baby Shower
The second trimester is also the perfect time to consider a baby shower. In the Netherlands, where I live, it is not done often and I did not have one (nor did I miss it) but this differs for other countries. So the second trimester is the perfect time to give this some thought if you want to have a baby shower and how you want to have a baby shower if you decide to go for it. In this blog post, I have some tips and ideas to do this as sustainable as possible.
Parenting Classes
Large cities often offer a variety of classes for parents-to-be. Ranging from classes to help you through birth, breastfeeding, and even parenting classes. There are lots of options out there. Take a look through all the possibilities and see if one of those classes is for you (and your partner).
Plan maternity leave
Discuss with your boss what the possibilities are for maternity leave. Maybe you only want to take a few weeks off or maybe you want to stop working altogether. Discuss with your partner what you want, what they want, and what is financially possible for your situation.
Plan a baby moon
Before your baby arrives it is a good idea to plan a trip with just your partner to enjoy each other's company with just the two of you (as it may take a while before the next time happens). This babymoon doesn’t have to be far away as some pregnant women prefer to stay close to home but I recommend taking at least a weekend away with just the two of you while you still can and want to. Now you may think that finding a sitter for your baby is not that difficult but once the baby arrives your hormones may not want to part with your baby for more than a few hours meaning a weekend away with just the two of you is no longer an option.
Keep a journal
You may think that you will remember the beautiful time of being pregnant. The reality might not be the case as our hormones are on high alert when we are pregnant which will affect our brain and there are things we might want to remember. As being pregnant is a rather special time I recommend keeping a journal for those 9 months. This way you can read back on it later (when you are maybe pregnant again) and notice how much you have forgotten about this time.
A pre-made journal is also great for the ones among us who have not to clue what to write about each week. A journal is packed with relevant questions and things to think about so you can share all your ideas and thoughts in a journal.
Most of the time I like to keep things digital but as I felt that pregnancy is a rather special time I wanted a physical book to write my memories and thoughts in. This will also make it a great gift to the child you are carrying once it is old enough to read about it (if you want to give it away).
Dentist
Taking care of your teeth is important for your health in general but it is even more important when you are expecting. Your gums are more sensitive and bleed more often as pregnancy affects your hormones which affect your teeth/gums. So now is the perfect time to make an extra appointment with your dentist to get extra teeth cleaning so your teeth remain healthy.
Yoga
Selfcare is important, both for your physical health and your mental health. Yoga can help with both as it is not overly active that there is a risk of straining or hurting yourself and you can spend some time clearing your mind of all the daily burdens.
Moisturize
When you are pregnant your belly grows. In your second trimester, you will see the first signs of your expanding belly. To keep the skin of your belly hydrated you need to moisturize it regularly. There are lots of options available on the market but I DIYed an amazing body butter that is great for the expanding skin of your belly. I can’t promise you won’t get stretch marks as that is determined by genetics but I can tell you that it helps with the itchiness of your belly and breast area.
Maternity clothes
With the expensing belly of your second trimester, your clothes start to feel uncomfortable and you will have to make some changes in your wardrobe.
Even though I used to wear lots of jeans before I got pregnant, maternity jeans were just not comfortable for me. I have tried several brands and none of them were comfortable enough to wear throughout the day. So I purchased lots of dresses and loose leggings to get through the day comfortably.
This dress is extremely soft and comfortable while also looking gorgeous with the growing bump. Suitable for both winter and summer adding leggings and a jacket is very easy with this dress.
In those days I did not want to wear a dress, I had sweatpants. This organic loungewear is much more comfortable compared to jeans as they are made with lightweight bamboo. These pants also have a waistband that is much more comfortable compared to jeans making it great to just relax in your home.
Maternity underwear
Just like jeans were not comfortable for my growing belly, also underwear with a thick elastic waistband was not comfortable for me anymore. I also wasn’t a fan of over-the-bump underwear as this created lots of layers over my belly which I did not like (this is, however, very personal as some people don’t have a problem with it).
These under-the-bump panties are comfortable throughout the pregnancy and postpartum period as it grows with an expanding belly. This super-soft bamboo underwear is lightweight and breathable, without any seems for maximum comfort.
Even rather early in your pregnancy, you will notice your breast change and you will need to switch to a more comfortable option. If you already know you want to breastfeed I highly recommend switching to nursing bras already. This is because these are also designed to grow with your changing body and you won’t have to change to nursing bras once your little one arrives.
Water bottle
Hydration is very important throughout your pregnancy. When you are pregnant you may even need to drink more than usual as your body is working much harder compared to when you weren’t pregnant. So, how do I make sure I drink plenty. To make it as easy as possible for you to drink a sufficient amount of water, keep a reusable water bottle near you at all times. I have a stainless steel straw bottle (0,5L or 16 fl oz) that I make myself fill 4 times a day (morning, twice in the afternoon, and evening) that I have to drink. This works surprisingly well as I somehow always empty the bottle when I put it close to me. I just need to remember to put it close by.
Maternity belt
A maternity belt is often recommended by other pregnant women but I don’t want to do this. When your pelvic/hip area is hurting due to pregnancy, first visit a specialist to check if a maternity belt is something that could benefit you. After consulting I decided not to use one as I prefer to use the muscles in this area and not use a maternity belt that takes over the function of the muscles making them weaker in the long run as they don’t have to work anymore.
Electric heat blanket
With a growing belly, your balance changes, and different muscles in your body may need to work harder. For me, this meant my lower back was having a hard time and was hurting at the end of the end. To relax those back muscles an electric blanket that you can put under your covers is amazing. Especially during the colder months, an electric heat blanket helps to relax your body and I also slept much better when my bed was nice and warm.
I hope this list of 16 amazing second trimester pregnancy tips and must-haves gave you some inspiration to make it through your pregnancy much more comfortable.
