I'm not going to lie, approaching pregnancy, I was completely terrified of it. I think all women naturally have some degree of fear over pregnancy and childbirth. But it is certainly amplified by all the horror stories we hear! Well, I'm here to tell you that (at least for me, and most women I believe) pregnancy is not that bad! Yes, all the symptoms you hear about are generally true and fairly universal. But nothing unmanageable or completely miserable. For me, it's been quite the opposite, and I am truly enjoying my pregnancy thus far. Of course, there were a few things that made this trimester a little more comfortable for me. So without further ado, here are my favorite items and top tips for the second trimester!
Snoogle Total Body Pillow - If you clicked the link, yes...you read that right. I'm telling you this $60 pillow is a must have item during the second (and third) trimester. It took me quite a while to convince myself of this (I went to Babies R Us 3 separate times with the intention of buying it and never did). I would get there, put it in my cart, and by the time I got to the register I would have completely talked myself out of it. I thought a) I would rather spend the money on stuff for the baby and b) it already took up my whole stinking shopping cart, I can't imagine that massive thing in my bed! But when I woke up one morning during my 24th week of pregnancy with back pain so bad I could barely breathe...I knew I had to have it. And let me just tell you...this thing is worth every penny. I have never once woken up with a sore or achy back since I got it. Just do yourself a favor and get one as soon as you start feeling like that in the morning...I promise you won't regret it. (If you follow what I tell you below about Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby coupons...you won't pay that much anyway!)
Motherhood V-neck Maternity Pocket Tees - Buy them in every color! I did! I picked up this top in black one day at a Buy Buy Baby (they sell Motherhood clothing there too) and it soon became my favorite top. Soon enough, I was running to Motherhood to pick it up in oatmeal, pink, purple & navy. I love that they don't look at all like a maternity top, (there is no ruching on the sides) but somehow they continue to expand and grow with your bump, and still be the perfect length. They're easy to pair with any jeans or shorts, a maxi skirt, or your lovely black maternity leggings! Grab a cardigan or zip up if it's cooler out and you're good to go. I pretty much wear one almost every day of the week. And I know they will continue to be a postpartum staple in my wardrobe as well. Bonus: Motherhood often has deals where if you buy 2 or more you get them for less than $10 each!
Goody Ouchless Hair Elastics - Everyone has heard of the good old rubber band trick right?! Just loop one of these onto the button of your jeans, under and through the button hole on the other side, and back around the button and you've instantly gained a few more inches on your waistband. If you utilize this trick, you should be able to get through a good part of the second trimester in your regular jeans. I also wore maternity jeans throughout the second trimester, but this way...I was able to purchase less maternity-wear, and still rock my favorite pair of jeans!
Starbucks Black Tea Lemonade - A Trenta Iced Black Tea Lemonade, Unsweetened, to be exact. This is quite possibly my favorite thing in the world right now. For the most part, I eliminated caffeine from my diet during my first trimester, but once I hit the second, I was looking for a way to safely indulge in a minimal amount of caffeine every day. This big old drink only has 85-90 mg of caffeine in it. Given my love of black tea and my pregnancy craving for lemonade...this drink was a win, win, win. And for whatever reason, I just feel like it make me feel good! I pretty much get one every day, and it's not a good day until I've had my black tea lemonade. (Add a warm butter croissant every now and then and I'm in heaven!)
Hydration tip: I get my black tea lemonade in morning and sip on it slowly through the early afternoon. After it's gone, I fill the cup back up with ice, throw in a couple lemon slices, and continue filling it with water and drinking it throughout the entire day. Hydration is so important throughout your entire pregnancy, so it's important to find something that works for you to get all that water in for you and your baby!
Babies R Us Baby Registry - I cannot say enough good things about Babies R Us and their customer service. I am serious when I say they really and truly want to make you happy and get you the best deal possible. (I always joke that it's either that, or they are just really scared to mess with pregnant women!) I'm speaking of my own experience here, but many of the women in my online pregnancy support group agree...Babies R Us rocks! I would 100% recommend choosing to have your main baby registry there. This is not only because of the excellent customer service, but also the awesome benefits and rewards you will receive from having it there. When you create your registry, if you don't have one already, they will also sign you up for a free Babies R Us Rewards card/account. It is VERY IMPORTANT that every time you buy anything from there, you have them scan this card. The more you buy, the more you will begin to get back in rewards dollars. Yup...that's free money to spend in the store! It is also VERY IMPORTANT that anything you buy, you put on your registry first (and have them scan that as well when you checkout). When all is said and done, Babies R Us will give you a gift card for 10% back on everything that is purchased off of your registry. Also pay attention to their monthly sales ads, as they are always discounting certain items for an entire month! You will seriously feel like you are constantly getting reimbursed for your patronage to their store. How nice!
Buy Buy Baby Coupons - Collect these babies like they are gold! Ask your friends and family for theirs if they don't use them (but also don't forget to let them know they can use them when they go to purchase gifts from your registry). Now, Babies R Us is not going to flat out tell you this, but they will except Buy Buy Baby coupons. It took me and my mom a while to figure this out (we were wondering why they were always asking if we had any coupons to use!) But since then, I have been getting some epic deals at that store. That Snoogle pillow, for example...I only paid $25 for (I used a 20% off Buy Buy Baby coupon, and stacked $25 in Babies R Us reward dollars on top of that). Just think about it...20% off your $300 baby monitor is a huge savings! (Buy Buy Baby is affiliated with Bed Bath & Beyond, so they're coupons work too wooHoo!)
Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter - I truly don't believe there is any product out there that will completely prevent stretch marks during pregnancy. I'm pretty sure this is mostly a genetic thing, and that some (most) women eventually get them and some lucky ones don't. But I do believe it is much more likely for stretch marks to form if you do nothing to take care of and hydrate the skin around your belly throughout pregnancy (especially from this trimester on). So I would say a good cream or body butter for your newly growing baby belly is a must have! I love ALL Burt's Bees Mama and Baby products, so this is the one I love and would recommend. It's a good price point for an all natural product that will keep your belly super moisturized and feeling great all day long. I know that I am personally prone to stretch marks as I have some super faded old ones from weight gain in the past. I have used the Mama Bee Belly Butter since the middle of the first trimester, and besides my old ones becoming a little more pronounced due to my stretching belly...I just noticed maybe 2-3 tiny new ones recently. And I've never had an itchy preggo belly. So in my opinion...I would say this stuff absolutely does it's job!
Black Maternity Leggings - It doesn't matter where you get them, but get them! Just because they are so, so comfy. I am not one of those people that will go running around town in leggings, but these are my go-to for whenever I am home, relaxing. There, you can pretty much bet you will find me in my black over-the-belly maternity leggings and one of my colored Motherhood v-necks. (I also recommend these for whenever you start your childbirth prep classes; because you will be on the floor, on an exercise mat, with pillows, doing breathing exercises. All the other ladies came comfy to the first day but me...and I was jealous. I will be wearing these to every subsequent class!)
Tums -Yup. Heartburn is one of those pregnancy symptoms you hear about that is definitely true and fairly universal once you hit the second trimester. There are certain antacids that are off limits for pregnant women, but Tums are in the safe zone! Pop two and they literally work immediately. I've been lucky and haven't suffered from heartburn too badly (yet). But it is inevitably uncomfortable whenever it happens. So I just carry the whole stinking bottle around with me at all times just in case! (They will come in handy when you decide that jalapenos on your nachos or burger sounds like a good idea. It's not BTW...)
Online Pregnancy Support Group - (from the What To Expect app). This was my #1 most important item on my First Trimester Survival Guide and it's still my #1 pregnancy fave today. The What To Expect App in general is wonderful during pregnancy (I would personally recommend you skip the book and just go straight to this). But the best part of it for me was finding the community that I did through it. When you sign up for the app, they automatically place you in a group with other mommas expecting a baby the same month as you. My group all started talking on there and then decided to create a private Facebook group so we could put faces to names and have an easier means of communicating with one another. And the WTE September 2015 Babies group was born. From there, we decided to break down into smaller groups based off the week we were expecting our babies...so I fell into the September 1st-7th group...the Cherry Babies! We formed our own private Facebook group, (about 50 of us all due in the same week) and the rest is history. These girls are seriously my daily lifeline! I sometimes don't know what I would do without them during this pregnancy. Any questions I have...I go to them. Any complaints I have...I go to them. And any joys or special moments I have...I share with them. The advice, understanding and support I receive from them is amazing. It really is my biggest comfort to have a group of women who are all going through the same thing as me, at the exact same time. (And I can't wait to see everyone's sweet little babies' faces popping up on the screen in a few months to come!)
Edy's Outshine Fruit Bars - Finally, what would this guide be if I didn't include a treat in there for the sweet tooth mommas-to-be like me! I have been craving all things sweet, including fruit, this entire trimester. I always want a sweet after lunch AND dinner, (annndd pretty much throughout the rest of the day too.) But as much as I would love to, I know I really can't be eating cake, and cookies, and ice cream all day long. So this was one of my solutions. Now, I'm not going to lie here...I still do eat a big old slice of cake or do an ice cream run a couple times a week. But on the other days, I try to stick to having one of these at night as my treat. They are only 70 calories, are fat-free, gluten-free, and have none of the yucky stuff (high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors or flavors). It's all real fruit! And they are really good! My favorites are the Strawberry and the Lemon. But I also love a Lime when we have Mexican on Monday nights...tastes like I'm having a Margarita for dessert! (wishful thinking...haha)
And that's it! The things I have been living and loving throughout my second trimester. So cheers to a healthy & happy Trimester 2! If you give any of these things try...let me know how they work for you!
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