Wow. It still feels pretty surreal that I get to write something like this. Today marks the official start of my THIRD TRIMESTER. So that means I owe y’all a Second Trimester Recap. And this time I’m on top of things because I just have this sneaky feeling these next {hopefully} 10 weeks are going to be gone in a flash. If you read my First Trimester Recap, rest assured this one is a little lighter!
Symptoms
The nausea from the first trimester had no problem carrying itself over well into the 2nd. It was right around 21 weeks that I finally felt like the all day/pretty constant queasiness had subsided. And that relief was SO welcomed. A new symptom made it’s appearance just before week 18 on our drive to Texas for Thanksgiving. An odd, semi-sharp pain in my upper back rib area. I had no clue until our anatomy scan that the pain was pregnancy-related. We came to discover that Baby B’s head is sitting really nicely under my sternum and top right rib cage. Hence the pain in my back. Since then, it’s only intensified. Nothing has helped alleviate the pain. So that’s fun!
Another newbie to the side effects crew is acid reflux. I think it showed up shortly after Christmas and at the beginning I had no idea what it was. Pretty sure I mentioned the feeling to Kyle a few times and he didn’t know either so I just ignored it. But then I mentioned it to my sisters and immediately they were like ‘LOL that’s acid reflux.’ Kyle grabbed me a bottle of Tums the next day. From other girls I hear who have experienced it, mine is VERY mild in comparison. And on the bright side, I still have half that same bottle of Tums left. Praying that it doesn’t get any worse for sure.
Physical Changes
Uhmmm yes. All of them! Kyle and I were just looking at the weekly progress pictures I’ve taken every Wednesday and it looks like between weeks 22 & 23 is when the belly POPPED. Like top-to-bottom, full on belly mode. And it just keeps getting bigger. I feel like the weirdest part is that I have core muscles still somewhat defined on either side of the basketball protruding outward. But my skin is feeling tight. I can’t imagine what it’ll be like as things progress even further. My boobs chilled out, growth-wise, for a while there but the last week or so I think they’ve started to get bigger yet again.
My skin has remained clear – even after switching up the products I’m using, so I’m super thankful for that. My eyelashes seem to have either thinned/fallen out/shortened or something because I’ve noticed recently that they don’t look the same with mascara as usual. And I’ve been taking my pregnancy collagen regularly, not sure if that’s normal or not?
Mental Changes
This has probably been the biggest shift from first-to-second trimester. My anxiety and worry throughout the first 13 weeks was almost indescribable. And I’m not saying that anxiety and worry has left my mind, but it’s absolutely been overrun by gratitude, hope and excitement. We still have a long way to go to get these two babies in our arms, but making an effort to let go and relinquish my fears to the one above who has everything planned out anyway has helped. Keeping up with my daily morning meditations, prayer and journaling has helped me direct my thoughts in more positive ways. Mentally, there’s a lot of anticipation for what’s to come and an emphasis on tackling one milestone at a time. Also, I’ve said it before but a huge blessing with twins is the number of ultrasounds we get. Those extra peeks have helped tremendously, too!
Remedies
Tums. My pregnancy pillow. Tons of water. Moving my body daily. Keeping up with hitting protein goals each day. I think all of those have attributed to feeling relatively good in this second trimester. Pretty convinced that they’re also to thank for me still sleeping pretty well. I’m truly praying that I can keep up the solid nights of sleep for as long as possible because I know those days are numbered.
If you follow me on IG, you know Kyle and I were down with who really knows what sickness the last week of December into the first 2 weeks of January. Because I refuse to even take a single Tylenol, I struggled to find much relief. But a few things I think made major differences: these Breathe Right strips (I still wear these almost every night because pregnancy congestion is a real thing LOL), this mini humidifier that I sleep with next to my side of the bed, local honey, at-home medicine ball teas, Vick’s bath salts and saline nasal spray.
Purchases
We went from basically buying nothing up until almost Christmas to BAM. Spending ALL the money on ALL the things. I figured that’s how it would go…and now I find myself placing orders for Kyte Baby onesies instead of shoes for myself! Now every time I make a Target run, I add a box of diapers {we’re using Pampers Pure} and/or wipes {Pampers Pure or WaterWipes} to the cart. I’d much rather be safe than sorry with our stock on both of those! I decided on a nursery chair, placed the order, and then changed my mind…so stand by on what I went with instead! We also picked out cribs, mattresses, a dresser, curtains and more for the nursery. My parents bought the twins’ car seats and Kyle’s bought their stroller. HUGE blessings. I also started buying items for my post-partum at-home kit + got my hospital bag!
Final Second Trimester Recap
The second trimester definitely felt like it went faster than the first. I am still deciding if that’s a good thing or if time needs to slow down again. Feelings of gratefulness for still being able to workout and maintain a healthy diet flow through me daily. I realize that things will likely begin to slow down here over the upcoming weeks and I’m trying to prepare myself for that pace. Anything and everything needed to keep these babies growing strong, staying heathy and remaining cozy for as long as possible, I am willing to do.
We get to see them again on Monday (28+5) and I get to do my glucose test then too. Prayers I pass it would be so appreciated! Just 2.5 weeks stand between us and our BABY SHOWER. Thinking of it makes me choke up every time. I’m beyond excited to celebrate these two tiny loves that have been prayed over since long before they were transferred. I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it…it’s so cool how much you can love two people you haven’t met just yet. Now we’re in the home stretch of preparing to love them even more when they make their appearance!
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