My Second Trimester
If you’re wondering what’s waiting for you in the second trimester, and if your experience is anything like mine, then let me paint you a beautiful picture:
A Break from Morning Sickness
Imagine finally having your appetite back and not throwing up every time you eat. Oh yes, there is light at the end of that awful tunnel called “morning sickness.” Now to be fair, I was several weeks into my second trimester before mine let up, but what matters now is that I finally feel like a person instead of an exhausted puking machine.
In all seriousness, the second trimester was a blessing. After months of feeling sick and tired, it truly felt as if the Lord used this period to encourage me to keep going.
More Energy and Unexpected Changes
Apart from morning sickness coming to an end (for most women), there are a bunch of other changes happening as well. For starters, you’ll finally have some energy again. I felt completely drained throughout my first trimester, so to go about my day and not feel like I haven’t slept in weeks was bliss.
Surprising New Symptoms
I also drooled a lot. Random and gross, I know, but for some reason your body starts to create way more saliva than usual. And no, the drooling did not limit itself to while I was sleeping. I drooled as I talked to people. I drooled as I ate. Honestly, Joshua probably secretly wondered if he needed to get me some help.
Hot Flashes and Emotional Swings
Hot flashes are another lovely feature for this trimester. I’m pretty cold-natured, but not while I’m pregnant. I sweat ALL THE TIME now. It has even gotten to the point that I will sleep with limbs exposed outside of my covers—all of my fellow chickens reading this understand how big of a deal that is.
I also cry. A lot. This is second trimester Abbie: an energized, sweaty ball of emotions that you can often find drooling on herself.
Food Aversions and Cravings
Aversions:
What do I still not want to eat? Pork chops. I’m not sure if I’ll ever eat them again. I can’t stand the smell of those things. Also, salmon. Let’s just say Jackson is not a fan.
Cravings:
What am I craving? All day, everyday I want sugar. Ice cream, cookies, pumpkin pie, cheesecake—give me ALL of it. Joshua surprised me with a date to the Cheesecake Factory and I literally got emotional (shocker). But wow, the carrot cake is DIVINE. According to my midwife (and every pregnancy book I have read), I’m supposed to be eating healthier. Needless to say, that’s been a bit of a battle and very eye-opening to my lack of self-control.
More Quirks of the Second Trimester
- I have a few skin tags that I didn’t have before I got pregnant.
- Brain fog is real. It takes me a year to tell one story. Picture me trying to explain something, forgetting what I’m talking about, and drooling on myself. Super cute.
- I finally got to feel my baby kick!! This alone makes all of the weird symptoms worth it. I don’t know if this is wrong, but I didn’t really feel “bonded” to my baby throughout my first trimester. I think being able to feel and see him made it much more real.
- Gas. Need I say more?
- Increased libido.
- Breathlessness. I get ridiculously breathless from doing the most mundane tasks. Getting out of bed makes me breathless for crying out loud!
I have also become obsessed with learning about pregnancy, labor, and the little baby growing inside of me. I have read about vaccines and toxins (a lovely rabbit hole that I would encourage everyone to go down), prenatal exercises, GBS, Rh stuff, labor positions, and a whole slew of other things related to pregnancy and birth. I also spent a scary amount of time watching people’s positive birth vlogs—something that Joshua was not very fond of.
All in all, I really loved my second trimester, as weird as it may sound. I hope this has given you some peace about pregnancy. I can’t wait to tell you about my third trimester! Make sure to subscribe so that you can stay caught up on my journey!
