Babymoon 

My second trimester was great! I had lots of energy to do the fun stuff like pick out baby furniture, set up a baby registry, take maternity photos, and enjoy a babymoon vacation. When people say you have so much energy during the second trimester, I think it is just in comparison to the first. You definitely have more energy but not as much as you did prior to pregnancy, at least that was the case for me.

We got super lucky and were able to go on a babymoon right before COVID-19 stay-in-place orders went into place. Our destination was San Diego when I was 22 weeks pregnant. While a little early, it was the best time that worked out with my work schedule. During this trip, we got massages, took a dinner cruise, scheduled a maternity shoot,  went shopping, and dined at some great restaurants. It was truly a perfect 4 day trip! I couldn’t have asked for anything better. If things continue to open up and are safe, I highly recommend taking at least one weekend to relax and enjoy one another’s company away from home.

Maternity Clothes

I think maternity clothes aren’t absolutely necessary and you can probably get by without them until the third trimester. I think you’ll need a few maternity dresses, a pair of maternity jeans (I loved Old Navy ones), and a pair or maternity leggings. I also LOVED how maternity

clothes fit me and made me look. I either looked like I gained tons of weight or was pregnant so I liked how the maternity clothes accentuated my bump! My favorite maternity shops online are PinkBlush Maternity (for dressier options) and MotherBee Maternity (for comfy dresses). 

Nonsense Comments

“Is your baby growing?” or “Why are you so small at 24 weeks?” are the types of comments I consistently got during my second trimester. People may think this is flattering but to a pregnant woman, not so much. You don’t want to be small or big, you actually just don’t want those comments at all. Everyone’s body is different and everyone will experience something different during their pregnancy. I did ask my doctor about my “bump” and weight due to all the comments I was getting. Everything was fine with our sonograms so it was not something I should have worried about. I suggest you try and humor people with the comments or just be straight forward; say that you “don’t appreciate the comment(s)” and that “everything is indeed on track for my baby” and mention, “thank you asking!”

The Kicks

The greatest feeling of all usually comes during the second trimester which is when the baby moves! It is an incredible feeling and for me it happened around 22 weeks when we were on our babymoon. I think I felt little flutters before then but during this trip there were definitely some small kicks! A few weeks later was even more exciting when my husband could feel the kicks from the outside. Our baby boy was very active which was great! By the end of the second trimester, he was even keeping me up at night due to all the movement, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

The Flu

The least exciting part of the second trimester was getting the flu.I probably got it from work as I work in the hospital even though I got my flu shot. I had the Flu-B and it seemed like it was a milder strain. I honestly thought I had the cold and was just getting more weak and tired due to pregnancy until I got tested. I had to take Tamiflu and take a few days off of work. I did have a lingering cough for months. It is probably best to go get checked out if you have the slightest feeling that something is off! 

Covid-19 

 Covid-19  was not something we expected to experience during our pregnancy. We started socially distancing and did not do anything except go to work and OB appointments. Soon, my husband was not allowed to come to the appointments or sonograms anymore. Luckily, he was able to come to the anatomy scan at 20 weeks since it was still early February. After that, he was not able to attend anything. I know it is not the end of the world but he had been to every appointment before that so it was a definite change for us. We wish things were different but we also understood the importance. If your OBs offices are allowing your husbands to be at the appointments again, don’t take it for granted. It has been an interesting journey not being able to go places and interact with people, but for the safety of our child and others at risk, we tried our best to stay at home during this time! 

That was my experience during the second trimester so hopefully you found it helpful or reassuring if you are feeling and experiencing similar things! I am definitely nervous about laboring in a mask and only having my husband at the hospital with me, but also feeling blessed that at least my husband gets to be there! I will keep you posted with a third trimester blog post in a few weeks!

Xoxo,

Sanna Khoja