So many women told me how wonderful the second trimester is. And just like that, I joined them! For me, it was SO EASY. My appetite came back to normal, my energy increased and my mood was fantastic. I could live in this phase forever. And I'm finally gaining regular weight! It's real! I'm increasing about 1 pound per week. I'm still eating more bread than I normally do, mostly in the form of grilled cheese and always sourdough (from Hildegard's Bakery). But, I do seem to do better on more carbs than I was eating pre pregnancy. And I'm still eating every 3-4 hours because I'm HUNGRY.
Diastasis recti is something that up to 100% of women will experience during pregnancy. Your rectus abdmoninis muscle is designed to separate during pregnancy to accommodate baby and the growing uterus. I knew it would happen, but I didn't realize how early I would experience it. I noticed it during week 21 (my pelvic floor physio says around week 20 is the norm). That's probably why my low back and pubic bone pain flared up whenever I did too much in the gym. (Thank god for my BirthFit education, chiropractic and Dr. Tracy!) I felt so good it was hard to hold back! But, once I realized this, I could make much better decisions and modifications in the gym which reduced my aches and pains a ton.
I'm also one of the lucky ones who gets to experience Reynaud's of the nipples (*eye roll*). I noticed this real early in pregnancy, actually, when I got out of the hot springs during the Mist Mountain hike in Alberta. My nipples hurt so bad I thought I was going to have to go to a walk in clinic! A friend explained Reynaud's of the nipple to me (I knew about it for the hands and feet but have never experienced it) and it was exactly what I was experiencing. I won't go into too much detail here for fear of you giving you second hand embarrassment, but if you want to learn more, read here. Wish me luck this winter and breastfeeding!
Most of this trimester is that weird in between clothes stage. I'm starting to get too big for some of my clothes, but maternity clothes feel a bit aggressive. At least I felt that way until I tried a pair of maternity jeans on and realized they are SO COMFORTABLE. Don't hold back ladies! Pants feeling too tight? Go get some good fitting and flexible maternity pants! Sometimes they make my belly itch extra, but in general, they feel really good. I also, finally, bought a few new sports bras. I haven't gotten too big that I can't wear my old ones, but more coverage and support just feels right and I assume that will continue into my third trimester and postpartum. I've purchased most of my clothing from Value Village (they have a maternity section!) and some on sale Old Navy things. I have my eye on a nursing sports bra, but I also have such a hard time spending that much money on clothes!
At my 22 week midwife appointment, I opted out of my glucose tolerance test for many reasons. The first being that I eat and exercise like I already have diabetes and I can't imagine making MORE changes to that or going on medication. And the second being, I'm a perfect candidate for getting a false positive. Learn all you want about gestational diabetes from Lily Nichols over here. She's fantastic. So, instead, I've been testing my blood sugars via finger prick and it's been a fun little experiment. Walking after eating makes SUCH A DIFFERENCE. My fasting glucose has been well within normal and even when I eat grilled cheese and tomato soup, my highest has been 8.2 one hour post meal. I'll take that!
I've been obsessed with reading and learning all things pregnancy (even more than usual!) and some of my favorite things are currently Hypnobirthing, Birth-ed, Mamaste on Instagram and birth photography. I've also been learning as much as I can from Evidence Based Birth. They are really great!
I hope this just rolls right into the third trimester!