And just like that, the third trimester is here & it’s time for another recap! I was well prepared for the second trimester to feel like the longest, but I truly can’t believe how fast it flew by. Maybe the third will feel the longest…because anticipation is at an all-time high & I’m sure that’s when I’ll be the most uncomfortable, haha!

Overall, the second trimester was *interesting* for me. Lots of ups & downs! The beginning was surprisingly a little rough, which I’ll get into more later…but the second half was when I experienced feeling my best so far, and that’s where I’m at today – so I’m *very* blessed to have a healthy pregnancy & baby girl so far! I can’t believe she’ll be here in less than three months!

Let’s get into my week-by-week recap, followed by answers to some of your questions & then some of my must-haves that have helped me throughout the second trimester!

Linking our fertility journey & 1st trimester recap/must-haves blog posts if you want to check those out first!

Week-By-Week Symptoms I Logged

WEEK 13 // Bad headaches, dry heaving/nausea & cough. I had an on & off cough throughout my entire first trimester, it was so strange! Coughing is actually what would trigger the dry heaving for me…so it was not a pleasant time, lol! I always felt like I had a little tickle in my throat…I thought it might had been post-nasal drip! But it wasn’t…
WEEK 14 // I had a few better days, but the cough & tickle continued. The headaches & puking because of the headaches came back – so I decided to go to a walk-in to get my lungs checked out, per the recommendation of my OB! I had tested negative for Covid a few days prior, so that wasn’t a concern of mine. Well, I had to get another Covid test at the walk-in & surely enough, it was positive. I was so surprised – I mean I felt like crap but I just chalked it up to being pregnant. At first I felt really overwhelmed and scared, but then I reminded myself that I really didn’t feel that terrible. I was just more so scared of being pregnant while I having it. I was fully vaccinated, so I knew that I had done all I could do to protect myself & my baby! This was around the time post-Christmas/New Years where everyone was getting it. I told my OB I tested positive, and spent the next week at home resting & staying SUPER hydrated. I didn’t lose taste or smell, and recovered pretty quickly…which I’m thankful for. I’m so glad I got vaccinated! Who knows how much worse it could have been if I didn’t. Looking back, I am so glad that I got Covid when I did – it wasn’t too early on where it would have been a little more nerve-racking in my opinion, but I also wasn’t super pregnant & uncomfortable. I can’t imagine getting it later in pregnancy when baby is taking up so much more of your body. I’m glad to have it behind me, and I’m so thankful that somehow, Nick & no one else around me got it! Baby is safe, healthy & right on track with growth and development! How about that for a second trimester curveball?! I was honestly a little relieved that some of the symptoms I was feeling weren’t actually due to pregnancy, but instead Covid. Pregnancy definitely didn’t help any symptoms, lol!
WEEK 15 // Still was feeling some of the Covid symptoms here. Had increased anxiety because of it. My headaches lessened, and I think I may have gotten sick once or twice!
WEEK 16 // This is when I felt back to normal! My tummy started feeling much more firm.
WEEK 17 // Felt great!
WEEK 18 // My tummy started feeling VERY firm. I started feeling more pressure, sleep was getting a little uncomfortable but other than that…great!
WEEK 19 // Feeling more abdominal/pelvic pressure, and this is when I started using a pregnancy pillow! Still had a little bit of on & off nausea, but didn’t get sick.
WEEK 20 // Halfway there! The pressure in my pelvic area continued, still had minor waves of nausea, and this is when my back/rib pain started. I also felt movement for the VERY first time on 20 weeks, 2 days!! We had our anatomy scan, and everything looked great!
WEEK 21 // Feeling movement everyday! Nick felt kicks on 21 weeks, 4 days. I was just feeling achey & tired, but other than that…great!
WEEK 22 + 23 // Back/rib/pelvic pan – my OB said it was because baby girl is positioned very low & buried in my back!
WEEK 24 // This is when I feel like I “popped”! Definitely starting looking pregnant here. Continued back & rib pain.
WEEK 25 // We went on our babymoon & I felt great!
WEEK 26 // Just the usual acheyness & growing pains.
WEEK 27 // Feeling good! Back + rib pain is better, just a little worse at night. I also noticed the linea nigra line on my belly – it’s very light…but it’s there! My bladder officially feels full, ALL THE TIME!

Q&A

How are you feeling? Right now, I am feeling good on most days! My energy is good enough to be productive & get things done, exercise & still go out and do social things a couple times a week. So I am taking full advantage of feeling good while I can! I would say the only “challenges” I’m experiencing currently are back/rib pain in the evenings, restless legs at night, bladder discomfort and general hip/pelvic bone achey-ness from the growing pains. All normal things – so I’m feeling very lucky!

Do you have a favorite pair of comfortable walking/workout shoes? Yes! I’ve been doing all of my workouts & walks in my Hoka Rincons. They are soooo comfy & super supportive. Comfortable shoes are everything during pregnancy!

Have you built your registry yet? Yes! Registry is done – and man, that was a task! The internet & social media can be super overwhelming when it comes to selecting and learning about baby products…but I feel really good about what we have on our registry. I won’t be sharing the link to our exact registry, but I definitely have some blog posts in the works where I’ll share what we included! A HUGE help, was the baby registry master list blog post that I created from all of YOUR recommendations (thanks girls!) – check it out if you need help building yours! I used Babylist to make our registry, and it’s been AMAZING!

What baby items have you bought so far? The buying is officially ramping up & let me tell ya, baby stuff ain’t cheap, haha! So far, we’ve gotten her nursery furniture, nursery organization like baskets/dividers, some nursery decor, lots of clothes because I *cannot* be stopped lol, one of my breast pumps that was covered by insurance (we went with the Spectra S1, and got it covered by insurance through this website), the UppaBaby Vista Stroller & Mesa Car Seat…and we’ll be purchasing the Snoo Bassinet next! We are tackling most of the “big ticket” items ourselves, and left a lot of the smaller/more moderately priced necessities for the registry.

Any recommendations for better sleep or getting comfortable at night? I feel ya on this one! Sleep is new adventure every night, haha – some nights I sleep GREAT and some nights I feel like I’m up every hour. For me, I will say that this pregnancy pillow that I started using at 19 weeks has been GAME-CHANGING for me when it comes to comfortable sleep. I also sleep with my Canopy Humidifier on my nightstand, which has helped with congestion & allergies! I also take *all* of my vitamins, including a magnesium supplement before bed and I feel like that’s really improved the quality of my sleep, as well! It’s also helped with nausea. I try to cut back on my water consumption about two hours before bed so I’m not up all night peeing, but don’t worry…I still am, lol! Hey, I guess it’s getting me ready for that newborn life, anyways!
Also…can we talk about sleepWEAR for a second? For me, what I wear to bed has a lot to do with my quality of sleep. My cute little pajama sets don’t exactly fit anymore…so I’ve been opting for a big, soft t-shirt & these Tommy John Second Skin Shorts and they are the most COMFY shorts ever. Bump or no bump, you need a pair! The waistband is dreamy.

Where did you get your nursery furniture? I will absolutely do a full nursery tour & link everything when it’s complete, I promise! Her crib & dresser are both from the RH Baby & Child Zoe Collection. I love that they are both Greenguard Gold Certified & free of any harmful chemicals. Her nursery recliner/glider is the Flynn from Oilo Studio!

How do you deal with confident issues with all of the body changes? Everyday is a new adventure with this topic, too! But I will say, most days I still feel pretty confident & comfortable in my body (as comfortable as I can be right now, haha) And honestly, I just owe that all to years & years of working on myself & bettering my relationship with my body. Working out, eating healthy & taking care of myself helps with my confidence TREMENDOUSLY, and while those things look a little different now, it’s still a priority. Dressing so that I’m comfortable helps a ton, too! Sure, I have days where I vent to my husband about “not feeling cute” anymore, or a day when I see a photo of myself from *not the best* angle and I’m like “WHOA, I’m looking large!!” – but then I just try to focus on what my body is actually doing: growing a human!! A human that we prayed and worked so hard to bring into this world. And I know she will be worth every single body change & low confidence day. I try to shut down negative self-talk or comments right when I feel them coming on, because I know that I have a daughter to raise & I don’t want her to *ever* hear me talk poorly about myself. We have zero tolerance for that. We are given one body, so we must take care of it & love it for what it is!

How do you relieve back pain & round ligament pain? I’ve found that moving my body in someway everyday really helps – my back/rib pain is the worst on days where I’m lazy and don’t move as much. This heating pad from Amazon has also REALLY helped relieve some discomfort at night before bed! A good ol’ back rub from my husband always helps, too!

Have you found any great bump friendly swimsuits? Yes! I am loving the La Blanca one piece swimsuits (these aren’t maternity!) – the ruching on the sides and fabric is SO comfy & flattering! Definitely worth the splurge! Pink Blush Maternity also has great maternity swimsuits – don’t forget use my code STEFANY.BARE25off for 25% off your purchase!

How have your workouts changed? They’ve definitely changed, that’s for sure! I’m still doing the same types of workouts, but the workouts just look a little different! I try to move my body in someway, every single day. Most weeks, I’ll go to an Orange Theory class 2-3x a week (walking on an incline, taking the rower slow & modifying certain strength movements), ride my at-home Soul Cycle bike 2x a week (keeping my heart rate lower, staying in the saddle/loading on resistance more rather than going fast), and then trying to fit in 2 at-home strength workouts at home. I’m moving much slower, keeping my heart rate lower & always making sure I can hold a conversation throughout my workout. I definitely miss the intense, sweaty workouts – but I know I’ll get back there eventually! I’m feeling so grateful that I’ve had a pregnancy where I can move my body most days – I know that’s not the case for everyone. But if you and baby are healthy and you can move – DO IT! I promise you’ll feel so much better.

How do you balance eating healthy with pregnancy cravings? I am *definitely* not perfect when it comes to diet (normally, or in pregnancy!) but eating nutritious foods and taking care of my body through diet is always a top priority for me – because it’s what makes me FEEL good! I definitely have been splurging a little bit more throughout pregnancy with more carbs & less protein, and more sweet treats here & there…but I never let myself get out of control. When I’m out of control, I don’t feel good and I know that’s not good for baby, either. I try to make *mostly* nutritious, whole food & unprocessed diet decisions throughout the day, and let myself have a lil’ treat at night – whether it’s froyo, cereal, popcorn, or a cookie…and we still go out on the weekends and enjoy an indulgent meal! I’ve really been trying to stay away from foods that have long labels with seed oils & other ingredients I can’t pronounce. Fruit has been a huge staple for me! I also am trying my best to hit 1 gallon of water per day – staying hydrating is so insanely important especially while pregnant.

Electric Heating Pad // works wonders for back & rib pain!
Thorne Basic Prenatals // switched to these prenatals from Ritual’s at about 20 weeks & started taking them at night. Helped tremendously with my nausea! The Ritual ones were great, but the fish flavor started to bug me & make me nauseous.
BPN Strong Omega Fish Oil Soft Gels // for my DHA intake!
Canopy Anti-Mold Smart Humidifier // the BEST humidifier ever! I can’t live without it. I no longer wake up congested!
Lululemon Align Biker Shorts // a must-have for the warmer months…so great for a growing belly!
Pregnancy Pillow // Started using this at 19 weeks! It has helped me sleep so much better, and keeps me on my side most of the time!
Tommy John Second Skin Pajama Shorts // the comfiest PJ shorts with a waistband that’s SO great for a growing bump!
Maternity Joggers // another great option for a growing bump – I live in these at home!
Summer Fridays Babymoon Belly Balm // my favorite “luxury” but moderately priced belly balm at the moment.
Beyond Yoga Maternity Workout Tank // the ONLY top I have been working out in! Such a great staple, and SO worth the splurge. The fabric and fit is unreal.
Soma Bralette // my favorite bra to wear throughout pregnancy. Not the sexiest, but is so comfy!