Second Trimester Recap - Thriving In Pregnancy
The second trimester of pregnancy spans weeks 13 to 27. For me, this would have been about May 18th to August 31st.
I simultaneously feel like I just got pregnant, but also feel like I’ve been pregnant for ages. So much has happened in the last 5 months that it seems like two years of life have occurred since baby boy was conceived.
Weeks 13 to 15 ish:
Picking up where I left off in my First Trimester Recap post at the ultrasound appointment in Mexico City on May 19th. After we returned to Tulum from that trip, we immediately started packing up our Tulum apartment, selling things on Facebook marketplace and started the logistical planning for our move to Europe.
We moved out of Tulum on May 28th, and flew to Omaha to see our families, get more paperwork done, and repack. We were in Omaha for a week, held our gender reveal party on June 1st, and then flew to Amsterdam on June 4th. I was just starting to have a noticeable baby bump but I honestly just felt chubby and uncomfortable in my clothes.
With all of the packing, moving, flights, and paperwork appointments… I can honestly say I didn’t have much time to think about how I felt.
Thankfully, my love for coffee did come back during that week! Whether it was from desperation, or just coincidental timing that the smell aversion went away…. I was very happy to have coffee and espresso back in my life. Likewise, my aversion for meat dissipated overnight. All of a sudden I had like 10 burgers in a two week period?! Honestly, my body was probably craving protein from all the effort expended.
Looking back - I am so proud of myself for making this huge international move, with such a level head. The logistics and travel / moving days were really demanding but I was so excited to be relocating to Europe that it gave me motivation to push through.
Weeks 15 to 17 ish:
Once we landed in The Netherlands and realized our bags were missing, it felt like “yay we finally made it” but also like “oh wow… the journey has just begun.”
Our apartment here was completely unfurnished AND we didn’t have our luggage so the first week was rough. Our property manager was kind enough to lend us her air mattress, two towels and a few kitchen items to get us through that first week until we bought our own things.
Since we didn’t have our own mode of transportation yet either, we were walking everywhere. We easily hit 15-20k steps. After two weeks of that, my feet were screaming in protest. I have never experienced foot pain like that. Thankfully, Clay gave me a lot of massages. One day, I had enough of the foot aches, so I impulsively bought a $400 bicycle to cut back on walking. (Side note: bikes are so expensive here, I don’t know why?)
Well.. the bike solved my foot pain but then I was biking 10+ miles a day. This was also an adjustment for my body, so then I had intense pain in my outer butt that felt like “pinching.” I solved one problem and created another hahaha. I am not sure if those were directly correlated to being pregnant, but I’m sure it exacerbated it.
Weeks 18 to 19 ish:
By the end of June, we had purchased the essentials at our apartment like a bed, kitchen appliances, couch, desk, table, chairs, towels, lamps, etc. This was relieving because then we were able to start getting into a routine with work, fitness, cooking, meditation, date nights, walking Peaches, and exploring the area.
However, slowing down also gave me the opportunity to feel my feelings for the first time in a few weeks. It was really rainy that week too so the weight of all the change hit me hard.
The magic of sharing the pregnancy news with everyone, a positive first ultrasound with great NIPT results, finding out the gender with our families, and the initial excitement of relocating… all faded into the background. Transparently, the “realness” of everything hit so hard that one day I just broke down crying to Clay.
I felt overwhelmed by my body’s changes. My boobs were growing so much. My clothes were all too small. The increased vaginal discharge was uncomfortable. I felt extra sensitive to sounds and stimulation. I started future-tripping about parenthood - wondering how baby boy would impact my freedom, sleep, travels, career, etc. The reality of actually having to birth a human being set in.
All normal aspects of pregnancy, but it had just finally “set in.”
All around, this was the lowest point of my pregnancy (mentally, emotionally and spiritually). Thankfully, Clay was SO supportive. He listened without judgment and said all the things I needed to hear.
He found a Dutch counselor and scheduled a one hour call for me. Getting the opportunity to express my concerns and openly cry in a safe space was incredibly helpful.
Another huge blessing was finding a yoga studio that has become my “third place.” I’ve been to many studios all around the world, and this one is one of my all-time-favorites. It’s both modern and soulful. They provide high quality mats, bolsters, blankets, eye pillows and blocks. The instructors have gone out of their way to make me feel so welcome. I have thoroughly enjoyed the prenatal yoga class, “supermama” pilates, and stress-release classes.
At 19 weeks, Clay and I did a 15 mile bike ride to the countryside. It was fairly easy for me, so the following Sunday at 20 weeks, Clay and I went on a 30 mile bike ride! I was a little sore the next day but overall, I was really impressed with how my body handled those long rides and it gave me a boost of confidence that I am capable of so much. This is also around the time that my sex drive increased, possibly to even more than pre-pregnancy.
Weeks 19 to 20 ish:
I hit a big growth spurt during this period. I went from a small bump (hardly anyone knew I was pregnant) to quickly having an undeniable baby bump. My boobs had officially grown from 34B to 36D. I was lathering castor oil and sesame oil on daily to help with the itchiness of my stretching skin.
I could no longer fit into any of my pre-maternity bottoms that didn’t have an elastic waistband, and the majority of my pre-maternity tops looked like crop tops.
The culture in Haarlem is pretty modest so having my belly out everywhere is not exactly the vibe. I tried going shopping at multiple secondhand shops (since this is a huge value of mine) but I was struggling to find anything I liked and was weather appropriate.
I wanted to buy items that would be able to fit for as far into pregnancy as possible because it seems like a waste to only get clothes that fit for a month! I ended up getting a haul of new clothes from H&M, Zara, Bershka and a local store here called Holzhaus. I also got two pairs of Adidas sneakers. I probably spent $1,000. If you know me well, you’d know that is way more than I’d typically spend on clothes within a few days (since I usually thrift 80%+ of my clothes and only get a few things at a time) but I was desperate to feel comfortable in my body.
I do really love the items I found and they have helped me feel much more confident with my body’s changes, so it was worth it.
Weeks 21 to 22 ish:
I began to see life with rose colored glasses again. I woke up energized. My mood was positive. I started to come to terms with my body’s changes and fell in love with the bump. All around, I felt creative, inspired, grounded and grateful. My appetite normalized - less cravings and all food / smell aversions subsided.
Daily Routine: I start my morning with some light stretches and drink a large glass of water. I love getting outside right away so then I walk with Peaches to get an americano and pastry, then walk to the park. At the park, I eat my breakfast, journal, read, reflect, and people-watch. Then once I’ve sat there for awhile, I will get up and run around with Peaches before the walk home.
I usually work from home from about 10am-2pm, eat lunch and then take Peaches for another walk. Then I’ll work from about 3-5pm, until I bike to my yoga studio at 5:30pm. Like I said above, I LOVE my studio so I usually chat for 10-20 minutes after class. I always leave feeling joyful, loved and connected. After yoga, I’ll stop at the grocery store for dinner ingredients.
Then I work until about 9pm (when Clay is done with his client calls) and he starts cooking dinner. The sun sets here really late in summer… in June around 10:30pm, July 10pm and August 9:30pm. Normally, I would not want to eat dinner so late but it truly does not feel that late with the sunset time during summer.
After dinner, we take Peaches for her final walk of the day, usually between 1-3 miles depending how we’re feeling. Then I finish up my work day 11pm-1am, go through my to do list, check in on Slack and prep for the next day. I don’t love being up this late but it’s hard to feel tired when it’s daylight until 10pm! I know we’ll adjust with the seasons though.
By the end of the day, I’m usually around 7-11k steps, 3-6 miles of bike riding, and completed some soft yoga movement. I think this combination has been suiting me very well because I feel like I am staying active, but not doing too much that I’m in pain or exhausted.
Weeks 22 to 23 ish:
We are still waiting for our Dutch visa approval, so I haven’t been able to sign up / pay for health care yet. This means that I still don’t have a midwife or traditional “birth plan.”
As of now, my only doctor’s appointment / ultrasound was the one in May when I was at 12 weeks. Since the test results of that appointment did come back as good as they good have, it gave me a lot of peace of mind. I have also felt better in pregnancy than I imagined I would (based off horror stories) so I haven’t had any reason to worry that anything has gone wrong since then.
To say that pregnancy has been a spiritual experience for me, would be an understatement. Not being able to receive medical care has given me the opportunity to go inward, trust my body, surrender to the process, and accept the circumstances.
My yoga studio also offers sound baths, cacao ceremonies and meditation classes. I’ve attended at least one of those per week, from week 18 - onward. The impact has been profoundly positive.
During one of the cacao ceremonies, I felt baby kick for the first time and it was an incredibly moving experience. I’ve also made mindful intentions to connect with my ancestors who are no longer earth side.
They lived during a time when unmedicated home births were the only way. I have been open to receiving their reassurance and wisdom. This has all led me to feel very secure and protected.
Pregnancy has expanded my mind to the depths of how deep the mind-body connection goes and I know that giving birth will deepen that even more. I am continuously amazed by magical process. When I listen to my body, I know that I can trust it to guide me through.
The only thing that gets in the way of this trust is other people’s opinions. I know it’s good to be cautious, but there’s also a lot of doubt that is cast by Western medicine and now, the masses.
I have made a conscious effort stay in my own bubble and let my intuition lead me in the direction that feels most aligned for me. As questions or concerns come up, I prefer to meditate and journal on them before seeking external advice. Once I am ready to research and seek outside information, I can do so knowing I have a foundation of what already felt true for me.
For example, the thought of circumcision was not sitting right with me. Intuitively, it felt wrong. Logically, it seems unnecessary. I meditated on it for weeks before doing a deep dive. To keep it short - I was gut wrenched by my findings and will not be circumcising my son.
Anyway… as I said, pregnancy has been a spiritual experience!
Weeks 24 to 25 ish:
This period (August) began the absolute best phase of my pregnancy. I’ve continued the same daily routine from weeks 22 to 23.
A very unexpected sensation is that I keep getting these “laugh attacks” where I start off slightly giggling over something that is barely funny or baby’s kicks, and then once I get rolling, the laughs become unstoppable. I swear the baby is kicking more in response to my laughs so then it’s a cycle and I just keep hollering. I will literally be on the ground crying-laughing for like 5 minutes.
Reaching the 24 week mark is a really exciting milestone of pregnancy that they call “viability week.” It refers to the point in pregnancy when a fetus is considered capable of surviving outside the womb with medical intervention.
While I don’t think baby boy is coming earth side anytime soon, reaching this stage helps me grasp how big and developed he already is. I have a decent sized belly bump but it’s still so mind blowing that there’s a 12 inch baby growing inside me. In the last two weeks, his movements have increased in frequency and intensity.
We started working on our baby registry and planning our baby shower, which has made it all feel more real and exciting.
In Summary:
So to recap this recap, the second trimester was overall pleasant, minus a week of overwhelming emotions. Peaks include feeling baby move myself, Clay feeling baby kick, deciding his name, feeling spiritually secure in his health, and the energy of creation overflowing into all areas of my life (within the podcast, decorating our home, fashion, my shop, starting this website, and getting excited about shooting photos again).
The second trimester technically goes until 27 weeks but next week I am flying to Omaha to host a 4 day event at my clothing store, have a staff bonding party, and see loved ones. Whenever I go to Omaha, my schedule is always packed trying to squeeze in all the shop tasks, see as many people as I can, and visit my favorite spots. It’s usually both very fulfilling and tiring! Since I’ll be occupied with all of that next week, I figured I wouldn’t have time to reflect on all the details with a present mind. That being said, I’m sharing this a little early but I’ll be sure to do an Omaha recap blog post when I’m back from the trip. I’m curious to see how it will feel traveling overseas while 6 months pregnant.
Thank you for taking time to read this. It truly means so much and I am incredibly grateful to have such a supportive community, near and far.