Second Trimester Pregnancy Recap – Pregnancy Essentials & Helpful Tips for First Time Mom (FTM)

Second Trimester Pregnancy Recap – Pregnancy Essentials & Helpful Tips for First Time Mom (FTM) is a blog post documenting the second trimester of my first pregnancy. From finding out the gender, to pregnancy symptoms, food aversions, cravings and my top pregnancy essentials, recommendations and tips!

Second Trimester Recap

Let the good times roll! During the second trimester, you look great, you feel (hopefully) great, you’re glowing, your bump has popped, you feel first movements and you can finally find out the gender if desired! It’s a great time during pregnancy, and this was true for me as well! My morning sickness started to go away around the 14-16 weeks mark, and my energy levels started to creep back up! It was a great time, so let me share the details below… 

Finding Out the Gender (it’s a GIRL!)

Originally I wanted to keep it a surprise until the very end. I felt it would’ve been the sweetest treat to the end of a long 9 months. However, as time went on I wanted to know what we having, give baby a name so we could bond and speak personalized words of affirmation and prayers over her. I didn’t want to keep calling her baby or referring to her as he/she…him/her.

We found out on a random weekday afternoon, after 3 anatomy ultrasounds (had to keep going back because of her positioning – difficult to capture the images required) we still couldn’t confirm the gender. I was getting anxious so I called the doctor’s office and asked if by any chance they could tell from blood work. To our surprise she said yes, I didn’t want to wait any longer I asked her to tell us over speaker phone in our master bedroom right then and there. It was such a special spontaneous moment, both of us in our bedroom just filled with joy (me) and surprise (David) as he thought it was for sure a boy. We were so happy, so in love and so overjoyed. It’s a GIRL!

Second Trimester Pregnancy Recap: My Health Care Village – Doula, Chiropractor, Physiotherapist, Massage Therapist

Doula – Durham Region Doulas (Natalya)

I chose to include a doula as part of our healthcare village because I knew we both could benefit from the extra care and support during pregnancy, labour and delivery; and boy was I right! When choosing on a doula, I wanted to solely decide based off experience and mainly fit and feel. After interviewing many other doulas, we met Natalya last. To say she was heaven sent would be an understatement. From the moment we met her both my husband and I knew she was the one. Her knowledge and experience, coupled with her warm personality and genuine spirit meshed with ours.

We went with her Labour Doula Package which consisted of prenatal meetings (discussing all the things from what I wanted to have for my birth experience, pain management techniques to what to expect etc.), a backup doula, on call support (the best), support before, during and after labour and delivery, and a postnatal follow up visit.

Learn more about Durham Region Doulas and Natalya HERE.

Prenatal Chiropractor and Massage Therapist – Bosnar Health Clinic

I was referred to Dr. Kristina Bosnar from my sister-in-law that has worked in the L&D field for many years and is also a mom. The moment I met Dr. Kristina (chiropractor) I knew that once again, this was the perfect fit for me. I saw her every few weeks during pregnancy, and every other week towards the end. The focus was on prenatal care including supporting a healthy lifestyle, relieving pain, preparation for labour and birth as well as preventing postpartum challenges. Everytime I left the office, I felt ready to conquer the world – not only physically but mentally as well. To know Dr. Kristina is a blessing, she’s so full of knowledge and has amazing energy.

The Bosnar Clinic Team:

1. Chiropractic Care – Dr. Kristina Bosnar, Chiropractor, Functional Medicine Practitioner
2. Prenatal Massage Therapy – Desiree Sagragao, Registered Massage Therapist
3. Acupuncturist – Desiree Chester, Registered Acupuncturist 

Learn more about Bosnar Health Clinic and the team HERE.

Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist – Durham Pelvic Health Physiotherapy

Once again, I was referred to Ana Whelan the owner and Registered Physiotherapist by my family doctor. She said, “Taneisha you’ll have no regrets” and I sure a heck did not! This was another piece of my pregnancy that I absolutely loved and looked forward to every few weeks. Ana was so caring and intuitive and every session left me feeling empowered. From learning about the pelvic floor muscles, to all the tips and tricks she taught to help with a proper labour and delivery was so beneficial.

Learn more about Durham Pelvic Health Physiotherapy and Ana Whelan HERE.

Second Trimester Pregnancy Recap: Nesting

I’d like to think I’m a naturally organized individual, so nesting came fairly quickly during my pregnancy but ramping up more so after 20 weeks, knowing everything was good with baby girl. The first thing on my mind was preparing the nursery and bedside area in our master bedroom. I wanted to ensure that once I hit the third trimester most of the labour intensive work would be done so I could primarily focus on the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of labour, delivery and motherhood. Nesting also consisted of:

• Deep Cleaning the House – mainly kitchen, bathrooms, master bedroom and nursery
• Organized Cabinets and Closets – linen closets, kitchen cabinets, closets
• Restocking the Pantry and Meal Prepping
• Organizing Spaces Around the House for Baby Baskets
• Baby Laundry & Marie Kondo EVERYTHING in Nursery

Second Trimester Pregnancy Recap: The Nursery

The nursery was a fun project to undertake – see mood board below. I knew for sure I wanted to have a closet organizer installed (Newell’s Quality Furniture) a beautiful accent wall and a room that felt light and airy.

There will be a seperate blog post outlining all the details of the nursery, but for now here are some links to some of the larger items:

Crib – Babyletto Hudson 3-in-1 Convertible Crib with Toddler Bed Conversion Kit, White, by Babyletto

Dresser/Changing Table – Hemnes 3-Drawer Chest, by IKEA

Glider – evolur Harlow Deluxe Glider in Light Grey, by Buy Buy Baby

Artificial Olive Tree – Oli Artificial Olive Tree Potted Plant, by Artiplanto

Second Trimester Pregnancy Recap: Baby Registry

Another fun part of second trimester was creating our baby registry. We decided we weren’t going to have a baby shower earlier on in the pregnancy due to the pandemic. Although restrictions were starting to lift, we felt it was in everyone best interest to forgo the event. Nevertheless we had amazing family and friends that helped us prepare for our little girl. See below links to our registries:

Buy Buy Baby Registry – Taneisha and David Morris

Amazon Registry – Taneisha Thomas

Second Trimester Recap: Pulsatile Tinnitus, Round Ligament Pain, Constipation, a Growing Belly

Pulsatile Tinnitus

This was the most aggravating symptom of pregnancy. Pulsatile Tinnitus during pregnancy is the loud thumping or whooshing sound in one or both ears that can sound rhythmic like the sound of a heartbeat. It’s said to be caused by the excess volume of blood in the body during pregnancy. Mine was quite severe, and constant throughout the day. Although it’s untreatable, here are some things that helped:

• White Noise
• Laying on the Side of the affected ear

Round Ligament Pain

This is a sharp pain or jabbing feeling that’s felt in the lower abdominal or groin area on one or both sides. I experienced this pain on the right side only and boy was it not fun! However, there are a few things you can do to help, so don’t stress!

• Chiropractor
• Walking Daily
• Prenatal Stretching

Constipation

During pregnancy, your body produces more progesterone to support your pregnancy which relaxes the muscles in your body (including the muscles of your intestine). This slows down digestion and allows gas to build up, which in turn leads to constipation and bloating etc. This was something I had to stay on top of my entire pregnancy. It was extremely frustrating, painful and irritating. However these are some of the things I did to help:

• Daily Stretching and Walking 
• Staying Hydrated
• Eating Smaller Portions more Frequently 
• Fibre Rich Diet – fresh fruits (an apple a day really helps), vegetables, beans, peas, lentils, bran cereals, prunes, and whole-grain foods.
• Tea – Lemon, Ginger, Peppermint tea, all day, everyday
• Squatty Potty – Squatty Potty Stool, Single Pack, Foldable

A Growing Belly

This was certainly one of those parts of pregnancy, I absolutely loved – watching my belly grow! Every 4 weeks I took pictures and looking back now I’m so glad I did it! Here are some things that I loved and helped with the growing belly:

• Lululemon Align Leggings – I purchased the pants and the shorts which were perfect through the colder and warmer temperatures to fit over my growing bump

• Bio-Oil – this was just to keep my skin moisturized, not to necessarily prevent stretch marks (although some swear by it).
• Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Cream For Stretch Marks – this in combination with the Bio-Oil was to keep my skin moisturized and to reduce the itching

Other 2nd Trimester Favourites

• Bump Boxes – Monthly Pregnancy Box – this was a gift from my husband, and I looked forward to new goodies monthly
• CLUCI 3 Pack Women Nursing Maternity Bra
• Everlast FIT Pro Grip Fitness Ball
• Baby Works Pregnancy Wedge with Bamboo Cover

For more pregnancy-related content check out my posts below:

First Trimester Pregnancy Recap – Pregnancy Essentials & Helpful Tips for First Time Mom (FTM)

Third Trimester Pregnancy Recap – Pregnancy Essentials & Helpful Tips for First Time Mom (FTM)

If you have any questions about anything in this blog post or pregnancy related, feel free to leave a comment below!