22 Helpful Essential Tips for the Second Trimester

Congratulations- you made it to the second trimester! In theory, your morning sickness is improving and your energy levels are up from first trimester. Now that the threat of miscarriage is significantly decreased and your due date is getting closer, you can begin planning even more for baby! Hopefully, this guide of tips for the second trimester will help you stay on top of everything. Check out my list of first trimester tips here! 

22 Tips for the Second Trimester

1. Pray! 
   1. Continue to pray for the health of your baby daily. Ask for the intercession of Sts. Gianna and Gerard, who are patron saints of expectant mothers/unborn children.
2. Baby Budget
   1. Continue to work with your husband on your baby budget as you come across any expenses you hadn’t already accounted for. 
3. Baby names
   1. This trimester you will learn the sex of your baby and will get to narrow down and/or finalize your name choices!
4. Stay fit
   1. Keep your doctor in the loop of your exercise regimen and if he/she is ok with it- keep it up!
5. Maternity clothes
   1. Keep adding to your pregnancy wardrobe bit by bit or borrow outfits from friends.
6. Continue to follow your baby’s development
   1. There are many apps out there such as What to Expect that have videos and weekly updates on your baby’s growth and development. If you have older children who are trying to understand how big the baby is, go to the local produce stand and buy the fruit of the week according to the app so they can truly appreciate its size. 
7. Keep taking those belly photos
   1. You may not notice as you are seeing yourself in the mirror daily but that belly is rapidly changing and you don’t want to miss a week in the photo journey. 
8. Cute announcement for family and friends
   1. If you haven’t already, make the announcement a cute one.
9. Invest in a pregnancy pillow
   1. There are different kinds of pillows C shaped, U shaped, and a wedge for the knees. After trying all three, my preference is the simple wedge pillow for ease of tossing and turning. 
10. Start planning the nursery
    1. Whether or not it is your first child, it is time to plan the room/space where the baby will be. Have fun picking out color palettes, themes, furniture, etc!
11. Start a baby registry
    1. Using a registry such as Amazon, start putting together a list of items you want for the baby. If you are stuck, Amazon has a registry guide that will help you build a registry. 
12. Tell your boss if you haven’t already
13. Research childcare options if you will need it
14. Childbirth class
    1. Take a childbirth class at the hospital at which you plan to give birth. Usually they offer courses that discuss different types of laboring techniques and epidural if needed. For specific methods, like the Bradley method, courses are long and book up quickly. 
15. Doula
    1. If you would like a natural birth, research if you would like a doula to assist at the birth. They often only take a certain number of pregnant women per month so you may need to book early. 
16. Baby shower
    1. You are by no means supposed to plan your own shower. However, someone should hopefully reach out to you wanting to plan your shower. You can work on a theme, menu, and invitation list with them. A fun theme that you can easily get supplies for at the dollar store is Noah’s Ark. 
17. Plan a Babymoon
    1. If you have the time and the funds, book a weekend getaway to someplace relaxing. Before our first daughter was born we went to a town about an hour away, relaxed, ate out, and went to the local abbey for daily masses. Before our second daughter was born we went to our favorite beach town, where we went on our honeymoon, and just relaxed by the pool or ocean and ate at some of our favorite spots.
18. Nesting
    1. Take advantage of that nesting instinct and get the house sorted for the baby. Use the time and relative energy to spring clean, sort, purge, and get any important house projects done before your due date. 
19. Take care of yourself 
    1. Schedule a prenatal massage, take naps when you can, make time with friends, do what you can to get some breaks and people time before the baby arrives and your world will revolve around the little one. 
20. Dentist
    1. Keep your regularly scheduled dentist appointment as dental health is very important. Many women develop gingivitis during pregnancy.
21. Schedule your glucose toleratance test
    1. Choose a day that you don’t have anything else planned afterward. The drink can make you feel unwell; things may come out either end!  
22. Anatomy Ultrasound
    1. The anatomy ultrasound is an important time to learn about the health of the baby but also is a joyous time to find out the sex of the baby if you would like. You should know ahead of time if you want to find out. This will also help with planning the gender reveal. Some couples want the sex in an envelope to give to a baker to make a treat for the reveal and find out for the first time when biting into it and others choose to find out at the ultrasound and make gender reveal party plans from there. 

The last tip for the second trimester is to offer up your aches and pains and pray for a healthy baby and delivery!

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