Pregnancy- A Life Grows

After an eventful and exciting first trimester, my transition to the second thus began. The second trimester is roughly the fourth, fifth and sixth month of pregnancy, in case you as first time mommy’s to be are confused about the whole trimester thing. Having lived the experience, I have now come to realise that the second trimester is by far the best! I say this because I had the most fun during this period. But be prepared to be overwhelmed, because some first-time experiences were quite awe-inspiring and most certainly unforgettable in this lifetime!

As the Trimester Begins…

Entering into your fourth month, you now are out of the delicate period of the first trimester and starting to show just a little bit. You don’t really gain weight in the first trimester, but all that changes here. One day I suddenly started to feel like was carrying a bag of water in my belly and more importantly I started to show! It was more than exciting and I did spend some time admiring my growing baby (and belly!). A month or so into this period, I slowly started to feel flutters in my tummy, the kind that makes you feel like you have butterflies in there. At first, I did not know what it was and carried on as usual, but, as the flutters started to get intense I realised what it was. It was my baby moving around! Though it was too soon for my husband to feel it externally, he would still place his hand on my tummy hoping to catch even a tiny move. Magical does not begin to describe what we felt.

What Comes After?

At around the same time, we were scheduled for our second ultrasound scan to check for anomalies in the baby. If you are a first time mom like me, then you would tend to go into this scan a bit apprehensively. While my mind was working overtime during the scan, I remember the doctor turning the monitor toward me and showing me my little sweet pea, slightly moving around in my tummy. It wasn’t just that though, we also heard our baby’s heartbeat for the first time since I got pregnant! Our hearts most literally skipped a beat just then. But accompanying this excitement was disbelief and awe. We just couldn’t believe that we made this living being that was growing inside me with it’s own heartbeat. I cried that day too.

Other Stuff You Feel…

With all these big changes, come changes in your body also. This starts with weight gain. Don’t be alarmed with a steady weight gain that you will see through this trimester and into the next. Taking cue from you, your baby also almost doubles in weight at this time. With my weight gain came heartburn too. Anything I ate caused heartburn at this stage and more noticeably at night. I would sometimes wake up crying in the middle of the night from severe heartburn and would then throw up. After this happened a few times, I was told that drinking milk before sleeping can ease some heart burn at night. I also tried light second trimester yoga. It worked wonders for me!

At this time, you would experience an improvement in your sleep patterns (I know I slept fitfully, except for when I had heartburn issues), and your fatigue may also be reduced.  You may have the most energy during this trimester. This is also a time when my body naturally could only rest when I slept on my sides. Remember that carrying a water bag feeling? Lying on my back just made me uncomfortable and lying on my side meant using more pillows for my tummy and legs. Though concerned at the beginning, my doctor assured me that this was normal and even insisted that lying on my left side was better for the baby (I could also feel more movement this way). So, there you go!

Are You Ready for Your Babymoon?

For us, this pregnancy was the greatest birthday gift we could ask for (my husband and I are a month apart), especially since we had planned for this pregnancy in every possible way. It was sheer coincidence that our birthdays occurred through this trimester. So, we decided that it was a triple celebration and planned our babymoon. We didn’t go far (as travelling long distance was a bit uncomfortable; another joy of pregnancy!) and opted to spend a weekend at a beach resort. As a couple, it was honestly the best vacation we had ever taken considering that we also had our baby on the way. Though early, we started talking to our baby on this trip. I remember staring out to sea and just gently rubbing my baby bump as I spoke softly and explained what I saw to my baby. It was even a rainy weekend at the beach for us, which made it all abundantly more beautiful. However, planning for the babymoon wasn’t all roses, because you do have the heartburn issue which may make eating outside a bit challenging. Also, I still had some remnants of my morning sickness well into my second trimester and also had major hunger pangs throughout the day irrespective of the meal I had. But, the good news is, if you are driving to your destination, you can stop as and when you please along the way and also pack some of your favourite snacks to keep nausea and hunger at bay. The key to a great babymoon, as I discovered, was in how comfortable your travel is. And, once you get there… it is sheer bliss.

The second trimester is definitely more intense than the first, in terms of how much of your baby you actually start to feel. But, emotionally, it can also trigger some pretty strong feelings. You could start to feel like maybe you haven’t planned enough for parenthood or the type of parents you are going to be. Rest assured that these feelings are natural and you have nothing to feel guilty for! Especially since your pregnancy is about to reach its crescendo with the last trimester. Here, you feel every move, every kick, every hiccup (oh yes!) and so much more as you prepare for the magic of child birth. Are you prepared for this final phase?