Alright, so enough about the parenting life hacks, saving money when expecting, whether you should opt for a co-sleeper crib or a moses basket and all my crazy stories of diapers flying across the room..
And yes, it’s still happening.
Today I want to talk about something different. I want to take a step back and talk about something before any of that happens – like, all the way back to our second trimester.
Believe it or not, there are a lot of extremely helpful pregnancy products that you can utilize during your entire pregnancy to help you relax and prepare for your baby in the easiest ways possible..
and it doesn’t even have to be expensive!
Today, I want to focus on just my best second trimester survival kit, to help any of you gals who may be struggling. I have used each and every one of these products during my second and third pregnancy, and they were a huge help to me along my journey, as I hope it will be for you as well!
So, without further ado, here are my top pregnancy essentials for your second trimester.
Must-Have Products For Your Second Trimester
1 ♥ Go Shopping – Maternity Clothing Galore
This one is one of the more basic needs, but definitely as the title says – a must have! Over the course of the next few months, your body is going to be growing, expanding, and stretching a lot (sorry ladies) throughout your pregnancy.
Which means that size 3 you’re used to wearing definitely isn’t going to fit anymore!
But since you’re outgrowing basically all of your clothes, it means you get to go on a shopping trip.
And borrow the hubby’s cash, am I right?
So that you can get new pieces that you can be comfortable in, and the best fit for that is maternity clothing.
So what do you need?
I would strongly suggest stocking up on a little bit of everything: tanks, pants, pjs, shorts – everything.
My favorite maternity clothes brand to shop from is, Luxe Essentials Maternity, as they are very stretchy and very comfortable. This type of clothing was a huge help for not only my comfort level physically, but also emotionally because they covered all of my not-so-ideal curves that I hadn’t learned to love just yet.
I would highly recommend you pick up a few (or a dozen) pieces to help you feel confident and comfy as well!
2 ♥ Pregnancy, Mama Books, And YouTube (Oh My!)
As your pregnancy continues, you will have many (many), lazy days, and just not want to move around as much (so enjoy it while you can).
For this reason, I enjoyed occupying my time by learning more about everything my body is going through by reading pregnancy books and watching videos on YouTube.
Rather than chowing down on all those cookies, set them aside, and do a little research about everything going on inside there right now. It’s fun to get creative and look up things like, “will my child like the same food I do”, and just experiment, as you never know what you may learn! This can give insight on what to expect emotionally, physically, and mentally, and overall just be a fun way to spend your spare time.
It also isn’t a bad idea to pick up a few ‘mommy books’ to help you learn more about motherhood necessities upon the birth of your baby! I specifically love the book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff, as she has the exact essentials that every momma should know before giving birth!
I was a young mother and a lot of these things I didn’t know too much about, so it’s definitely important to do your research!
If you’re also a young mother, you should have a look at the blog, christinethejoyfulmom, as she talks about the challenges and what she learned from a very young age of motherhood that is very relatable for all new mothers.
3 ♥ Butter Me Up With Stretch Mark Butter
Stretch mark creams or stretch mark oils are not joke ladies. They help to not only soothe your body and your skin, but they also help to prevent future stretch marks in the making.
Let’s be honest,
Your tummy is going to stretch no matter what you do. So it’s best to take precautions to prevent stretch marks the best you can!
Read below for a trick that not many of you may be thinking of when it comes to stretch marks. It’s something that is natural and doesn’t cost anything and is easy to do.
I got into a habit of applying my stretch mark cream (my favorite being Burt Bee’s Belly Butter) religiously when I woke up and when I ended my day. It made me happy knowing I was fighting these marks, and it made my skin just radiate with such glowing health.
Update: If you’re lost on where to begin with this, I actually just wrote an incredible little blog post about the best stretch mark creams the other day that you can read here, and find which one best suits you!
4 ♥ Hydrate Yo’self With A Water Bottle
This may seem like a no-brainer, but believe it or not, a lot of women forget to hydrate properly during their pregnancy, and this is the time when we really need it the most!
And as a I mentioned above, the #1 trick to fight stretch marks is….
To drink water! And plenty of it! Keeping yourself properly hydrated ensures that your skin is properly hydrated and this fights off stretchmarks. When your skin isn’t hydrated from the outside in, you are more prone to stretch marks.
Yes ladies, even if you are religious about applying stretch mark cream, if you don’t hydrate yourself, you will still get them! Stretch mark cream won’t save you!
Sidenote: And whilst we are talking about the importance of what you consume actually does affect the probably of stretch marks, don’t forget that our skin is an organ itself. Not only is water important, but your nutrition is aswell (let’s not forget the elephant in the room)! If you want to know more information, check out BellaMamaLife’s, How to Prevent Stretch Marks with Nutrition!!
And on the serious side of things…
I had a friend who had a baby a few years ago with serious birth defects all because she didn’t drink the recommended dose everyday.
Scary, right?
If you struggle with morning sickness, drinking plenty of water is also a great way to help combat it. And whilst we are on the topic of morning sickness, serenityprenatal blog also talks about several other helpful natural tips and tricks to combat morning sickness that you can read about. You can use alongside your water if you need a little extra boost!
Overall, more than anything while you’re pregnant, stay hydrated!
And the easiest way to do this?
Carry around your own handy-dandy water bottle. Simple, right? If you need a little extra help tracking your water intake, there’s fantastic bottles (like the one from babyneu) that you can buy that actually give you a measurement of exactly how much you need to drink, and they are super helpful!
5 ♥ How About A Little Herbal Remedies & Healthy Food?
I love coffee, there’s no secret to that (we all know I would marry it if I could), but sadly, whether I want to admit it or not, coffee doesn’t solve all of my problems. I’ve never been much of a tea girl until my pregnancy, and I realized how much I was missing out on such soothing and natural benefits.
I started having very bad pain in my second trimester, and my doctor recommended just a simple cup of herbal tea each day. And once I started drinking it, herbal tea had proven to not only help all aspects of my mama body to relax, but it has also helped to soothe my pain away – in just one cup a day!
If you have any sort of pain in your pregnancy, try raspberry leaf tea by Traditional Medicinals, as it is not only delicious, but is also ideal for pregnant women specifically.
But it’s not even just tea, but also healthy food that us preggo ladies need for added nutrients.
If you want to learn more about some essentials that you can get from food or supplements, have a look at, mommynmellc, as she wrote a fantastic article about different ways to get essential nutrients without needing to take a pill, such as folate v folic acid.
6 ♥ Cuddle Up With A Pregnancy Pillow
I don’t know about you gals, but every single time I was pregnant, my back was always hurting.
I felt like the Hunchback of Notre Dame….
I would try the herbal tea remedies I mentioned above, but nothing ever could fix this kind of ache and pain. For this reason, my mother bought me a pregnancy pillow by Queen Rose, which is not only good for back pain, but just comfortable support for your big ole’ belly in general.
I had a hard enough time falling asleep as it is with the snoring king (the hubby) lying next to me all night, and this has been the perfect addition to my night.
I finally wake up feeling refreshed, relaxed, and pain-free – as we all should!
I would highly suggest a pregnancy pillow as you further on in your pregnancy to avoid any discomfort or pain.
Aswell as a pregnancy body pillow, Melissa from thegr8fulwoman, has some other awesome pregnancy must have recommendations here, including belly bands and colace. Check out her blog, she is amazing.
7 ♥ Burn The Pain Away With A Heating Pad
Like I just mentioned above, I often get back pain during my pregnancies. But not just that, my feet, my neck, and my body overall just aches and aches for what seems like the full 9 months (and ain’t nobody got time for that). Sometimes, it gets so bad that my husband has to give me a massage (poor me, right?), so I’ve dove into some research, and found that a heating pad can safely be used to help with this. So I started using a heating pad at the end of the day when I’m lying in bed at the start of my second pregnancy, and I can honestly tell you that all the pain that once plagued me from my first pregnancy ceased to exist!
These little machines are so good for relaxing our muscles, and we could definitely use it with all thats going on in their right now. I love the brand, PureRelief, as it always helps me feel better, but you can truly try whichever one you want! Give it a try and see what you think!
Overall, there are a lot of different essentials that you can use in your second trimester, but these have been the most helpful for me! If you’re struggling with pain, stress, or exhaustion, give these methods a try and see if they may benefit you. Despite how simple they may seem, they truly make the biggest impact.
