Hellobee

I’m right smack in the middle of my second trimester, and I’ve been reflecting on the things I did and did not do during both pregnancies. Here are a few that I think are must-dos for most expectant mommies around their pregnancy midpoint.

Travel. This is a DEFINITE must-do! First trimester tends to be morning sickness city, and the week my third trimester hit with Wagon Jr. I started to become extremely uncomfortable and it lasted until he was born. The second trimester is this lovely oasis (or eye of the hurricane, if you will) when you are not sick, not big, and you’ve got a lovely little baby bump to show off. Wagon Sr. and I are not jetsetters at all; we’ve only been on a plane together a few times in the almost 10 years we’ve been together, and every trip other than our honeymoon was to attend a wedding! When I was pregnant with Wagon Jr., we took a few nice trips but everything was in driving distance. This time around I have a few trips planned which involve air travel, and I’m so excited. It’s also important before having a second child because leaving one baby with a grandparent, sitter, or spouse isn’t too big of a deal, but the idea of leaving more than one is totally daunting! So we’re fitting in a bunch of last-chance trips before this baby comes.

Pre-natal massages. For some reason I did not get a single one during my first pregnancy, but I’ve already had one this time around and I’m definitely planning on getting a few more. They are expensive, but the absolute best way to indulge. Carrying around all the extra weight really takes a toll on your muscles.

Set up your registry. We did this pretty early on with our first pregnancy because I wanted to set it up and edit, edit, edit as I did my research on baby gear. For me, a registry is really mostly about keeping a list of what you have left to purchase. This time around I started a registry based on Hellobee’s checklist for a second baby.

Set up the nursery. The nesting instinct hit me pretty strong during my third trimester with Wagon Jr., but it’s tough to do the physical work when you’re bigger, so this time around I’m trying to prep as early as I can. Luckily we got the hand-me-downs for a whole nursery from Wagon Sr.’s cousin, so we already have a second crib, dresser/changing table, and glider/ottoman all set for the baby’s room. And since we were team green for Wagon Jr. (didn’t find out the gender), I don’t have much redecorating to do other than a few feminine touches for Baby Girl Wagon.

Watch what you eat. I’ve struggled with my weight my whole life, and while I’m normally only slightly overweight, I’ve learned how to be extremely vigilant with what I eat. That being said, after 3-4 months of not being able to eat anything without the threat of gagging, it’s easy to go overboard as soon as food tastes good again. And I’m sure everyone knows by now that eating for 2 means only consuming an extra couple hundred calories a day, which you can accomplish with a single slice of bread! But the main reason why I need to really be careful during the second trimester is because during my third trimester with Wagon Jr. I REALLY went overboard. I was so uncomfortable and the only thing that made me happy was to eat yummy food. In the last few weeks we went out for dinner practically every night and I was not careful at all. I gained all of my extra pregnancy weight (between 5-10 pounds… I didn’t even keep track, I cared so little at the time) during just those last few weeks, and I can very much see that happening again.