Second Trimester Recap
I’ve stepped into my third trimester, and before things get busier I wanted to pause and reflect on the past few months. Overall, my second trimester has been a good one—so much better than the first. I’ve had more energy, fewer “crumby” days, and the sweetest gift of watching our baby boy grow healthy and strong. It’s also been such a fun summer for our little family, and I find myself overflowing with gratitude—for my boys, our families and friends, our health, and all the small, everyday blessings.
To keep things simple, I thought I’d break this recap into a few sections: baby updates, how I’ve been feeling, cravings/aversions, exercise, and some second-trimester highlights.
Baby No. 2
Baby boy is doing great—praise the Lord! My anatomy scan went really well, and he has been measuring right on track the whole time. The only concern they saw early on was a small sac of scar tissue. We monitored it for a few appointments, which at first had me so anxious, but my OB reassured me it wasn’t interfering with baby in any way. Thankfully, everything has continued to look perfect, and our little guy is thriving.
This time around I have an anterior placenta, which meant it took longer to feel baby’s movements. With Luke (posterior placenta), I felt kicks much earlier, so I was a little impatient this time. Now that the movements are more consistent, though, I love those sweet reminders throughout the day.
How I’m Feeling
This pregnancy has felt different than my first in a lot of ways. Both times I was sick during the first trimester, but the nausea has lingered longer with this baby. Thankfully, it’s not nearly as bad as those first few weeks—but still enough to keep me humble and honest about pregnancy!
The good news is that my energy has come back, which has been such a gift with an energetic toddler at home and new recipes to test for the blog. Another huge blessing has been sleep. When I was pregnant with Luke, I struggled with insomnia and those frustrating 2 a.m. wake-ups. This time, I’ve slept so much better. Every now and then I’ll have a restless night, but overall I’m sleeping soundly—and for that I am so grateful.
Cravings and Aversions
Food has looked very different this time around, too. With Luke, I was constantly hungry and had so many cravings. Now, I’m much pickier and often not that hungry at all—probably thanks to the lingering nausea. When nothing else sounds good, my go-to meal is sourdough toast with cream cheese and a fried egg on top. There’s just something about bread + cream cheese that makes everything better.
Cravings:
Buffalo wings
Caesar salad
Pancakes
Cereal (Reese’s Puffs, though I did find a healthier swap!)
Aversions:
Meat unless it’s really well done (borderline burnt, please)
Seafood
Pastas (which I normally love!)
Exercise
My activity level this pregnancy has been very different from my first. I was pretty sedentary during both first trimesters, but with Luke I picked up exercise again in the second—weights, cardio, walking, even swimming. This time around, I’ve kept it simple: chasing my toddler and swimming laps.
Honestly, most workouts haven’t felt good to me this pregnancy, but swimming has been the exception. I love heading to the neighborhood pool three times a week—Jake and Luke play while I swim laps. It’s turned into such a sweet family rhythm, and I love that swimming makes me feel almost weightless (a little luxury when you’re pregnant!).
Second Trimester Highlights
My best friend’s wedding: Anna Kate married the love of her life, and Luke and I had the sweetest honor of being part of her big day. Such a special memory!
Family beach trip & babymoon: I shared more about these summer trips in my last post, so check that out if you haven’t. They were such gifts of rest and joy.
Book club: Some girls in my neighborhood started a book club, and it has been so fun to get back into reading while also making new friendships. We’ve even started learning Mahjong, which I’m excited about!
New car: We made the leap and upgraded to a bigger vehicle—a Ford Expedition! It feels so good to have space for our growing family, and I’m loving it already.
Looking Ahead…
Now that I’m officially in the third trimester, everything is starting to feel more real. We’ll be meeting our baby boy so soon! I’m beyond excited to hold him in my arms, see his little face, and watch his personality unfold. But at the same time, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little emotional.
It’s bittersweet thinking about Luke no longer having all of my attention. He has been my baby for the past year and a half, and I’ve cherished every moment of our time together. He’s already so sweet with his brother—hugging and kissing my belly daily—and I know he’s going to be the best big brother. Still, my mama heart feels a little nostalgic.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be busy: finishing Luke’s big boy room, washing baby clothes, pulling out newborn gear, and checking off the endless list of to-dos. But more than anything, I just feel so thankful.
Here we go, third trimester—let’s do this!
