Better late than never, right?! I’ve been dying to hop back on here and share some updates about how things are going this spring as my pregnancy inches closer to coming to an end but it kept getting pushed to the back burner.

At this point, I’m officially full-term, meaning Baby can come just about any day now and be perfectly healthy (how already?!) but today I’m sharing a recap of my 2nd Trimester which was from around Christmas when we announced our pregnancy up to our babymoon in Scottsdale.

Symptoms: The second trimester rumors were true – I felt amazing! My energy bounced back around Week 14, and most of the nausea I had been experiencing seemingly disappeared. All of my food aversions also went away, with the exception of seafood; however, I did order a seafood pasta dish on our annual New Years’ date night, which I happily enjoyed!

I thought I started to get a bump around Week 18, but I really didn’t start to show until well after Week 22 or 23. I struggled a little bit with the changes my body was making because outside of the growing belly, I felt pretty normal! There was even a few mornings when Jody and I would wake up and he’d look at me and say “I forgot you were pregnant!”. I have dealt with body-image issues in the past, so watching my body grow and change was difficult, but once my belly started to resemble more of a baby bump rather than just bloat, it was a lot easier to deal with. I did find that finding clothes that made me look and feel good was a real game-changer too!

Food: As I mentioned above, my aversions mostly went away this trimester, however my sweet tooth definitely kicked in. Between Christmas cookies, cake pops, and treating myself to a Chick-Fil-A milkshake after every baby appointment, our baby certainly enjoys my taste for sugar 🙂 Around Valentine’s Day, I mentioned to Jody that I want pink cake (not strawberry or raspberry – just pink!), so he enlisted the help of my mom to make me a Strawberry Smith Island Cake with strawberry preserves and strawberry cream cheese frosting.

Highlights: One of the biggest highlights of the second trimester, aside from sharing our news, was our 20 Week Anatomy Scan! It was the first appointment we had up until this point where I actually felt like I could breathe – we had experienced a little scare at the previous 12 and 16-week appointments so being able to watch our baby move around during the ultrasound for almost an hour and learning that baby was as healthy as could be calmed this mama’s heart. I vividly remember leaving the doctor’s office that day feeling giddy and couldn’t stop smiling which was quite a different experience than before!

We also started preparing our home for the baby’s arrival. We spent a few weekends designing and converting our former guest room into a nursery – we painted the room, built the batten board wall, and assembled the crib. We also started building our registry, which included a few trips to our nearest Buy Buy Baby to see what some of our options might be for baby products, including testing out some stroller and car seat options!

Another highlight was feeling the baby move for the first time! I had felt some fluttering around 19 weeks but it was so hard to tell if that was the baby or not, but feeling them again while watching the baby squirm around during the ultrasounds confirmed it for me. I just love the little pokes and kicks, even as they grew stronger as the weeks passed on. Jody didn’t feel the baby until closer to the end of the second trimester. After a couple false alarms where Baby would stop kicking when Jody tried to feel him or her, he finally felt Baby move and exclaimed, “Whoa, there is a baby in there!” – Ha!

MAMA Necklace: I’ve wanted a necklace like this long before I was pregnant and was thrilled when I received one as a Christmas gift. I think I’ve worn it just about every day since. I love the little reminder around my neck that I am carrying my little sidekick and it just a sweet, little dainty accessory. It is the perfect gift for any mama!

1822 Jeans: As I mentioned above, finding clothes that fit and make me feel good was important for my mental health as I dealt with my constantly changing body. One of the first pieces of maternity clothes I finally bought (not until close to 20 weeks!) was this pair of 1822 Maternity Jeans I found through my Stitch Fix subscription. They are so comfortable and stretchy and the belly band wasn’t uncomfortable like so many of the other jeans I had tried. They did fall down a bit earlier on, but that problem was solved once my bump grew a bit bigger!

Boppy Pillow: I had asked for this travel size Boppy pregnancy pillow solely because I heard of how amazing pregnancy pillows are! Admittedly, I had a love-hate relationship with it at first, but again, as my pregnancy progressed, it became more useful and appreciated. This particular size was perfect to be able to travel with when we’d visit my in-laws or on overnight work trips. It is designed to help women stay on their side while they sleep, which I do naturally, but I found it incredibly helpful in supporting my back and belly while I slept.

Bio-Oil: Y’all, I love this stuff! I bought this to try to keep stretch marks at bay as my belly began to grow. While I know preventing stretch marks mostly comes down to genetics, this oil helps moisturize and keep my skin nice and soft. It feels a bit luxurious as I put it on!

Heating Pad: My lower back started to bother me towards the end of my first trimester and unfortunately, that symptom hasn’t seem to go away just yet. I started using a heating pad as I relaxed on the couch each night to help loosen the tension in my muscles.

Bralette: Maybe this is TMI, but my bras have been getting more and more uncomfortable as the time passes on but the lingering soreness finds some relief when they are supported. I ordered this bralette from Aerie to wear around the house and it has been a complete game-changer. The girls feel supported but without the tight band and uncomfortable straps. I only wish it had the nursing clasps on it so I could continue to wear it postpartum!

Maternity Athletic Leggings: This might have actually been one of the first pieces of maternity clothing I owned but for good reason. Even though my bump was hardly noticeable at the beginning of the 2nd Trimester, my workout leggings could definitely feel a difference! These maternity leggings from Fabletics are buttery soft and are very comfortable and supportive around my growing bump. Especially since I got a lot of my energy back, having this closet staple made continuing to exercise so much easier.

Ritual Zero Proof Liquor Alternative: Prior to becoming pregnant, one of the things that made me most nervous was the idea of not being able to drink, especially in social circumstances (one can only drink so much water!). While I had zero desire to sip on something fun during the first twelve weeks or so, as my appetite increase, so did my desire to want to celebrate with friends as I normally would! Enter Ritual Zero Proof, a zero-proof liquor alternative. Jody ordered me a bottle of their Whiskey Alternative to try and I was hooked. It tastes similar to the real thing and actually tastes good, which I’ve found is hard to come by in non-alcoholic products. I can now make my favorite cocktails to enjoy with friends, without, of course, the alcohol. Even Jody enjoys it and I plan to keep drinking it even after Baby arrives. I recently became a brand ambassador for Ritual because I love this product so much – if you’d like to try it out, use my code, MORGANELISACOX, for 10% off of your order!