All Topics, Family
Second Trimester Pregnancy Symptoms & What to Expect
by
/
For me, the second trimester was the most enjoyable of the three trimesters. It’s notoriously the sweet spot of pregnancy, a respite between first trimester nausea and third trimester discomfort. If you’re planning a babymoon, I’d strongly advise you to book it between week 13 and 26 for optimum enjoyment. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to explore a little without it causing you too much exhaustion and you’ll be able to enjoy eating and drinking (mocktails, of course) again.
Symptoms vary for everyone, but this is my experience of second trimester pregnancy symptoms.
LESS SYMPTOMS
The best symptom by far was the reduction of some of the first trimester symptoms. My sense of smell started to return to normal and the breast aches and nausea gradually disappeared. I also got my appetite back which was a huge relief.
Unfortunately, some new symptoms did present themselves but overall I’d say the second trimester pregnancy symptoms were more manageable than the first.
STOMACH ACID
The worst symptom I had was the aggressive stomach acid. Spicy foods definitely made it worse but unfortunately, not eating spice didn’t prevent it altogether. Over-the-counter remedies in the UK, like Gaviscon, have never worked for me, but Tums did help (I prefer the chewy ones). If you’re pregnant or planning a baby and visiting the States, my most random pregnancy advice would be to stock up on Tums!
At this stage my acid was manageable, but it did get progressively worse right until the end of pregnancy.
CALF CRAMPS / CHARLEY HORSE
In case you didn’t know, leg cramps are very common in the latter half of pregnancy. I suffered from them far more at night when I was lying in bed. They became more common and more uncomfortable as the pregnancy progressed. Annoyingly, this is a symptom you can’t really do much about. I did feel as though walking more and gentle stretches helped a little.
VIVID DREAMS
This is another common symptom which I had no idea about until I was pregnant. I had some terrible nightmares from around 20 weeks and the worst part is how vivid they were. I remember waking up and genuinely questioning what was real. A lot of them featured bad things happening to the baby, some were about my husband and some were incredibly random. The ones about the baby kind of make sense if you view it as subconscious anxieties about bringing a new life into the world. The others? I can’t rationalise.
HIGHER BODY TEMPERATURE
I’ve always been someone who runs quite cold. That is, until I got pregnant. I felt like I had Freaky Friday-d my way into another body. After years of turning the heating up, I’d become the person begging for it to be turned off completely. If you visited my house during the latter part of my pregnancy, I’m genuinely sorry. You were probably too polite to tell me you were freezing. My heart really goes out to women who have been heavily pregnant during the hotter weather.
I think honesty regarding pregnancy and motherhood experiences is important but it’s important to note that not all pregnant women experience the same symptoms.