My second trimester of pregnancy favorites

Greetings, friends! I hope you’re having a fabulous week. I’ve been back home safely from my trip to Florida for a couple of nights. It’s so good to be reunited with Dave and Rudy, but I miss my Mom already!

Anywho, I’m well into my third and last (woohoo) trimester by now, but I didn’t want to miss the chance to share with you some of my favorite items from the second trimester of pregnancy. Because I’ve found that you need a few things to get through this whole world of pregnancy.

My Second trimester of pregnancy favorites

And yes, as they said it would be, the second trimester of pregnancy was a bit of a honeymoon stage. I rarely felt sick. I had great energy. And I wasn’t too big. I also learned a lot about babies and child-birth. And my workouts remained strong. You can check out way more details on my pregnancy up until now, by going back to any of these posts …

• A Baby Goes West
• My first trimester of pregnancy favorites
• My take on what it feels like to go through your first trimester of pregnancy
• My take on what the first half of your second trimester of pregnancy feels like
• What I ate Wednesday: Second trimester of pregnancy edition
• How to modify a BODYPUMP class when you’re pregnant
• My journey to get pregnant and how I overcame hypothalamic amenorrhea
• Announcing my first ebook “Fit and Fertile”
• 15 things you should know about working out when you’re pregnant
• My take on what the last half of your second trimester of pregnancy feels like
• My weekly workout recaps for 26 to 29 weeks pregnant
• My beautiful baby shower in Florida

Now, let’s get to the second trimester of pregnancy favorites … 

Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman

This book, “Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting” arrived to me as an early pregnancy gift from my friend in Florida, and I was immediately intrigued. It’s all about an American woman, who has three babies and raises those children while living abroad in France. She studies the way that the French people treat pregnancy and raising a child, and she compares that to what we do here in America, more specifically, to her other home of New York City. It’s eye-opening. The book is full of first-hand research, cited studies and plenty of personal anecdotes from Pamela Druckerman, who is a real mother and a former big-time journalist.

While I have no idea what it will be like to have a newborn baby at home, I do know that I like the way she talked about the French method of “waiting” just a few minutes to let babies readjust themselves in between their sleep cycles rather than picking them up after a single coo. It’s definitely NOT a crying-it-out method, it’s more of a reading-the-baby patience thing. I also liked how she gave some loose methods for teaching babies and kids to be on a more regular eating schedule early on, based on sticking to the times that adults eat — a far cry from the always-snacking-eating kids of America.

Overall, this book was informative, enlightening and just enjoyable to read. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in French culture, babies or pregnancy and alternative methods of raising well-behaved children. We’ll see if I can put any of it into practice or not. Who knows!

Perfect black cotton maternity maxi dress

A couple of my girlfriends suggested I purchase this black cotton maternity maxi dress after I told them I was ready to start looking for maternity wear, and boy am I glad I did. It’s super comfortable, fits well no matter what size you are, and can be either casual or slightly dressed up, depending on what you pair with it. And after wearing tight jeans in the first trimester, it was a little slice of heaven to slip into this.

Rumor has it that this dress will be a great thing to wear during the nursing phase too. And by the way, the price is right! Perhaps the best $40ish I’ve spent all pregnancy. I’d get it in more colors if I could.

Olly Essential prenatal multi-vitamins

Because I wanted to get pregnant for so long and was always hopeful, I’ve been taking prenatal vitamins for years. About a year ago, I switched to the Olly brand, and they are tasty and have additional omega-3s and the right dose of folic acid, which is what doctors recommend.

I happen to love chewable vitamins, and even though these have a little sugar, the ingredients aren’t scary at all. They are like a mini-dessert I get to enjoy after breakfast every morning.

Blanqi High-Performance Maternity Support Leggings

I didn’t buy a single piece of maternity clothing until around 15 weeks of pregnancy, and boy was I missing out. On a whim, I ordered these high-performance maternity support leggings from Blanqi, and I have worn them no less than a thousand times over the past few months.

(Source: Nordstrom)

I wasn’t sure if I would like the high-waisted fit, but it totally feels supportive and not in a constrictive way. I’ve worn these with a plain red tee, sweaters, jackets and even blouses. They feel good on the bod, they are nice and long, and they go with everything. And they are definitely a maternity staple and a piece of clothing that I would suggest to a pregnant girlfriend in need.

Gap PureBody Printed Modal Jogger Pants

Are you sick of hearing me talk about comfortable pajama pants? True story — I didn’t think that I would grow out of my sweatpants, but I did. I’m SO thankful that I made a couple of orders off Gap.com to outfit myself in some super soft jammy pants with forgiving waistlines. In my first trimester of pregnancy favorites, I shared the black ones that I am still loving.

(Source: Gap)

Well this time, I’ve got the navy and white striped ones which are slightly different, have a drawstring and are even looser and softer. They are truly my happy pants. I wear them an embarrassing amount.

Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy by Mayo Clinic Doctors

This book, the “Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy: From Doctors Who are Parents Too,” was super long, but super informative. I almost wish I had received this book sooner in my pregnancy. My insurance provider actually sent me a copy toward the end of my first trimester. The book talks about everything you need to know from the day you get pregnant through the post-partum phase. It also includes a week-by-week breakdown of pregnancy and tips on how to care for a newborn. 

Before reading this book, I didn’t really think I had any idea on what to expect with a new little baby at home, and now I feel slightly more prepared — or as prepared as someone can be. I’ll probably refer back to this book a few times here and there as I need more information.

Overall, because the only other pregnancy books I read were fun stuff (Belly Laughs) and cultural stuff (Bringing Up Bébé), I feel like getting through this text book was a good idea. I wouldn’t exactly call it a thrilling read, but I was at least interested in learning everything that I could from the hundreds of pages. 

Other honorable mentions 

A few other things I enjoyed during the second trimester … 

• REGISTRY: When it came time for me to create our baby registry, I did a ton of research on BabyList.com. It’s a site with reviews and top 10 lists of all the baby products you may want to know about. I have referred back there many times and was able to understand better what we may need and then get that stuff on our registry. I also got a lot of help on my registry from friends, so never underestimate the power of those around you who have experience. Fun fact: I’m registered at BuyBuy Baby, and they have just about everything under the sun! 
• PERSONAL: I wasn’t sure I would ever mention this on the blog, because it’s gross. But I’m doing it. Get one of these, people. Don’t walk, but run, to purchase. We’ve had one for a while, and well … it’s good. Maybe I’ll talk about it in more detail one day. Needless to say, it’s extra beneficial during pregnancy.
• PODCAST: Still loving the Pregnancy Confidential podcasts for short tidbits of information, which are perfectly digestible during brief Rudy walks.
• FOOD: As far as eating — lots of ice cream is happening, and sourdough bread with almond butter, banana, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds is still my breakfast of choice. And lentil pasta with scrambled eggs is my dinner of choice during the week, with grass-fed burgers on the weekends. I’m the queen of repeating meals and also the queen of carbs.
• SELF-CARE: Lotions and oils for my tummy! I’ve been rubbing a coconut oil blend belly butter or almond oil on my tummy after every shower for weeks and weeks. Although, rumor has it that whether or not you get stretch marks is genetic, so all the lotion in the world may not help. But still, because the skin is stretching so much during the second and third trimesters, it can get itchy, and moisturization is key. I’ve always loved almond oil for multiple uses on the body, and you can read more about the ways I use it here.

And those are the second trimester of pregnancy favorites! Hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friends! Thank you for stopping by the blog today, and I’ll see you back here soon! 🙂 

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