2nd trimester was the best! I walked quickly and lithely, I opened the refrigerator without dry heaving, I often went more than 30 minutes without having to pee and migraines were becoming a distant memory. My skin was clear and bright, and my pregnant double chin was only beginning to form. People told me I was "cute" and "tiny" and "glowing." The only thing I regret about my 2nd trimester is not gracefully accepting these compliments, and instead getting defensive of my future, bigger self. Instead of smiling and saying "thank you", I would ask the well-meaning person to "tell me that in 15 weeks." Or, upon hearing how "small" I looked, I would inform them "don't worry, I'll be huge in another three or four months." I wish I would have soaked up every last compliment and reveled in my little-bellied state.
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| 24 weeks |
I like to think that the biggest hurdle of my 2nd trimester was finding maternity jeans that actually fit. I bought three pairs of maternity jeans and all of them were terrible. It's unfortunate that I was never able to find a pair of jeans that were both long enough and didn't have that poopy-pants butt sag; but hey, it's skirt and dress weather now, so who cares. 2nd trimester life was good. Even with the constant tiredness, annoying back aches and evenings full of unexplained crying, I felt like a goddess of life and fertility. The really hard stuff didn't start until the very end of my 2nd trimester, but we can talk about that when I give you the details on my 3rd trimester. Let's just pretend for now that the 2nd trimester is the golden age.
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| 26 weeks pregnant and celebrating the Spring Equinox with my pregnant best friend (notice skirt, no jeans) |
Some of the best moments of my entire pregnancy happened in my 2nd trimester. I spent a week with my parents, also-pregnant sister and niece in Florida, three of my oldest friends came to visit for a weekend, and I met my niece a day after she was born. All three of these events would have been wonderful in their own right, but experiencing them while nurturing and growing our child made them priceless and unforgettable.
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| Hanging out on the beach with my sister and niece. 17 weeks pregnant |
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| With my niece, then an only child. Now, she's a big sister! |
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| A hike and a night on the town with my best hometown friends -- no big deal in the 2nd trimester! |
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| Super sexy with my little 21-week bump |
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| I met my newborn niece Emma when I was nearly 25 weeks pregnant |
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| Check out those feet! |
Speaking of unforgettable, how about that 20 week ultrasound!? Holy moly was that incredible. Patrick and I got to see our baby for the first time, and we learned that we are having a son. That boy was moving so much, it took several attempts to get some decent pictures of him. We got to see his big lips, cute little nose, crossed legs and yep, his little testicles. Upon seeing those testicles for the first time, I said "Ooooh my god, what am I going to do with a boy?" I was in no way disappointed -- I already loved that boy so, so much -- but I did need to take some time to grieve the feminist flower-child daughter my intuition and dreams told me I was having.
I took some time to grieve being a mother of a daughter and all that comes with it -- I was primed and ready to raise an empowered, body-positive girl and to be there at her wedding, birth and postpartum journey. I'm starting to feel more confident in my ability to raise a respectful, knowledgeable and empowered boy, even though I have no clue what I'm doing. Growing up with two sisters made me feel like I was more prepared for raising a girl. The truth is, I don't have a clue how to raise a child at all, whether it's a girl or a boy. I'll be learning as I go, and I'll be doing the best I can.
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| 27 weeks and saying goodbye to the Goddess Months of the 2nd trimester |
Let's just forget about raising a child for now. I've still got the rest of my 3rd trimester to go. And, oh yeah, that thing called "birth."
