I have now reached the Third Trimester and can’t beleive how quickly the last 3 months flew by and how very different they were to the first 3 months.

For a recap of My First Trimester Pregnancy Journey click HERE! 

So here is a summary of the last 3 months.

 

Weeks 13-18

Ill be honest, once I hit 14 weeks I was feeling a little ripped off. Where was this second trimester new energy I was promised and why was I still so nauseas? The nausea had definitely improved however I still had to make sure my stomach always had food in it, drinking water was still off limits and I was still on anti-nausea medication to be able to keep food down.

By 16 weeks I was just starting to accept this may just be the reality for the rest of the pregnancy and then there was a sudden shift. A little more energy returned and the nausea reduced enough that I only needed the medication in the day and could stop using it at night.

By 18 weeks I felt like a new person. New burst of energy (some days better than others), very little nausea and no more medication. Vegetables where on the table again and all other aversions I originally had, passed.

 

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Weeks 18-22

These were my easiest weeks so far! I was able to exercise regularly again, eat everything and really start connecting with my little bump as it suddenly went through a massive growth spurt and kicking began.

Within these weeks I loved slowing down and really welcoming a new pace of life with the transition of long hours at The BareVitality Studio to flexible hours with clients and working towards launching The BV Studio Online Program.

This space allowed me to catch up on doctor appointments, a little much needed TLC time and I attended a beautiful Pre Natal Yoga Retreat Day that really helped me transition to loving my pregnancy journey after a tough start.

Within this time we also had our half way scan where we got to see our little bub again, all well and healthy and found out bub is a SHE!! We ticked off our first big midwife appointment and finalised all booking information within our birth centre.

22 Weeks then brought a sudden lot of pain to my pelvic and tail bone area + new circulation challenges. After a visit to a pregnancy specialised chiro (literally squeezed in the day before leaving overseas) I was adjusted and told I had the start of SPD (Symphysis Pubic Dysfunction) which is caused by excess pregnancy hormone relaxin, making the pelvic joint particular unstable. So was given a strap to support my pelvis which has been a lifesaver.

With the tick of approval by our health professionals we then set off to Europe!

 

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Weeks 23-28

Prior to the new complications I was pretty confident that travel while pregnant was going to be easy. I was still very mobile and active and so far everything was going pretty well.

I hadn’t quite equated for the Europe heat wave however!!

Honestly the flight was fine. I made sure I regularly drank lots of water, got up and walked around and wore compression stockings the whole time. I definitely had excess inflammation for a few days after however it did go down.

Our first stop in Madrid was a shock to the system. It was HOT and then add jet lag + a lot of walking… well my body wasn’t too happy and I also was dealing with very low blood pressure!! I experienced a lot of pain in my legs and pelvis and circulation wasn’t great but baby was happy and healthy which was the main thing. A few days later we jumped on the plane to San Sebastian where it was a lot cooler and I was able to do nothing other than sleep, eat and swim! This was bliss. From here everything started to improve with also the help of including a few exercises to help support my pelvis + stretches to release pain and tension + dry body brushing and lots of leg elevation to assist with circulation.

23 Weeks was also the end of the little running I was doing, walking and standing on my feet had to be limited and a little daily yoga became a necessity. Following The BV Program has made this really easy to manage and stay healthy and fit while traveling by incorporating the 10 minute workouts (to keep my body mobile and strong) and yoga practices.

I really had to accept letting go of everything I was capable of the week before and adapt for the time being.

When arriving in Paris a week later I loved that I could set up my yoga mat in the apartment, food shop for local fresh produce and cook again! This made my body feel itself again. My digestive system was happier and the inflammation really started to go down. When we were hit with another heat wave in Paris, I feel I was much better prepared. My body had adapted to the hot weather, I had lovely routines of self care in place and I was able to hibernate inside for much of the hotter parts of the day. We were actually in Paris (without air-conditioning) for its hottest day ever recorded at 42 degrees. Quite the experience I must say and there were a lot of ice blocks consumed during this week.

The last month baby has certainly grown. She kicks much more regularly and certainly stronger. She reacts to voices and sounds and already has a bit of a sweet tooth…. maybe because mums has also increased!!

 

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Cravings have been all about fresh fruit, icy drinks, dairy in the form of yogurt, custard, cheese and Ben & Jerry cookie dough ice cream (never cared less about it prior), eggs and pasta.

Other 2nd Trimester Symptoms = dry skin, very stuffy nose (also due to relaxin), hungry all the time, disturbed sleep, still struggling with constipation but improved, amazing healthy nails, hair on my head is growing really fast..

Weirdest symptom so far is my eyelashes started thinning and have become much shorter despite hair on my head going great?  Hoping they return to normal post pregnancy..

By the end of second trimester I had put on a total of 9.5kg since falling pregnant (within healthy range) and blood pressure while still lower than normal had improved.

Looking forward to this little one continuing to grow and so excited for all to come within third trimester.