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Dress (wearing medium) | Photo at 25 Weeks

I’m currently 26 weeks pregnant, in my last week of the second trimester, which is so crazy! The first and second trimester flew by. I wanted to share a second trimester recap plus answer a few of your questions you submitted via Instagram! If you missed my First Trimester Recap + Q&A, you can check it out here!

I mentioned this in my First Trimester Recap too, but it’s worth repeating. Before jumping in, I wanted to say that if you’re trying to conceive, I’m thinking of you. I have so many close friends and family who are on this journey right now, and I’m constantly praying for good news and answered prayers. Before Michael and I started down this path, I didn’t know what our journey would look like. I’m very thankful that so far, it has not been a difficult one, but I know that’s not the case for everyone.

Second Trimester Recap

A recap of my second trimester!

Baby Boy McHugh at 20 Week Anatomy Scan

How I’ve Been Feeling

I’ve actually been feeling really great, which I’m so thankful for and try not to take for granted. Like clockwork, around the start of my second trimester (14-15 weeks), I immediately felt more like myself than during the first trimester. I’ve had so much more energy, no more naps, and my appetite returned too!

I’m so thankful that I’ve been able to maintain my usual workout schedule so far throughout my entire pregnancy. I usually squeeze in a 30-minute strength workout via the Peloton app in the mornings during the week (yoga on Fridays) and get in a few short walks around our neighborhood during the week as well. On weekends, I was playing tennis for a bit, up until I had to have a fluke toenail procedure. Now I’m sticking to longer walks (30 minutes to an hour) on Saturday/Sunday. I know not everyone has the energy to workout during pregnancy, but I’m definitely in the camp that believes it has made such a difference for me in how I’m feeling. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to keep moving through my third trimester as well.

I’ve still been struggling with sleep at night (I mentioned this in my Pregnancy Highlight on Instagram), but it’s not that surprising as I’m not a great sleeper anyways. Since the beginning of my pregnancy, I’ve woken up 2-5 times a night to go to the bathroom. Thankfully, lately there have been more 2 times a night than 5. The problem comes when I can’t seem to fall back asleep afterwards either because my mind is racing or because I can’t get comfortable. Sleeping on your side is for the birds. With all of that said, it’s not a huge deal, and I just look at it as preparation for the sleepless nights to come. 😉

The coolest thing by far about this trimester is that I’ve been able to feel Baby McHugh moving around SO MUCH! And I can even see him moving around inside of me too. This never gets old!

Notable Doctor’s Appointments

I had my 20 week anatomy scan last month! And Michael was able to come with me! Because of Covid restrictions, this is the only appointment he’s been allowed to attend. It was the second time I’ve been able to see the baby via ultrasound – the first time being when the pregnancy was confirmed at 8 weeks. The technology is incredible! We were able to see Baby McHugh in all his glory, moving all around inside of me. It was wild.

I also had my glucose test done this trimester, which tests for gestational diabetes. At my 20-week appointment, Baby McHugh was measuring rather large, so I was nervous heading into the glucose test. Thankfully, I passed the 1-hour test and didn’t have to go back for the 3-hour test.

I found out just this week that I’m currently anemic, so I’m starting to take iron supplements in addition to my prenatal vitamin.

My doctor’s appointments so far have been spaced out around 4-weeks apart. After my next one in a few weeks I’ll start going every 2 weeks. It’s always nice to have confirmation that everything is a-ok so I’m looking forward to the more frequent visits!

How I’ve Started Prepping for Baby

LOL, I haven’t, well at least not in the getting the nursery ready etc. type of way.

I’ve read a few books, more on that in the Q&A below, and I put together my registries. That’s about it. Right now, for Baby McHugh, we have a few outfits, a handful of books, a couple of bath products, and a few burp cloths. All of which were gifts. I bought a baby book and have been filling it out as we go. And that’s it folks.

I mainly included this section to share that if you’re in a similar boat, please don’t let the comparison game get the best of you. I know (from my experience) there are tons of Instagram moms-to-be who have full nurseries done at this point in their pregnancies and everything looks prepped and ready to go.

Everything will fall into place like it always does, and honestly, newborns don’t need that much stuff. A place to sleep, a way to be fed, diapers, clothes … we got this!

I’ve been physically prepping my body by moving everyday and continuing with my workout routine. I’d ideally like to get back into meditating over the next few months. Michael and I will likely take an online class or two in the next couple of months as well – baby basics, CPR, etc.

At the 20-week anatomy scan.

Pregnancy Q&A

Any good book recommendations for prepping for baby?

I’ve read Expecting Better and Cribsheet, both by Emily Oster and Moms on Call Basic Baby Care. Expecting Better and Cribsheet are both great, in my opinion, on giving you the facts about pregnancy and new babies and why the “rules” are what they are – there are so many rules during pregnancy! Emily is an economist so she digs into the numbers and data behind all of the rules you’re told to follow during your pregnancy and the first months of baby’s life.

Michael and I are planning on using the Moms on Call sleep training method, so when a friend and fellow new mom sent this book to me, I went ahead and read it. It’s a quick read and more of a reference guide. I’m excited to have it handy when Baby McHugh arrives and feel like it’s going to get A LOT of use!

What are you craving? Craziest craving? Craziest aversion?

Thankfully, I haven’t really had any aversions during my second trimester. During my first trimester, I lived off of Cheerios and saltine crackers. My appetite has been back to normal since around 15 weeks.

I haven’t had any cravings that are too crazy. The weirdest things I’ve craved are items that I haven’t eaten (or thought about) since childhood like Keebler Fudge Stripe cookies or Cool Ranch Doritos. Mostly, I’ve been loving fruit! I always eat a lot of fruit, but I’ve been downing strawberries, pineapple, and grapes. I’ve also been loving veggie sub sandwiches from Jersey Mike’s and Publix’s!

Anything you wish you would have done pre-pregnancy or as a couple?

Honestly, no. Michael and I have been together since 2012. We’ve been fortunate to live in three different cities together and travel around the U.S. and the world (pre-Covid). I’m 36 and Michael is 33. I got out of my 9-5 job a couple of years ago and run two of my own businesses full-time. We’ll have been married for 2 years when baby arrives.

We held off on getting married and trying to have a baby for a while. We’ve always been in agreeance that there’s no “timeline” we needed to be on besides our own. With that said, once we started discussing trying to expand our family, there weren’t that many things on our “we must do these things before having kids” list.

Also, keep in mind there’s never a “perfect” time to have kids. For example, because we chose to live in bigger cities, in the city and not in the burbs, (D.C. and now Houston), we’re renting and don’t own our home, which I’m totally fine with, but a lot of people on the outside see owning a home as a checkmark that needs to be achieved before deciding to have a baby.

A bit of a rambling answer, but I hope that makes sense.

What has been your favorite part of pregnancy so far?

Feeling the baby move around and kick inside of me. Best feeling! And always brings a smile to my face.

Least favorite part of pregnancy so far?

While there are annoying parts like not being able to sleep great and the onslaught of back acne (cool), the most challenging part of my pregnancy has been mostly mental as opposed to physical.

Being pregnant during a pandemic is challenging even when I’m constantly counting my blessings and looking on the bright side. I second guess every decision to leave my house, to see family, to go out anywhere. I’ve been struggling with Thanksgiving plans and what to do (even though we’re only planning on seeing our immediate family). I’m constantly worried that I’m putting myself and the baby at risk of contracting Covid. Michael and I are both very safe when it comes to outings – we always wear our masks, we never attend gatherings, we dine outside when we do go out, and we try our best to stay socially distanced from anyone we come in contact with, but it’s still challenging.

Of course part of me resents not being able to do the things I always imagined being a part of the 9 months leading up to our first baby being born, but then I remind myself how lucky I am to be having a baby in the first place, and it kind of brings things back into perspective. It’s a challenging time for everyone no matter your current life situation.

Are you planning on getting an epidural?

YES. My birth plan is that I have no birth plan other than doing whatever the doctors and nurses recommend for a safe and healthy delivery + an epidural. 🙂 I know I have no control over how Baby McHugh will make his entrance into the world, but anything I can do to make it a more calm and enjoyable experience, I’m all in.

Have you thought of names yet?

Yes! I’m 99.9% positive we’re settled on a name. Boy names are hard! We’re using family names for both Baby McHugh’s first and middle name. We scoured family trees, Ancestry accounts, and birth and death certificates for name inspiration, which was actually really fun! Michael and I both enjoyed looking back at our families’ histories and names along the way.

I’ll share the name once he has arrived! 🙂

Do you have the nursery setup done?

LOL – I haven’t even started. I’ve bookmarked a few items that I like and added a few items to our registry, but that’s about it. Another reminder to give yourself grace. I know it will all come together and everything will be fine. With that said, I’m planning on diving more into this over the next month or so, so stay tuned! I’ll share updates along the way here on the blog as well as on Instagram.

Thank you so much for all of the questions! And for all of your support. I love sharing this chapter with you!