Second trimester essentials

I suddenly realised this week that I am now firmly in the third trimester of my pregnancy. So exciting now and suddenly feeling rather real too. So it’s also time to update you with what has got me through the middle third of carrying my first child – my second trimester essentials.

Other pregnant ladies probably hate me when I keep saying this, but so far, I have had a really easy pregnancy. Yes I’ve been tired and sometimes a little grumpy, but on the whole I’ve been really well and have had very few complications.

So when I thought back on the second trimester, I couldn’t really think of many objects that I’ve needed to get me through. I have been a little uncomfortable sleeping, so bought the Summer Infant RestEZ pregnancy support to try and make night times a little more comfortable. It consists of two interconnecting wedge shaped pillows that you can use in a variety of positions – I like to have one under the bump and one behind my back as a support, but you  can also separate them using the velcro and pop one between your legs or wherever else you need support.

 

It has definitely helped me to get somfy and take the pressure off my hips and for only £15 from eBay, you really can’t go wrong. I do yearn for one of those huge great big huggable pregnancy pillows, but at the moment budgets don’t stretch that far, so this is a good compromise.

Other than my support though, I can’t say there is much else that stands out, but what I would not have been able to manage without is my amazing friends and family, so this post is dedicated to them instead of ‘things’.

My Mr M

My husband has been amazing throughout the whole pregnancy. We are currently buying a house, and he has dealt with absolutely everything, from instructing solicitors, applying for mortgage, to printing out paperwork, and everything in between. I haven’t had to worry about a thing.

He is also helping so much more around the house with cooking, cleaning, etc than he ever has done before. I’m not saying he’s turned into Kim, Aggie or even Nigella, but he is making a huge effort which has made a big difference to the stresses of everyday life.

And we haven’t sailed through without our rows. In a spectacular display of emotions a few weeks ago, I threw him out of the flat and we had an almighty row. But I must say that on the whole, if I’m having a snappy, grumpy or plain irrational moment, he remains his calm self and doesn’t fight back, tries to help calm me down or leaves me alone depending on severity of anger and hasn’t once complained about living on a hormonal knife-edge. When I cry over nothing, he’s also there with a tissue and a cuddle, or running me a bath, and never even mentions that I am being totally over the top.

My gorgeous mum

I speak to my mum most evenings after work and she is really the best I could wish for. She isn’t a bossy or a pushy mum and would never inflict her views on you, but will always be there to listen, advise, and offer help whenever and wherever she can.

She has helped us no end with a huge variety of things, buying us a beautiful pram, offering her spare room to store all of our baby stuff until we move, making us the odd Sunday lunch to save us cooking when I’m exhausted and generally just being her lovely self.

Whenever I need a girl’s point of view, my mum is there every step of the way. She is super excited to meet her fourth grandchild and is with me every step of the way.

My amazing family

The rest of my family will understand one hundred per cent why I have singled out my mum – she’s just as fab to everyone. But I must say, both of our families have been a fabulous support over recent months. Be it offering advice, buying things for the baby, giving us money to buy what we need to for it, or giving us bits that we need that they aren’t using any more.

Mr M and I are both the last ones in our families to have children, so we’ve also got a huge melting pot of invaluable advice from people who have been through this period and know how to survive and how to enjoy it.

My fabulous friends

 

I don’t have a massive group of friends, but I have enough absolutely fabulous friends to make me a super lucky girl. I mentioned in a recent post that some people have reacted differently to how I would have imagined to my burgeoning bump, but I still have a core  group who have been amazing.

In those over hormonal times when I have thrown Mr M out, they have been there to calm me down, make me see sense and get me back to being Katie and not ending up in therapy! They have offered advice, listened to worries and concerns, shared their experiences and generally been fab.

There has often been a message from one of them just at the right time to make me realise I’m not alone, to make me laugh, or just to know they are there. And again, the things they have bought, handed down, and passed on, have been just amazing.

So you see, maybe you don’t need so many lotions, potions and gadgets to help you through your second trimester. You just need a few wedge shaped pillows and to appreciate the wonderful people in your life. I am truly lucky to have them and I can already see that our little one will be spoilt rotten with love and attention from this lot.