As I am nearing the end-ish of the second trimester I wanted to go back and look at the first half of the trimester. From the time I was 10 weeks along and decided to take weekly pictures all the way through week 13 and the end of the first trimester I was good about remembering to take weekly photos but I managed to miss week 14 and 15.
Not quite a week 14 bump picture but I did go to Disneyland at around 14 weeks pregnant and have tons of photos from that trip. I have a post all about my thoughts and experiences about going to Disneyland in the early second trimester coming soon.
During the first trimester the only actual maternity clothes I bought were workout leggings because my regular high waisted ones got uncomfortable really quickly. Actually the first new piece of clothing I had to purchase was a larger bra almost immediately and my chest hasn't stopped growing since. I went from a 32DDD to a 34DDD within a few weeks of being pregnant and by the time my mom and I went shopping for maternity clothes around week 15 it was already time to size up in bras again...My actual bra size was at 34G at that point but I opted to get a 36DDD and just wear it on the tightest hook to give myself the option to wear the bra looser if I wanted to or if my rib cage spread. Spoiler: I am still wearing a 36 on the tightest hook so my ribcage hasn't spread but my chest continues to grow and by the time I am about 21 weeks I am wearing a 36G.
From the start of the second trimester through about week 16 or 17 I didn't feel like my bump was growing that much because I had kind of gone from puggy to small bump at that point. Between IVF residual puffiness and the fact that I have pretty much no torso I got the original bump pretty quickly because she had nowhere to go but outwards.
I went for a checkup around 16 weeks and while I didn't get to see the baby on an ultrasound at this appointment I did get to hear her heartbeat. Everything was good with her and I had to have some blood drawn for my second trimester tests. They tested for spina bifida and something else that I can't remember but all the tests came back negative and I continued to have a normal healthy pregnancy.
Somewhere around week 18 I started to notice my bump growing again and I started feeling "pregnant". Around this time I started to not be able to sleep on my back when normally I go back and forth between my side and my back. I could still lay on my back for periods of time but after about 10 or 15 minutes on my back it was time to move! I also started using an extra pillow to help support my torso but in all reality at this point it was supporting my chest as much as it was supporting my belly.
By the time I got to the second trimeter pretty much all my nausea was gone but the smell of curry and chicken were still not appetizing. I could eat chicken as long as it didn't smell like chicken so if it was cold or covered in some sort of sauce it was fine.
Despite my exhaustion during the first trimester I tried really hard to make it to the gym at least twice a week especially once I was cleared to go back to full workouts around week 10 or 11. During the second trimester as the exhaustion had lessoned I made it to the gym between 3 and 4 times a week which is what I was doing prior to IVF and pregnancy. I don't do any of the full abs and I do go slower on the treadmill but for the most part at least at the beginning of the 2nd trimester I was able to do most things without too many modifications. Getting into the later part of the second trimester that was a different story...
Once I am in my third trimester I will come back with all my thoughts on the later half of the second trimester.
