Things I Love: Pregnancy 2nd Trimester

Good morning and happy Friday! I haven’t mentioned this on the blog, but if you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed K and I are expecting our first baby later this fall. We are so excited and I can hardly believe I’m over halfway through the second trimester! We started working on the nursery this month and I bought my first tiny baby outfits just this week {babyGap gets me}. Today I’m sharing a few things I love in my second trimester of pregnancy. {Note: this post contains a few affiliate links!}

If you’re a regular blog reader, you may have noticed that I haven’t blogged about running in a few months. My last race post was a recap of the Shamrock Shuffle 8k, which I ran just a few days after finding out I was pregnant. For that reason, the Shuffle was quite an emotional race for me. I continued to run for the first few months of this pregnancy, but I decided to stop in early July and focus on walking and yoga instead.

This journey to start a family took much longer than we anticipated, and included a few lifestyle changes for me: I started a “fertility” diet and regular acupuncture treatments last July to try and be the healthiest I could be. It was during our first month of infertility testing in early spring that I finally saw that happy second line on a pregnancy test. I share this because people often don’t talk openly about fertility struggles and disappointment – if you are or have been in the same boat, please know that you are not alone. Every journey is different, and the least we can do is support each other as much as possible. 🙂

Onto a few of my favorite things:

1) Fitbit Charge HR

2) Boppy Pregnancy Wedge

This wedge pillow is a life saver. It’s permanently on my office chair at work, and it has been an incredible help. I started experiencing low back/pelvis pain about 6 weeks weeks ago {most likely due to the hormone relaxin, according to my doctor – more info here}. It got to the point where I would limp for a few minutes after sitting for an hour+ at my office desk and getting up to take a quick walk. However, after using this pillow I have absolutely zero back/pelvis pain as it forces me to sit with good posture and supports my back in all the right places. {If you’re having any pain please consult your doctor!}

3) Maternity Activewear from Target

I have only purchased a few maternity clothing items so far {jeans, shorts, and workout pants}, and everything has come from Target. I am really impressed by their maternity line! For long walks and casual weekend days, I love these pants with a crossover panel the most, and the price is right at $29.99.

4) The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy

This is my favorite pregnancy book to date – it’s full of information but written in a hilarious, lighthearted way. I actually picked up my copy at a local garage sale a few months ago and the book still has a permanent spot on my nightstand.

5) Larabars

More than ever, I am trying to snack “smart” and put good things into my body every day for this baby. One of my favorite snacks is a Larabar, especially the mini version. Mini bars are the perfect size for an afternoon {or let’s be honest, morning} snack pick-me-up. I also have a huge list of DIY Larabar recipes on this blog; check out this post for 10 Clean Eating No Bake Snacks.

Any pregnancy favorites that I need to add to my list?