Pregnancy Unpacked Weeks 12-14: Hello Second Trimester, Now What? | 170

You're gonna hear from me where I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, but I'm gonna be cheering you on along the way. You can follow along each Wednesday because pregnancy deserves more than outdated advice and Google anxiety.

I'm just surviving and preparing. So welcome to pregnancy. In fact, your week by week Real Talk podcast where I'm guiding you through what's really happening in your body, your pregnancy, and your mind, in case you skipped through the intro. Shame on you. I'm Trish, labor nurse, mama, and mom of seven. Your birth coach who's here to help you feel ready, not rushed.

You get to choose what you want and I will support you along the way. Today we're talking about what's changing. Now that you've hit the second trimester milestone, congratulations. What's happening with baby, what your next prenatal visits may include, what symptoms to expect because yes, they will still show up and what you can start doing right now to walk into labor, calm, confident, and in control.

So let's unpack it. So let's talk about baby's growth at 12 to 14 weeks. By the end of week 14, your baby is around three to four inches long, about the size of a little peach. It's your little baby peach and it weighs just over and out. That's my like little puppy baby voice is a little peach. Don't you get annoyed when someone talks like that?

This is why some of you might be feeling better unless you're like me with Laney. Or I was sick till the moment she came out of me. I remember she came outta me and I was like, Hmm, what's different? And then I realized I felt better finally after 41 weeks. Okay, so hello, balance. Baby's fingers and toes are wiggling.

They're wiggling in there. They're developing sucking reflex and might even be sucking their thumb or a finger and they can move their mouth around. Their vocal cords are forming so that they can talk back to you when they're a teenager. Maybe even 10. I don't know. Their digestive system is developing, swallowing, moving, practicing, and yes, they are moving a ton, even though you might not feel it yet.

It usually happens during this window as well. And that's a screening where they measure the. Fluid behind baby's neck to assess risk for chromosomal conditions like Down Syndrome, and it's often paired with blood work. So ask your provider if this screening is something that they want you to have or that you want.

Review results from any lab work or genetic screenings, and they sometimes will offer you an early glucose screening if you're high risk or you had gestational diabetes in a prior pregnancy. But they'll talk you through that. You're also gonna discuss any new symptoms or questions you might have for your provider.

If you got my first trimester prep pack, you have a sheet that you can write down these questions. If not, keep a note. Send yourself some voice memo, transcribe them and make sure you ask those questions, because otherwise you're gonna be driving home and regretting or 2:00 AM you'll wake up and be like, oh my stars, why did I not ask that?

We have one for second trimester, so go to labor nurse mama.com/second and you can grab that. So here's some questions to ask at this visit. When will I get my next set of labs or tests? What screenings are optional versus recommended or required or what have you? How do you feel about a unmedicated birth?

If that's what you're looking for, if you're going for a vbac, if that's relevant, talk to 'em about it. And if you guys aren't vibing with your provider, now's the time to switch. Okay. Remember, if you ever feel rushed or dismissed or pressured, it's okay to say something like, Hey, I, I wanna think about that and get back to you.

Maybe not everybody's different, but here's some things that can start showing themselves during second trimester. So round ligament pain. This is stretching sensations that you might feel as your uterus. Gross, totally common. Constipation. Thank you, Mr. Progesterone. So if you have constipation, increase your fluids, eat high fiber foods, and you can even take something called coase, which is over the counter.

Stool softener. Talk to your provider before you take anything. AKA. That's my disclaimer. Mood swings are pretty normal still because your emotions are still shifting. That's just pregnancy, girl, so you just got to get used to it. Skin changes you're, you may have some acne, you may even have some dryness or oiliness, and what's not your norm.

I loved it. Some people don't experience that, but most of my friends and myself and my students, we did. So I hope you do. Bloating is another factor during second trimester. It's a problem. Gas is a problem, girl. You may toot every time you move. I'm sorry. I'm so mortified. I've never had gas in front of my husband and I would die.

I'm not that person. I always do polls on labor, nurse mama. I need to do one again of saying like, are you that girl? Will you toot in front of anyone? Do you care or do you not care? 'cause I'm the, I definitely would die. Die. So. But you might be having a lot of gas right now. I'm so sorry. You might even start to show, some of you will, some of you won't.

If you're like me and you've struggled with eating disorders, it's really hard. So give yourself grace, love on this body. Remember that this body is growing, someone that you are gonna absolutely adore and love forever. So. Ask yourself like, what do I need? Where am I holding some tension? And how can I support my body through this?

All right, girls, you are not in emergency survival mode anymore, which means you can start thinking about preparing with more intention. And so here's what I recommend during this window. And number one, download the second trimester prep pack. I made this for exactly where you are right now. Once you download it, you're gonna be in my ecosystem.

But you don't have to wait. One thing about the Labor Nurse Mama birth classes is it starts from early pregnancy all the way through postpartum. So now is the perfect time to start because you've got brain space. You don't feel like crap. You've got time to absorb and the ability to practice what you learned.

And if you wanna dive deeper and be fully confident, it also includes some partner prep and done for you planning. Everybody who joins my classes gets 30 days free, and my MAMA membership which is where all the magic is happening. We also have two to three pregnancy hangouts with MO on Zoom every month where I can answer your questions and really help you go deeper and get prepared for this baby.

The sooner you do that, the better. The other option we have is Brand Senka new and it's. The calm Labor Confident Birth Pod. It's an audio based birth class. Easy to binge on the go. Great for you for learning and mindset building. It includes some printable guides and an ebook, and it's perfect if you want clarity now without the.

36 weeks, you have direct access to me and a doula inside of a telegram chat. That'll be just us very intimate. We'll support you from 36 weeks to eight weeks postpartum. Choose the one that fits you. That's up to you, girl. Now remember, now's also the time to start building your birth team, so ask your provider deeper questions.

So your team doesn't just mean your provider, it means anyone helping you feel supported, grounded, informed. I wanna be a part of your team. All right. Also start thinking about your birth vision. Not a full plan yet, but your vision. Like, what do I want? How do I wanna feel during my birth? What kind of energy do I want in the room?

What support do I need to feel calm and confident? That's where your plan begins. Now during this time of pregnancy, this is where a lot of mamas start to feel fearful. You've cleared the first trimester, baby's growing, you feel okay, and you're like, oh my God, I have to bird. This baby birth is not something I want you to wing.

Next week, we're gonna unpack weeks 14 to 16 where some movement starts, birth team planning begins, and you finally feel ready to take ownership of your journey. But until then, download your second trimester prep pack, labor nurse mama.com/second. Enroll in your birth. Class, either birth pod or the full class You choose and take one small step towards building the birth experience you want.

Remember, you're the magic. Don't forget it, mama. I'll see you again next Wednesday. Bye for now.