Welcome to the second trimester of pregnancy! The second trimester is by far the best part of pregnancy! You have arrived, and it's time to get busy. Most women find that the second trimester is the golden time of being pregnant. You are no longer sick as a dog (hopefully), and you (or your partner) can stay awake throughout an entire movie again. However, the absolute best part is that you look pregnant and not just bloated. Whoo Hoo!

Why I am here and who I am:

Hey mama, I am Trish— AKA Labor Nurse Mama. I am a labor and delivery nurse with over 15 years of high-risk OB experience. I am also a mama to 7 kids and have given birth to 6. This means I am quite familiar with the postpartum period and how to navigate it. I am the online birth class educator for Calm Labor Confident Birth and The VBAC Lab birth classes and the mama expert inside our Calm Mama Society a pregnancy & postpartum membership community! I am passionate about your birth and motherhood journey! You can find me over on IG teaching over 230k mamas daily. I am passionate about your birth and motherhood journey! We make a small commission from some of the links (you dont pay any more for using our links); however some of the recommendations, we do not earn anything; we just love em and want you to know about them. Click here for our full disclosure. Thank you! Are you enjoying that rounded little belly? I loved when my belly would finally round out and it was obvious I was pregnant! According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, you're in the second trimester officially when you are in weeks 14 through 27 of your pregnancy (months four through seven). Also, this post may contain some affiliate links (which means if you purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission, but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Click here for our full disclosure. Thank you!

Maternity clothes season has Begun!

You are so fortunate that maternity clothes have become fashionable. Back in the day, there were little choices when it came to maternity clothing. Imagine a tee shirt with the word baby, written boldly across the chest and an arrow pointing down your rounded tummy (I'm not kidding, it's true). Thank God those days are gone. For Millennial parents the choices are endless, and you no longer have to compromise your style while pregnant. My favorites:

• H&M ~ They are by far the most economical stylish maternity clothes. They provide a good selection that is durable. So you can save your clothes for another pregnancy or loan them to a friend.
• Spanx ~ Oh my goodness, these are a must. I had terrible back pain due to being a nurse, and Spanx saved the day. The mama short deserves a gold medal. Shop Spanx Maternity
• Gap has the best JEANS!!! Oh my goodness, I wore them into the postpartum period as well. They saved my life. A good pair of jeans makes your pregnancy beautiful. Well, good jeans make life pleasant in general, don't you agree?
• Old Navy is also a great source, but their jeans do not hold up through multiple pregnancies. If it's your last pregnancy and you're not planning another, go ahead and try their jeans, otherwise choose Gap jeans. However, I did love Old Navy's basic shirts. Jeans from Gap and shirts from Old Navy are the perfect combination.

Keep working out!

You need to stay in shape. There are so many reasons why, but childbirth is the list topper right now. My patients who continue to workout throughout pregnancy have the best births. Giving birth is the hardest workout of your life, why would you not prepare your body. It's a marathon girl. Check out these youtube videos for some prenatal fitness. And by all means get an exercise BALL for stretching out your perineum and not tearing your vagina (because who wants that!!)!!!! You can read here why it's essential to prepare your body for labor. Bump'n Body Prenatal workout 25 Minute Prenatal Bodyweight Workout Prenatal Yoga with Lara: Labor endurance Exercises

Gender Reveal Extraordinaire

Whether you keep it simple or go all out, a gender reveal party is a fantastic way to let everyone know if you are having a girl or boy! Ideas abound on Pinterest, so you shouldn't have difficulty planning one. For ours, we had the gender sealed in an envelope. I took the envelope to my good friend, and she baked us a cake. At the party, everyone rallied for one side or the other! It was so fun to celebrate with all our friends when we discovered Greyson was a boy!

Plan Your Nursery

If you haven't begun to plan the nursery, now is the time. Picking out colors and themes will fill the weeks ahead. I had so much fun planning Greyson's nursery. I combed garage sales and antique stores for small and large treasures. I spent many days on the garage floor painting and decorating my favorite finds. My personal favorite was Annie Sloan paint for our nursery furniture. If you haven't tried chalk paint, you are missing out. It's simple and durable to use, an added bonus is that you don't have to do much prep before painting. I also made his wall decorations and Mobile. Read this Budgeting for Baby if you need more ideas on ways to save.

Create a Baby Registry

Having a registry allows others to see what you need and to buy it for you. Many places like Buy Buy Baby send you coupons and allow you to purchase items remaining on your registry at a discount. Amazon registry is also an excellent place to start as Amazon has everything you could want and need. For a limited time, Amazon is offering a gift card just for starting a registry. Not to mention everyone and their grandma is familiar with Amazon. Sign up for Honey App I love this App, and it’s FREE to sign up. Once you enable the browser extension, Honey will scan the internet world for coupons and deals. It works inside amazon for amazing savings, as it informs you which seller has the best deal. You might like: Must Have Baby Items 

Get Educated!

Girl, there is nothing that drives me more crazy than the fact that my patients come into labor UNEDUCATED. I just can't wrap my mind around this. Take the time during your second trimester to take classes with your partner.

Prenatal Education

Obviously, you are not that patient and the fact that you are still reading this tells me you want to learn. I am passionate about educating women so that they are making the key decisions for THEIR birth. I have two popular signature courses: Labor Nurse Mama Calm Labor Confident Birth Class. This is an online self-paced birth class for all moms. The Vbac Lab: A Redemptive & Empowered Birth Class This is an online self-paced birth class for mamas who have had a cesarean and want a vaginal birth! Prepare yourself for labor and birth asap. It's coming, my friend. Here are some posts to read as you wait for your sweet baby to come: Understand Each Stage of Labor How to Survive Being Induced Natural Birth Guide

Breastfeeding Education

If you follow my blog then you are well aware that I am a huge breastfeeding advocate. I am not going to go into all the reasons you need to prepare yourself now because I have several breastfeeding posts on my blog. But trust me, breastfeeding First Breastfeeding after Birth Doesn't always come Naturally 6 Breastfeeding Tips For First Time Moms Breastfeeding Myth Buster: Simple Truths to Help you Inside each one is a link to an online breastfeeding class by Milkology

Breast Pump:

Did you know that you can get a free, high-quality breast pump through your insurance (even state insurance)? It can be rather a pain to do yourself. It took me weeks going back and forth between midwife and insurance before I was able to get mine. You can cross that off your list and head to the Aeroflow website. Just fill out their form, and they do all the work for you, then you choose the pump and voila it's yours.

Baby Care Education

A baby is not an easy creature. Be sure to educate yourself about baby care before you are holding a screaming newborn in your arms. Many hospitals offer baby care classes for a mall fee or you could take this class, Life with Your New Recruit, offered again by Birth Boot Camp. I also recommend taking a basic life support class. God forbid you were to find yourself needing to do life support or even more likely, helping a choking child, you should be prepared. Related Post: Ten Newborn Baby Care Tips

Choose A Baby Name

During the second trimester, you should start narrowing down your baby name choices. You are choosing a name this little person will carry for a lifetime. We have several baby name lists already gathered for you. Choose wisely mama, it's for life!

Baby Girl Names

20 Unique Baby Girl Names to make you Swoon!

Baby Boy Names:

20 Unique Baby Boy Names for The Millennial Mom The second Trimester is full of amazing miracles. You will begin to have a sweet little bump which will grow quite quickly in the next few months. No one will be wondering if you are or are not pregnant and that ends the period of just looking plump. You will feel your little one get stronger with each tiny movement. By the end of this trimester, it will no longer be flutters but full on kicks and jabs.

Take a Babymoon

Finally, but not least the second trimester is the perfect time to escape with your honey. If this is your first baby, you have no idea the exhaustion coming your way. DO SOMETHING for yourselves now and escape. Lay on the beach and read a good book or sit on a cabin porch and watch the sunset. A babymoon is a fun and exciting opportunity to reconnect and reenergize during the second trimester before the third trimester hits hard. Buy some lingerie and a bottle of sparkling juice and celebrate one another. Enjoy these days sweet friend! Sleepless nights are soon headed your way. Just a little Disclaimer: As always, I am just writing my thoughts and learnings. Although I am a labor and delivery RN, This is not medical advice. You should always seek and follow the advice of your caregiver.