Hi y’all! How was your weekend? We had the best day yesterday boating up and down Lake Austin! We rented a boat with Float On Boat Rentals (<- such a great company! Lots of kindness, fun, and integrity in all of their employees) and spent the day with Monique and Caitlin and their significant others.

Boating was on my Austin summer bucket list, and I think it will have to be a repeat for next year. I love being out on the water! 

(Btw…can we talk about how crazy it is that June is already over? This summer is flying by!)

You know what else is flying by? This pregnancy. The slow days of my first trimester are long gone, and now I can barely hang on to this roller coaster ride for dear life! Before I know it, this little boy is going to be here in my arms and pregnancy will be completely over. I’m really trying to savor these summer days with Nate. 

I’m going to share all the things with you today about my second trimester. From the weight gain to the food cravings to the hard stuff about pregnancy, this is my Monday Chat pregnancy update with you! 

Quick note: if you’re currently pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or have been pregnant in the past, remember that every pregnancy is soooo different. I’m doing my best to share the good parts and the not-so-good parts, but there’s no point in playing the pregnancy comparison game because we’re all so different. I get stuck in that comparison game too… I start looking at pregnancy hashtags to find influencers who due around the same time as I am, and I start comparing our bump sizes. It’s really silly to do, because my body and pregnancy are totally unique to me, and so my bump size/weight gain/food aversions/etc will be different from anyone else’s. Remember that your pregnancy is the most special one in the world, because it’s yours. 

Second Trimester Bumpdate

Quick facts: 

• I’m 23 weeks and 5 days pregnant today
• The second trimester runs from week 14 through week 27 
• Lots of people call the second trimester the “golden trimester” because it’s when the morning sickness ends, but the uncomfortable third trimester hasn’t started. 

^ Nate snapped this pic at 19 weeks. It was the first time that I looked at myself in the mirror and thought “I have a BUMP!!” 

Emotions // I’m thankful that the crazy hormonal mood swings from the first trimester have (mostly) ended. Ha! Good lord…that was a roller coaster. I feel much more secure in controlling my emotions right now. I had some severe bouts of sadness in the first trimester, and it feels really good to be mostly back to normal!

I’m keeping a close watch on my mood swings (and I asked Nate to check in on my mental health often) so I can get the help I need in case I experience any prenatal or postpartum depression.

Food cravings and aversions // I haven’t had any food aversions in the second trimester! Literally everything sounds good to me. My appetite is in full swing! Black coffee was a major aversion in the first trimester, and I’m sooo thankful that it tastes/smells delicious again. I allow myself about 200 mg of caffeine each day (usually a small cup of coffee in the morning and a black tea in the afternoon), and I say a little gratitude prayer every time I take that first beautiful sip. 

I also haven’t had any crazy cravings! I mean, food cravings are normal at any time of life (pregnant or not), so I still experience the same amount of, “oh, that sounds good today!” type of cravings that I did before I was pregnant. 

I will say that the two small things I’ve noticed is that my body is telling me it wants more raw fruits and veggies (salads, smoothies, fresh fruit), and I often want “kid” food (I bought poptarts for the first time in my life…haha!). 

Bump // It’s here! I didn’t see an actual bump until I was about 19 weeks. Until then, it was just gradual weight gain and a thicker waist. Now that I’m 23 weeks, I don’t just look pregnant from the side….the bump is showing from the front, too: 

However, I’ve noticed that people who don’t know me are still hesitant to ask anything about my pregnancy until I “announce” it. And I don’t blame them, because no one wants to be that person who asks a woman how far along she is only to hear, “I’m not pregnant!”

However, once I say, “I’m due with a baby boy in October,” strangers will say, “yeah, I thought you were pregnant!” 

Movement // I was sooo anxious and excited to feel my baby inside of me, but it took longer than I expected: I felt baby boy move for the first time when I was 19 weeks and 6 days pregnant. That little “quickening” in my low belly changed everything about this pregnancy. 

Oddly, it was just 3 days after I felt him for the first time that Nate was able to feel him kick, too! Now we’re both feeling him kick and punch and flip around in there all day (and night!), and it’s the coolest thing. 

Weight gain // I’ve gained 17 pounds thus far, and both the doctor and I are happy about that! A “healthy” pregnancy weight gain for my BMI is 25-35 pounds, but I’m not going to obsess over the exact number. 

I’ve noticed the weight gain mostly in my midsection (I mean…duh, there’s a baby there), my arms are a little thicker (my favorite jean jacket feels tight on my shoulders – thankfully it’s summer so I don’t need jackets unless I’m in a cold restaurant), and my face looks a lot fuller compared to pictures of myself from last Christmas. 

I just placed a big online clothing order because all I want to wear is loose-fitting dresses this summer. Except for a few pairs of workout leggings and some loose dresses, most of my pre-prenancy clothes don’t fit anymore! 

Fitness // Barre workouts are my favorite thing right now! It feels soooo good to get a little bit of resistance training with light dumbbells and my own body weight in an uplifting, gentle workout environment.

The cardio classes are much harder than they used to be. Doing a cardio class as a pregnant woman feels like doing a a pre-pregnancy cardio workout at 10,000 feet elevation (like trail running in Breckenridge, CO). I’m just huffing and puffing my way through those boot camp classes at The Barre Code! 

Overall, pregnancy has been a huge lesson in self-love. If I’m being totally honest, I’ve had some major meltdowns about the weight gain, the modifications I have to take in my workouts, and the changes in the way clothes fit/feel on my body, and I’ve had to do some serious soul-searching, journaling, and confiding in my incredible partner (Nate – you are a gem!) to find joy in it all. 

Here’s a little humor to wrap it all up: 

2 weeks ago, I posted this blog post to announce my upcoming book release, and I asked Nate to snap a few pics. Here’s the one I posted…

And this is how I actually felt that night…

Haha! So much snark in that face. I felt hot, puffy, swollen, and was sooo not in the mood to have a camera in front of me. Angry pregnant lady was out in her full glory on that night. (Sorry, Nate.) 

That’s it for today! Thanks for stopping by today. Oh, and thanks to all of you who send me sweet messages of advice on instagram when I share little updates along the way. I know that most of us haven’t met in real life, and so I feel even more amazed and loved and thankful that you’d take time out of your day to send me a message with advice about pregnancy nausea cures or whatnot. I really appreciate y’all. 

To see all of my blog posts about pregnancy, click here.