* This article was originally published on Simply Laura Leigh *
Welcome to your second trimester! The second trimester is probably the best time of your pregnancy. Morning sickness is (hopefully) behind you, your energy is coming back and overall you should be feeling pretty good! Which is good because there’s a lot of things you need to get done before baby arrives!
This second-trimester checklist will help walk you through everything you should be doing during weeks 13 – 28 (Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of the page to get a free printable copy of the checklist sent straight to your inbox!).
Second Trimester To-Dos
1. Announce your pregnancy
If you’ve been waiting to tell friends and family about your pregnancy until your second-trimester nows the time to do it!! Letting the world know about your pregnancy is such a fun and exciting time so go ahead and enjoy it!
2. Find out the gender
Next to announcing your pregnancy finding out the gender of your baby is probably the second most exciting time of your pregnancy! If you choose to, you can generally find out your baby’s gender at around week 16 with an ultrasound.
3. Start thinking about names
Someone once told me that you never realize how many people you don’t like until you starting trying to find a name for your bay. Which sounds harsh, until you start thinking about baby names and you or your husband suddenly have a valid reason to veto just about every name you come up with.
You also want to consider middle names, what your child’s initials will spell out, and if the name has the potential to be turned into an unkind nickname. And get ready for well-meaning family members to weigh in with their opinions of what the name should or shouldn’t be. Getting a head start now will give you plenty of time to work through all these issues.
4. Lotion up that belly
During your second trimester, your little bump is going to quickly start getting bigger. Keeping your belly lotioned up while its growing will help reduce stretch marks and stop the itchy and sometimes painful feeling you’ll get from your skin being stretched. Keeping the skin on your belly soft and hydrated can help your stomach recover faster after pregnancy.
5. Keep exercising!
If you were exercising during your first trimester keep it up! Just make sure that you’re modifying your exercises as your belly grows to avoid falls and anything that is potentially unsafe. If you aren’t exercising then start doing something simple like taking a walk around the neighborhood. You also should be stretching daily to help relieve the stress put on your body by your growing baby and to prepare for labor.
6. Start doing your Kegels and pelvic floor exercises
It is VITAL to do Kegels and other pelvic floor exercises during your Pregnancy. Having strong abs and pelvic floor muscles help make pushing out your baby during delivery easier, speed up your recovery process, and reduce the chance of developing urinary incontinence postpartum. Talk with your doctor about what exercises you should be doing, the proper form, and how often you should be doing them.
7. Create a registry
Picking out stuff for your little one can be so much fun, and it’s easy to spend all day surfing the internet looking through the seemingly endless options. Starting a baby registry early in your pregnancy will allow you to take the time sort through all those options, read reviews and decide on which products will work best for you and your baby.
Besides letting other people know what you want a registry also acts as a great checklist for you. Because after a while, all those baby items are going to start blending together and it starts forgetting things or getting them confused. Registries also have some great benefits and offers like free samples and discounts on those big-ticket items.
8. Get a prenatal massage
As your baby starts getting bigger your muscles and joints are going to be put under a lot of stress, which can start to cause some major aches and pains. Getting a prenatal massage is a great way to not only help reduce joint and muscle pain, but it can also help reduce swelling, reduce stress and help you sleep better. So go ahead and treat yourself to a massage.
9. Start looking into child care if needed
If you’re planning on going back to work then you need to start looking into your child care options sooner rather than later. It’s not uncommon for daycare centers to have long waitlists for newborns. Start looking into your options early so you don’t find yourself stressed out and scrambling to make arrangements in the final weeks of your pregnancy.
10. If you already have children start talking to them about the new baby
If this is your second child if they are old enough to understand now is the time to start talking to them about the new baby, how that will affect them and what changes they can expect to happen over the next few months. Starting early allows you to slowly introduce the idea of a new sibling and gives plenty of time for your child to get used to the idea of becoming a big brother or sister
11. Take a vacation
If you’re planning on taking a vacation before your baby gets here the second-trimester ist he perfect time to do it! You should be feeling better nowt hat your first trimester is over and you haven’t yet started experiencing the aches and pains of your third trimester. So enjoy your second trimester and take a vacation because once your baby gets here it might be a while before you have the chance to vacation again.
12. Start planning maternity leave / what you will do once the baby is born
If you’re currently working and plan on going back to work once your baby is born then on top of finding a daycare provider you’re going to need to start to plan your maternity leave. Speak with your boss or your HR department and see what type of maternity leave your company offers and begin coming up with a
Get Your FREE PDF Printable Of The Second Trimester Checklist sent straight to your inbox!
Subscribe (FREE) to my newsletter below and I’ll send a copy of the Second Trimester Printable Checklist straight to your inbox! And as an extra thank you, I’ll also send you the password to my exclusive Resource Library! There you’ll have access to tons of great printables, checklists and resources for motherhood, homemaking, DIY and so much more. And it’s all FREE!
Related Posts:
- Starting A Baby Registry? Find Out Why Amazon’s Baby Registry Is The Only Baby Registry Worth Using
- The Ultimate Baby Registry Buying Guide With FREE Printable Registry Checklist
- Third Trimester Essentials – 14 Must Have Items that Will Make Your Third Trimester Easier
Love it? Pin it!
