The second trimester is known to be the “honeymoon” period of the pregnancy. It’s supposedly the easiest time since most of the nausea should have faded by now, and since the body isn’t as large and uncomfortable as during the third trimester.
For me, “morning sickness” lasted well into the second trimester, and during my second pregnancy, my belly got bigger way faster than during my first pregnancy. However, during the second trimester, I generally did feel much better and relatively more energetic than during the first trimester.
During my second trimester of my second pregnancy, I needed more maternity clothes, and some things to bring comfort to my aching growing body.
Here are a list of essentials that I found super helpful during my second trimester!
1. Maternity Overalls
These overalls are sooooo comfy! I am not an overalls type of girl usually. I don’t think I’ve worn overalls since I was a kid. And even back then, I’m not sure I loved them. But these are SUPER soft and comfortable and I love that they aren’t restrictive around the waist.
I think it’s better to go one size up, so that you leave some room for your bump to grow into. I am 5’8” and normally wear a size small, but I got these in size medium (and I’m so glad I did).
When my belly was larger, I wore them at the longest strap length. I would recommend sizing up one size for a more comfortable fit.
For me and my budget, these were a little bit on the pricey side. But I got them during the labor day sale and also had a coupon, and I wore them all the time. I definitely feel like I got my money’s worth. And every time I wore them, I got so many compliments!
While I’m not one to live off compliments, having people positively commenting on my looks while I was pregnant definitely helped boost my mood 🙂
Check out the skinny version of the overalls here. Also, SUPER cute!
2. Leggings
During my first pregnancy, I did wear leggings, but I never really felt the need to purchase maternity leggings. For my second pregnancy, however, I grew bigger way faster. Also since I didn’t get back to my original pre-pregnancy weight before I got pregnant again, I was larger than what I was during my first pregnancy.
These leggings have been really nice for days that I didn’t feel like wearing real pants. They are quite thick and don’t become sheer when I bend over. And from what I could see, they don’t significantly show panty lines either.
However, since they are more on the thick side, they do get kind of warm. So maybe not the most ideal for summer time, but great for the winter months!
3. PJ shorts
I know these say that they are “sleep shorts”, but I wore them all the time when I was at home. They are sooo comfortable. I bought one pair and then since I wore them all the time, I had to get another pair, so I could swap them out to do laundry.
I’m not pregnant now, but I still wear them to bed almost everyday. Since they don’t have a tie at the waist band, they don’t get all bunched up. So COMFY!
Definitely a must-have during pregnancy. Seriously, do yourself a favor and get a couple pairs. You will not regret it!
Here are the pants version of the sleep shorts that I also have. They are the perfect lounging and sleep pants! Love them!
4. Undies
During my first pregnancy, I didn’t get maternity underwear. I remember thinking I didn’t need them, but I really wish I did. Underwear is just one of those things that feel like it’s not that important, but actually it makes a huge difference.
These are sooo comfortable! I grabbed for them first after doing the laundry, and then I remember actually looking forward to doing laundry just so I could wear them again.
I loved them so much, I ended up getting another set, and put aside all my other underwear during the rest of the pregnancy.
Since my bottom region grew along with my belly during pregnancy, all of my other undies had become too small and they had been sitting right at my c-section scar. It was quite uncomfortable.
These maternity undies can fold over, but I just wore them unfolded because it covers my c-section scar and also doesn’t dig into my muffin top.
These aren’t sexy by any means, but since they come in many colors and cute patterns, I didn’t feel like I was wearing granny panties.
5. Pregnancy Pillow: Snoogle
A friend gave me this pillow during my first pregnancy, but I thought this was such an odd-shaped pillow that I never gave it a shot. During my second pregnancy though, I had a lot of difficulty sleeping.
I was so tired of bad nights, I finally pulled this thing out of the closet, and I’m so glad I did!
It gave my body the support it needed and I could easily fit it between my legs to give relief to my lower back. I napped with this during the day and I slept with it on most nights.
However, it takes up such a huge part of the bed, I did feel a little bad for my husband.
I think one review on Amazon called it the “intruder in our bed”. Haha!
6. Pregnancy Pillow case: Snoogle Jersey Case
Apart from it taking up a huge part of the bed, the other negative thing about this pillow is that the pillow case is extremely difficult to take off, and even more ridiculously difficult to put back on.
After wrestling with the pillow case a couple times, my husband decided that it was time I get another case (of course he was the one who replaced the pillow case. I wasn’t doin’ that!).
Even though it is a little more on the pricey side, I’m so glad I got this case. The material is so much softer than the original pillow case, and it has a zipper along the side, so I (yes, me!) could easily slip the pillow case on and off as often as needed.
7. Belly Routine
During the second trimester, I went from looking just bloated to actually looking pregnant.
As the belly grows, your skin stretches more than you may think is humanly possible. So be kind to your skin and make sure you’re moisturizing the crap out of your belly!
Read about the 4 easy steps I took to prevent stretch marks during both my pregnancies.
8. Cleaner Beauty Products
My body, personally is affected a lot by the products that I use. Especially during pregnancies, we don’t know how chemicals and harmful ingredients can affect the development of the baby.
So, I try to do research to make sure that I use products that are fragrance-free and without parabens and other yucky ingredients that many companies still put into their products.
What Are Your Essentials?
What were some of your must-have products for the second trimester? I would love to know! Please share them in the comments!
If you haven’t already, check out my previous post on essentials for the first trimester and also 12 important things every expecting mom should do in the third trimester!
I also have a Hospital Bag Checklist that includes all the things you actually need to take to the hospital to have your baby. I’ve compiled it into a printable checklist for your convenience. Fill out the form below to get it sent directly to your email!
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