Second Trimester Maternity Must Have's

Body Oil // Slide Slippers // Robe // Massage Gun // Belly Bottle // Animal Print Pajamas // Bumpin Blends // Prenatal Vitamin // Align Leggings // Compression Socks

Well, time seems to be flying by! I can't believe I'm already almost a month into the third trimester and so close to meeting this little boy. As soon as I hit 28 weeks and we came home from our Vermont trip, I had this intense urge to get everything ordered and in place for the baby asap. I kept having dreams that he was coming early, and that we didn't have a bassinet or crib for him so he had to sleep in the car seat on the ground next to us! Anxiety much? Anyway, I'm staying home more now than I ever have, and most of my attention is baby focused these days. But, I wanted to share a little insight into how the second trimester went for me and what I couldn't live without. I've talked to so many of you who are also in this same season and if you're anything like me - you're looking for all the helpful tips and advice. I think I've researched more about pregnancy and babies in the last 8 months than any other topic in my life! I also kept track of how I was feeling week to week at the end of this post - I did this more so as a means for me to look back on if I ever get pregnant again and can't remember what certain stages looked like but, I thought it could also be beneficial for some of you. Here's what got me through this stage of pregnancy:

Body Oil // I'm trying my best to prevent stretch marks and skin inconsistencies, and have used this brand and oil throughout pregnancy! I have all of their "mama" line and can't say enough good things about it. 

Slide Slippers // The arches of my feet are almost flat thanks to the hormone relaxin. Because of this, my feet hurt all the time - even when I haven't been on them long enough to hurt. I snagged these slippers during the Nordstrom sale and have noticed when I wear them around the house vs. going barefoot on the hardwoods, my feet don't hurt! 

Robe // With a growing belly, all I want to wear are things that are comfortable. I put this on first thing in the morning every morning, and no matter how big my belly is - it fits. I also bought this with post pregnancy nursing in mind, and it will be coming with me to the hospital as well. 

Massage Gun // Oh the aches and pains... this is a splurge, but it feels so good over my achey back. Shane runs it over my neck and back for 10 mins before bed, and it really helps alleviate the pain. 

Belly Bottle // Our doctor said I should be consuming 90 oz. of water a day while pregnant or you're depleting the baby of fluids. I've never been good with drinking enough water until I got this bottle! It's specific for pregnancy, has the time of day stamped down the sides so you can hold yourself accountable to drinking enough, and comes with fun little stickers for each week of pregnancy that tell you how big the baby is.

Pajamas // These are hands down the best pajamas of all time. I had the shorts version of them prior to pregnancy and you've probably seen them on my Instagram several times but the long sleeve/long pant version is a game changer. These are the pajamas I will be taking to the hospital with me, and the button front is great for nursing as well. They also last for forever!

Bumpin Blends // I saw these on cmcoving's instagram stories and decided to try it as she's pregnant too. They're so easy to make, and each flavor option has something good for you and the baby in it! I mainly chose the options that were good for hydration, sleep, and energy and have really enjoyed them all. The link gives you $15 off your first order, too!

Prenatal Vitamins // This is an obvious one, but these are the best brand to go with in my opinion! They don't make me nauseous, and it has everything you need in 2 capsules so you don't have to take anything else in addition to them. Use code "CHEEKYBEEN" for 10% off.

Align Leggings // The best leggings for pregnancy (and in general)! I've tried maternity leggings and I still like these the best. Not to mention, I'm still wearing my pre-pregnancy pairs and they fit fine which is really nice! I did go buy a couple more in one size up to accommodate the third trimester bump size, but it's so nice that I can wear these post pregnancy too! Worth every penny.

Compression Socks // These help so much with some of the swelling I'm experiencing. They also help with the feet hurting issue. I've been warned that the swelling can also linger for a few weeks post baby so i'll also be packing these in my hospital bag.

Second Trimester Symptoms

Week 12 - Started out feeling 100 times better than previous weeks, but as the week went on I felt extremely exhausted again with bouts of nausea throughout a few of the days. I honestly think I sort of overdid it over the weekend. We had dinner with friends Friday and Saturday night, and a BBQ wedding festivity for another couple we are friends with Sunday and overall, it was a ton of stimulation and activity my body just wasn't used to anymore.

Week 13 - We went to the beach this week and like my first trimester, something about being at the beach helps with all the symptoms. I ran for the first time since April this week (it's the last week of June), and while it was a major struggle pace wise, It felt amazing to be able to run again. Only real symptoms this week are lots of round ligament pains in my lower abdomen, but that's normal.

Week 14 - It's weird, everyone says you get so much of your energy back in the second trimester but I am still feeling super exhausted! Other than that, symptoms are mild.  The nausea is gone which I'm so thankful for and I was able to run 3 times this week, but by mid afternoon mama needs a nap!

Week 15 - Gender reveal week! It's a boy! Sunday was probably the busiest day I've had since I got pregnant with running errands to put the party together. I think I was running off of lots of adrenaline because I powered through the entire day without feeling tired for a change. However, I've been reaping the fruits of my labor all week this week with sore muscles and random aches and pains from Sunday. Dialed it back on the workouts this week to give my body some time to rest and recoop after this weekends events. Sleeping has been a challenge as I'm super congested at night and it wakes me up between 4-5 AM for over an hour each night.

Week 16 - My main symptoms this week are still struggling with sleep and feeling exhausted which is resulting in a lack of motivation as well. I took a few days off from working out at the beginning of the week to listen to my body. I woke up at 2:45 AM when baby did a full flip or kick or something in my stomach mid week! It was a feeling I had never felt before, and had me wide eyed and bushy tailed! Being able to feel baby boy is so exciting.

Week 17 - Not much has changed from week 16. I'm still so incredibly tired, and wide awake in the middle of the night. I'm one of those people who gets emotional when I'm too tired as well. Craving buffalo chicken wraps like crazy these last few weeks!

Weeks 22-23 - I've felt pretty consistent throughout these weeks. My energy seems to be pretty normal again! My sleeping habits are still pretty irregular. Some nights I sleep like the dead and then others I'm wide awake making hot chocolate at 3 AM. Biggest pregnancy symptom these last few weeks are swelling in the feet and ankles. The arches of my feet are basically flat so they're bothering me daily, and I still can't breathe very well at night which wakes me up as well. Dreams are also super vivid and wild. Current craving - sweets, and nachos. LOL. 

Week 24-27 - I spent two of these weeks in Vermont. We drove 15 hours from Charlotte to avoid flying during the pandemic. I had major swelling in my feet and ankles from traveling - the worst I've experienced yet. Other than that, my energy has been amazing these last few weeks! I worked out 5 days a week, and hiked 5.5 miles and 3400 feet in elevation. Feeling the best I've felt yet! Only negative is I started experiencing migraines daily in week 24, however - they went away in Vermont and returned when we got home. 

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What I eat In a Day - 3rd Trimester

I'll be honest, I've never been a big grocery delivery person until this year, but I'm not sure what took me so long because it's the most convenient thing of all time, and less expensive than roaming the aisles with a hungry belly. In my recent Q&A on Instagram Stories, I saw several of you were curious about my pregnancy diet. While it's a little all over the map, the third trimester has at least brought some normalcy back into my life so I thought it would be fun to share my latest grocery haul from Walmart using Walmart+. If you're not familiar with Walmart+, it's a new membership Walmart recently launched with benefits like free unlimited delivery (with a minimum purchase of $35, and other restrictions may apply), member prices on fuel at Walmart and Murphy gas stations, and access to mobile scan & go. It's not just for groceries either, you can get tons of items delivered from your local store - including diapers and wipes, which I have a feeling we will be taking full advantage of in the near future. The membership costs $98 a year or $12.95 per month and includes a 15-day free trial so you have the opportunity to see if you like it! Sign up for the free trial here. 

Anyway, on to a typical day of eating for me during pregnancy! I'm fairly regimented with food, so this is pretty accurate on a day to day basis - however, I'm also fully giving into the cravings when they come up.

Breakfast

I normally make an egg white omelette with goat cheese and sautéed spinach! I do 1/2 cup of egg whites, half a package of spinach, 1 oz of pasteurized goat cheese and a little salt and pepper. We were out of olive oil and spinach, so you'll see that was part of my Walmart+ order this week. This breakfast is packed with protein and healthy fats while still being lower in carbs.

Snack

My digestion has slowed way down, so you'll see I eat a bunch of smaller meals throughout the day. My coffee intake is less than half of what it was prior to pregnancy, but if I'm feeling like I need an energy boost I'll make a latte at home with oat milk - we really like the Planet Oat Oat Milk brand the best (pictured in my order above). Shane also drinks coffee at home, so we go through this frequently. Typically I pair my latte with half of a homemade muffin, or some type of fruit. Fruit has been a big pregnancy craving for me hence the apples and mango in this weeks order.

Lunch

Lunch varies based on what we ate the night before. My days have been nonstop lately, so it's easy for me to just reheat something and helps me eat healthy. I like to make extra servings at dinner for this reason. Sometimes it will be sheet pan lemon chicken, broccoli, and tri-color potatoes, other times its ground turkey spaghetti bolognese or turkey taco bowls (shredded lettuce above is for turkey taco bowls). We love the Rao's marinara sauce for this which you can also find at Walmart!

Snack

My afternoon snack is almost always greek yogurt and blueberries with a little granola. I used to have food allergies and had to do cashew milk yogurt for the last year or so, but with pregnancy those have gone away (yay!) so I'm fully embracing eating the Dannon Light & Fit greek yogurts. They're packed with protein, low in sugar and carbs and they're the perfect sweet treat while also being a healthy option for baby. I have quite the sweet tooth these days!

Dinner

As I mentioned above at lunch, we usually rotate through turkey chili, turkey taco bowls, sheet pan chicken and broccoli, shrimp scampi, veggie noodle bolognese etc. It sort of depends on the week and what we are feeling, but we try to eat clean, healthy, and at home as much as possible. 

Paper products

Paper products are so much less expensive at Walmart, and with the Walmart+ membership I've found they're always in stock for delivery making it the most affordable and convenient option for us. With the pandemic, we're both working from home nonstop, so we are going through these products much quicker than before - it's nice to save a little money where you can! I'm fairly picky about paper towels and we love the Viva brand.

Don't forget to check out Walmart+ and the benefits available in your area here! We love this membership. 

*Thank you to Walmart for sponsoring todays post.

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