The second
trimester – Your pregnancy Honeymoon
Once you get over the first three
months of pregnancy, the second phase (or trimester) is a breeze and most women
thoroughly enjoy this stage. If your pregnancy wasn’t planned, you’ve come to
terms with the idea of being called MOM. If this is a long-awaited pregnancy,
you may have been apprehensive about spilling the beans to CNN, but now that
you’ve reached this important milestone, it’s congratulations and smiles all
around – especially to eager-awaiting grandparents. Even morning sickness is
(usually) something of the past.
Your hormones have settled down,
your heart is coping with the extra blood load, you’re enjoying a healthy
appetite, and the baby’s vital organs are fully developed. It is only a matter of
baby growing now, and somewhere around five months, you’ll feel the first
flutters of life. Your sex life is better than ever, your man is excited about
being called dad, and you have the energy of a zillion teenagers. Your hair is
shiny, your skin glowing, and the little belly bump you’re showing is a gentle
reminder to the world that you’re special!
This time is mother nature’s
‘reward’, a little gift to you for bringing another life into this world – so make
the most of the next three months. If this is your first baby,
lazy-morning-lie-ins won’t happen for the next 21 years. So, relish them while
you can. Make time for your man – his nose will be put out of joint when baby
arrives and takes over your body, your days and nights (and entire budget).
Plan ahead; hoard gifts for Birthdays and Christmas, look for ante-natal
classes in your area, find out about day-care, read up about breastfeeding, search
for baby specials and stock-pile disposable nappies. Test-drive strollers,
google nursery décor ideas, apply for maternity leave, research maternity
benefits.
You won’t be sorry you did this when
you hit your final trimester and your energy levels slump, nausea (sometimes) returns,
and your body begins to object to the burdens of pregnancy.
Picture from my booklet: Childbirth
Education is Fun! Artist: Collette Edmonds.
