Second Trimester must have items, tips and expectations to make it through the second trimester.
The second trimester is arguably the best trimester. While I have only made it to the second trimester two out of my four pregnancies, I can say this trimester is the easiest and most enjoyable for sure. That being said, your body is changing and there are a ton of items that will help you get through the next couple of months. Here is my list of Second Trimester must haves tips and expectations for the coming months!
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting me! Read more about my disclosure policy.
First Trimester Must Haves Recap
Every pregnancy varies and some symptoms carry over from your first trimester, such as nausea. Here is a quick list of First Trimester Must Haves, for more details on each of these products, click here. A lot of the items from my previous post will still apply throughout your whole pregnancy. To skip the First Trimester, scroll down to the Must Have Items for your Second Trimester section!
- Preggie Pops
- Ginger Chews
- Sea-Band Anti-Nausea Acupressure Wristband
- Motherhood Maternity Leggings
- Motherhood Maternity Cropped Leggings
- H&M MAMA Leggings
- Leggings Depot
- Champion
- Belly Band
- Bra Extenders
- Push Up Bralette
- Hanes Wirefree Bra
- Prenatal Gummys
- SmartyPants Organic Prenatal Vitamins
- Vitamin D
- Probiotics
- Cranberry Pills
- BellyBottle Weekly Tracker
- Half Gallon Time Marker
- One Gallon Time Marker
- Expecting Better
- Ovia Pregnancy Tracker
Must Have Items for your Second Trimester
Pillows
Let me tell you I have been struggling with this as of late. I tried A LOT of items and did a lot of returns… Pregnancy #1 and #2, I never got to the stage where it became uncomfortable to sleep, it wasn’t until Pregnancy 3# and probably about five months in before I started to think about a pregnancy pillow and then finally bought one in month six. Way too late.
Luckily, I nailed it on the first try and that pillow got me through the rest of the pregnancy and to be honest a long time after. I fell in love with this pillow and used it post pregnancy (I had a cesarian) and had a really rough recovery, (more on that later) and this pillow helped me through it. When pregnancy #4 came around I didn’t even hesitate I started using the pillow right away.
Pregnancy U-Shaped Body Pillow: There are so many pregnancy pillows out there and I like this one because its U-Shaped so you have support on both sides and it doesn’t automatically curl at the bottom so you don’t have to have it between your legs/feet if you don’t want too. You can adjust the filling for optimal support.
Now that I have gushed over this pillow enough, let me tell you what happened this time around. By about week 14, I was super bloated, pregnancy insomnia kicked in, and I could NOT get comfortable in bed anymore. One of the things that happens usually during your third trimester is having to get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night because your bladder is being sat on by a baby, haha. This started super early for me this time and I am up at least once a night now and I was having a really hard time going back to sleep after getting up to pee.
This whole routine was making me exhausted during the day and I felt like I needed to adjust my sleeping situation. I ordered a whole bunch of other types of pillows to no avail. One of the things I wished I had had last time around was some sort of wedge to put under my belly when sleeping on my side. The pregnancy pillow itself is too big to shove under there. So I recently found this and its worked pretty well.
Pregnancy Side Sleeping Pillow: This thing is great for two reasons. It’s two sided, so you can flip over if needed and not have to take the pillow with you to the other side. It’s also detachable. Currently I am only using one half of the pillow and i shove it in between my belly and the U-Shaped pregnancy pillow so that I can lay on my side but lifted up a little. Hard to explain but you just need to figure out whats comfortable for you.
I had to make this adjustment because while I am usually a side sleeper to begin with, I am actually the most comfortable on my back when pregnant, but you are not supposed to sleep on your back so this allows me to be side facing but not fully on my side.
Reading & Lounge Cushion: Another must have item for me during pregnancy is my lounging pillow. I use this on the couch and in bed when I want to sit up. Its a lifesaver and also my son loves it now too 🙂
Skincare
Belly Butter: I LOVE the Burts Bees Mama line. This comes with the cream and the oil, I used a combination of both. Order this as soon as you start to see any kind of bump forming and use it DAILY!
Chapstick and Aquaphor: I have a severe chapped lips issue when I am pregnant and could not live without chapstick. I like the brand SoftLips for every day wear (plus it has SPF in it) and I have one in my purse, diaper bad, car, by my bed and probably every room of the house. When it gets into the colder months I have to switch to Aquaphor, especially at night, when the chapstick won’t cut it anymore.
Heartburn & Constipation
Tums: If you havent already purchased some, stock up on Tums. You never know when the pregnancy heartburn is going to kick in or the extreme bloating, constipation, etc. I have a bottle of Tums in the kitchen, in my purse/diaper bag and by my bed. I like these ones the best:
Colace: If you have not already experienced Constipation in your pregnancy it will probably show up by your second trimester. One of the many reasons I take a probiotic (refer to your doctor on this one), but Colace is the go to for Constipation during and after pregnancy. Stock up on this now.
Clothing
By now you might be feeling uncomfortable in your regular clothing and have a small baby bump. This is definitely the time to get some maternity bottoms for sure. Most of my shirts still fit throughout both of my second trimesters, but I do not wear super fitted tops to begin with so this wasn’t an issue.
Maternity Leggings: I went over this in my First Trimester post, but these are my two favorites:
Joggers: For the Second Trimester I definitely recommend getting actual Maternity Joggers. Here are my favorite ones at the moment, I have multiple colors. As always with any clothing on Amazon, I always recommend reading through the reviews to see what sizes people bought based on your height and weight, etc. Maternity clothes are a little different on the sizing and some are made based off size prior to getting pregnant and others are more based off what you are at the point in time of the pregnancy. So read the reviews before you purchase 🙂
Liu & Qu: They come in multiple colors and are so comfortable.
Sleep Shorts: Essential for the warmer nights and just to wear all throughout summer pregnancies. My son was born in May, and I wore these all throughout the third trimester because I ran so warm.
Cropped Sleep Pants: For those in between nights, when you don’t quite need pants, but it’s too cold for shorts.
3 in 1 Maternity, L&D, Nursing PJ Set: Comes in many different colors are great if the second half of your pregnancy is in warmer months, or if you just run warm which I did in my Third Trimester and for along time afterwards. This is also great for the hospital when you want something comfy to wear after.
Compression Socks: Pack of 4, they come in multiple different colors/patterns. Most likely you will not need these for swelling till the Third Trimester, but I recommend getting them in advance for those days that you are on your feet a lot. They really do help and make your legs/feet feel so much better. During my last pregnancy I was wearing them routinely by the third trimester and also post delivery, and wished I had them sooner.
Humidifier
Having a humidifier in your bedroom at night is a lifesaver during pregnancy. It helps with skin dryness, bloody noses and especially if you are sick. For regular sized bedrooms get this one: Pure Enrichment Mist Aire.
If you have a larger bedroom or are using this in a different part of the house and want it to last longer so you don’t have to refill it as often, then get this one: LEVOIT Large Room, 6L.
CONCLUSION
Second Trimester Must Haves are going to vary person to person and pregnancy to pregnancy. I hope this comprehensive list provides an overview of some of the items that are helpful to get through the second trimester!
DOWNLOAD our FREE Baby Registry Checklist by signing up for our Newsletter below!
For First Trimester must haves, click here.
For Third Trimester must haves, click here.
To read my journey of my second IVF Transfer, click here.
Thanks for reading and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
Leave a Reply