I am officially 4 months pregnant and a few weeks into my second trimester and I feel completely different. My workouts have improved, but the hunger has started to become more real. I was always a hungry person, I would eat every 2-3 hours, but now I just need to eat a little more at each meal in order to be full.
During my lower body workouts I am really focusing on my glutes (aka butt) and hips because it is important to have a strong pelvic floor, glutes and hips for the weight of the baby during pregnancy and when it comes to childbirth.
The exercises I do every week are:
-Wide stance squats (These also work the core. Core strength is vey important for pregnancy and helps in recovery as well) -Banded side steps -Lateral leg raises -Hip abductor machine -Sideways leg press
*It is very important to get clearance from your doctor to do any kind of exercise.
Just because I am able to do this exercises pregnant does not mean everyone can.
One thing I have now that I didn’t really have in the first trimester is the fatigue. I wasn’t really that tired in the first trimester, but now I take naps a couple times a week. It’s always been really hard for me to take naps, but now they come so naturally. Also, towards the end of the 15 weeks and into the 16 weeks my belly has changed. It has gotten bigger and firmer and it feels like it just happened over night.
I have started to rub oil and lotion on my belly (and everywhere else that will stretch) since it seems to be going through growth spurts now. I am using Mother’s Special Blend Toning Oil and Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula. I put the oil on first then the lotion so I don’t get oil all over my clothes and sheets. I know this will not prevent stretch marks 100% it also is affected by my lifestyle while pregnant, the rate of weight gain and genetics, but it can’t hurt to try, plus it smells amazing.
My food aversions have started to ease, I am eating a little bit more meat (chicken is still grossing me out though unless it is in a sauce) and I am drinking half decaf coffee a few times a week. This food aversion eased just in time for the Pumpkin Spice Latte season ;).
I still cannot stand cheese; it grosses me out just thinking of it. This is probably a good thing because dairy was always a trigger for my face breaking out and speaking of that, I spoke to soon about my clear complexion coming back. There are weeks where I have breakouts then they go away. I am definitely falling into both categories of the old wives tales on if I am having a boy or a girl, but we will know soon! The end of September!
Changes I am experiencing:
Aversions: CHEESE
Cravings: None
Mood: Tired
Weight gain: 7lbs total so far
Sleep: Enjoying the time I can lay on my back till I can’t.
Things I eat a lot of: Kale, banana, berry and yogurt smoothie and chia overnight oats with berries and pecans. I use this recipe except I use 1 tablespoon chia instead of 2, 1/3 cup oats and 1 tablespoon of yogurt instead of nut butter.
Other: Hunger! It is real….