Brittany Sandoval
East Regional Manager
Area Partner Tinker AFB, OK
You have officially made it to the second trimester of pregnancy! Congratulations! Your morning sickness is likely starting to subside, your energy is returning, and you may be finally getting the hints of a baby bump instead of just bloating that makes it look like you ate too many tacos for lunch. If you haven’t announced your pregnancy yet, people are likely starting to ask about that growing bump too!
The second trimester brings so much excitement. You might be finding out the gender of your baby within the coming weeks, if you choose! Being a military family, sharing your good news can really help to form a bond between your family and friends who are not nearby. A gender reveal party that is live-streamed, or packages mailed to be opened on Facetime, are a fun way to share and make everyone feel involved no matter how far away they are. Sharing your baby’s name may also help those who cannot be physically present feel bonded to your sweet bundle.
Coming into the second trimester will also change what your pregnancy appointments look like. They will be a lot more exciting as your provider will now be able to locate the baby’s heartbeat with a doppler every appointment. Videotaping or recording the sound of the heartbeat can also be really fun to share with your friends and family who cannot be there. You will be scheduling your anatomy scan coming up around 20 weeks as well! Ultrasounds will reveal less of a blob and more of your baby as it continues to grow and develop. You will be able to see them wiggle and kick around on the ultrasound and may even start to feel some of those wiggles within the next few weeks. Once those kicks get strong enough to feel on the outside, your partner, family, and friends might enjoy the chance to feel them as well. Enjoy those sweet kicks and wiggles as they will become stronger and more forceful as you grow along in your pregnancy.
The beginning of the second trimester brings so many new experiences during your pregnancy! Make sure to try and enjoy every moment as you prepare for the upcoming arrival. The next few weeks are going to be some of the best, and you will have the most mobility. As your baby continues to grow, you may start to experience different aches and pains, so get all the nursery painting and furniture built while you still can. Most importantly, start to scope out support professionals for your pregnancy and postpartum journey, research the newest items for your registry, and reach out to your local MilitaryMommies Area Partner to get the process of getting your pregnancy support items ordered. Building your network of support early in pregnancy helps to relieve some of the stress and worry as you go further along and get closer to holding your baby. We are here to help!