Last updated on July 9th, 2024 at 02:05 pm
Congrats mama! You made it to second trimester. Hopefully now that you are through those first 14 weeks you are starting to feel a little more like yourself again. Second trimester often has the reputation of being the “best” trimester of pregnancy and I could not agree more! Nausea should be mostly on its way out, you’ll have less food aversions, and hopefully much more energy!
These next few months are full of a lot of huge milestones in your pregnancy; from announcing you’re pregnant, to finding out the gender, feeling baby move, and growing your little bump! It really is so fun!
More energy means that it’s time to start getting some stuff done! This trimester is going to fly by before you know it, so let’s start checking things off your pregnancy-to-do list before the third trimester tiredness hits.
Below I compiled a list to help guide you through all the things you need accomplish during week 14 to 27 of your pregnancy.
Don't have time to read the whole checklist? Make sure to pin it for later!
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Find Out the Gender
Unless you were able to get a blood draw or Sneak Peak Test first trimester that told you the sex of your baby, first thing on your to do list second trimester will be finding out your baby’s gender! Typically, you will find out at your anatomy scan between 18- 22 weeks. It is possible to schedule an ultrasound for as soon as 14 weeks but be careful because if you are too early it can be hard to tell at this point. It may be better to wait until your anatomy scan, but that is up to you
My husband and I wanted to find out the gender just the two of us, so we scheduled an ultrasound with out OBGYN. This was such a fun experience for just the two of us and was relatively inexpensive out of pocket. Check with your provider and see if this is something that they offer. There are also ultrasound studios that you could contact to find out your baby’s gender.
Gender Reveal
After finding out the gender (or at least having an envelope with the secret in it!), now its time to reveal it to your loved ones. There are so many ways that you can go about this, just choose the right one for you!
Gender reveal parties are becoming ever more popular! This likely entails inviting several family and friends over where you reveal the gender to everyone (including yourselves) in an exciting way. You could do this with a cake, cannons, hitting a baseball, and so much more! The options are endless so be creative.
You can also do a social media gender reveal. This often either includes pictures from a previously thrown gender reveal party or maybe a separate photo shoot you planned yourself. Photos don’t have to break the bank. There are plenty of great ways you can take professional quality photos in your home with just your phone. Check out Pinterest for lots of ideas!
Parties or social media reveals are fun, but definitely not a requirement in your second trimester. A great way to share the news with those closest to you is to tell them in person or over the phone. If you are great at keeping a secret, you could even keep the news to yourself until the birth. However you choose to do it, it will be great!
Exercise
Hopefully now that you are entering your second trimester the morning sickness is starting to ease up a bit. If not, that’s ok! Be patient with yourself. It will get better!
Now is the time to start a pregnancy-safe workout routine to keep you and your baby healthy! Talk with your provider about workouts that are safe and appropriate for during your pregnancy. A good rule of thumb is if you weren’t doing it before you were pregnant, now is not the time to start. Meaning if you were already a runner, you probably shouldn’t start a rigorous training regime for a half marathon.
Exercise doesn’t have to be overly strenuous or extreme, just simply getting your body moving can be so beneficial for both you and baby. Start with a walk every day or try some prenatal yoga. Whatever you do, make it fun!
Try to Eat Healthy
Now this is easier said then done, but it’s important to eat healthy for your growing little human! During first trimester you probably were in survival mode just trying to keep down what you can. Hopefully the morning sickness has subsided, and you can get back to making healthy choices.
Talk with your doctor about how to promote healthy weight gain and ways to get appropriate nutrition for you and baby. You can find comprehensive recommendations for healthy eating during pregnancy right here.
Start Stretch Mark Prevention
This is a second trimester must do that I wish I had known about when I was pregnant with my first. The best way to avoid stretch marks is to prevent them before they can even start!
There are many ways to try to decrease you chances of stretch marks, but overall they all come back to keeping your skin as hydrated as possible. First, make sure you are drinking plenty of water. This is important for your overall health but will do wonders for your skin.
I recommend using a cream like this one all over your belly or an oil for stretch marks like this one. The easiest way for me to do this was each time I got out of the shower in the morning and right before going to bed.
At the end of the day, however, there really is no proven way to completely prevent stretch marks. A lot of it has to do with your genetics. Stretch marks can also occur in other areas so make sure you treat you breasts, thighs, and arms as well. Don’t be like me and start treating at first signs of marks. Prevention, prevention, prevention!
Start Your Maternity Wardrobe
Depending on which pregnancy this is for you, you may be able to fit into your regular clothes well into your second trimester. But that doesn’t mean they are comfortable! You don’t need to buy a closet full just yet, but it’s helpful to start getting a few things here and there so you aren’t scrambling when you pre-pregnancy clothes truly don’t fit. I would recommend starting out with a few basics and going from there:
- Maternity Tees—these are a must have to go with any outfit. Get a few different colors of some comfortable tops and you will be set for your whole pregnancy. These can be easy to dress up or comfy to wear around the house
- Maternity Jeans—these are an absolute must! Now they are a little tricky to find the right pair, but try a bunch and you will be sold. I loved these ones from Target. Also consider what season you will be the most pregnant in. For me it was still cold when I started to show, but I was 9 months pregnant in the middle of summer! Start looking at some maternity shorts too to make sure you are comfortable if the weather is going to be warmer.
- Maternity workout clothes—now that you are feeling a little better with hopefully less morning sickness, now is the time to make sure you keep your body healthy. Regular workout clothes really don’t give much wiggle room for a growing belly. Be sure to invest in a few items that will make exercising so much easier. I loved these leggings and wore them for several months postpartum as well! Good thing athleisure is so popular right now because these workout clothes will work great for everyday wear as well!
- Nursing friendly clothes—now this is not a requirement, but definitely should be considered. Find clothes that are both maternity and nursing friendly. That way you can get so much more wear out of them and will be comfortable postpartum as well.
Also using the hair tie trick, or investing in a Belly Band can help stretch some of your pre-pregnancy pants longer. I have friends who never had to buy maternity jeans!
Start Planning for Maternity Leave
For you working moms out there, now is the time to start planning ahead. Start looking into your employers’ policies and general maternity leaving information as soon as possible. And if you haven’t had a conversation about your pregnancy with your manager or boss, now would probably be a great time to do so. If you are like me, I was so confused as to what was required of me to have my maternity leave all squared away before I delivered. Call your HR department and they can walk you through everything.
Anatomy Scan
This is one of my favorite parts of pregnancy! When I became pregnant myself, I was surprised at how few ultrasounds you really get during those 40 weeks. So I was thrilled any chance I got to see my little guy.
Somewhere mid way through second trimester (around 20-23 weeks depending on your provider), you will have an anatomy scan. This can take anywhere from 30-90 minutes with an ultrasound tech. He or she will take all sorts of measurements and can even tell you the gender of your babe if you didn’t already find out using Sneak Peak. If you are planning on being “team green” make sure you let them know at the beginning of the appointment.
Plan Finances
Having a baby can be expensive so it is important to start budgeting now. First thought when talking about expenses and babies usually lead to the expected expenses like clothing, furniture, and the other “stuff” you’ll need for your little one.
Depending on your situation you should also consider other expenses like daycare or nannies, life insurance, future savings account, etc. These are obviously items that will be ongoing for the future, but it’s good to get a head start so there aren’t too many surprises in the future.
An important expense you’ll want to start planning for is delivery costs. Now is the time to check in with your insurance provider to figure out what will be expected for delivery. You can discuss options of where to deliver, what type of delivery you will have, and what is covered and what will need to be paid out of pocket. They may even let you put a deposit down upfront to spread out your costs. Getting these questions answered now will relieve stress after baby is here so you can relax and enjoy the newborn stage.
Test for Gestational Diabetes
Towards the end of this trimester (most likely 24-28 weeks) you will complete the glucose tolerance test, also known as the gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) test. This is an important part of keeping you and your baby healthy throughout the remainder of your pregnancy and after delivery. It involves drinking a sugary drink and then having your blood sugar tested usually with a blood draw.
If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, this could impact your diet routine for the remainder of your pregnancy to help keep your blood sugars within normal levels.
Start Your Baby Registry
Your baby shower may not be for several weeks or months, but you will want to get started on your baby registry soon! Figuring out exactly what you need can take time and lots of research.
Even if you are not planning on having a baby shower, people will likely start asking about what you need for baby during second trimester as your bump grows! Having a registry already set up and ready to go is an easy way to let family and friends know what you need.
I loved making my baby registry when I was pregnant with my son! It helped everything really feel real and got me excited about bringing home a little one.
Don’t know where to start? Here are the 9 best sites I’ve found to start your baby registry.
Start Planning Your Baby Shower
Traditionally, a baby shower is usually thrown for you by close family of friends. Do you know who will be hosting one for you? Start talking with those you have in mind about plans. You’ll need to decide on a location and date soon so that invites can be sent out with plenty of notice. If you have out of town guests, you will want to give them time to make travel plans.
Most new moms have their showers the beginning of third trimester, but there is no correct way to do it. You can for sure have one during your second trimester or have more than one! Start planning all the details now so you aren’t rushing to do it last minute.
My best advice as a labor and delivery nurse is to avoid planning your baby shower right before your due date! I can’t tell you how many patients I admitted in the few weeks before their baby shower and they ended up delivering before the party. Labor is unpredictable, but give yourself plenty of time to celebrate your babe before their arrival!
Discuss Name Options
Now that you know the gender, lists of baby names are likely cut in half! For some people, this comes super easy and both partners agree. For others, it may take several times discussing options and feeling them out for a bit because you come to a consensus. Take your time and have fun with it!
Even though we pretty much had already decided my sons name, we spent a date night on an app called Babyname my husband dubbed “Baby Name Tinder”. We swiped right and left on a bunch of different name options for both gender and had so much fun comparing with each other. Remember you are just in your second trimester. You have plenty of time to figure it out!
I’ve got several baby name lists you can check out here for inspiration!
- Old Fashioned Boys Names that Aren’t Overused
- Old Fashioned Girls Names that Aren’t Overused
- Nature Inspired Names for Boys
- Floral Inspired Names for Girls
Starting during second trimester will give you plenty of time to agree on a favorite!
Start Planning Your Nursery
This may seem a bit premature, but time will suddenly sneak up on you and this little one will be here before you know it! Start just gathering ideas of what you want in your nursery or maybe some themes. You don’t need to actually organize and decorate if you are not ready too yet, but second trimester flies by quickly!
First things first, where is your baby going to sleep? And I am talking after he or she is in your room for the first several months. Do you need to clear out a guest room or office? Or may move older children into other rooms? Start working on that now to get a space cleared out.
Pregnancy Journal
If you haven’t already started your pregnancy journal on the first trimester checklist, start now! Documenting your pregnancy is a fun way to look back at all the milestones, thoughts, and memories during each stage. You can journal on a blank notebook or follow this one with prompts to help guide you. You will want to collect little keepsakes like ultrasounds and notes from appointments. And ask your partner to help contribute as well!
Enjoy Your Pregnancy!
Many people say that second trimester is the best of your pregnancy. (I personally agree!) There is so much to do and so much preparation to start before the final countdown begins. If you follow any advice from this post, I hope you follow this; Relax, breathe, and enjoy! There is so much excitement now that you are hopefully feeling a little better that many forget to slow down and enjoy the moment. It is easy to start countdown to the arrival of your little one but remember that the experience of being pregnant only lasts a short while.
I’m not pregnant or looking to become pregnant anytime soon. HOWEVER! This list will definitely come in handy for when that day comes, it never hurts to be too prepared! Thanks so much!
Great post! Thanks for sharing!
This is truly the ultimate list! I did all of this (but exercise haha and pregnancy journal) through my third trimester and loved every bit of it!