2nd Trimester Survival Guide

As promised!! I wanted to put together a list of things that I found useful during the (BEST) trimester of pregnancy - the 2nd! During this time, a mama will probably be starting to really grow in the belly, put together the nursery and start to really think about what life with the baby is going to be like. Or at least that was my experience! (If you missed the 1st Trimester Survival Guide - go HERE!)

1. BeMaternity Tanks from Target - I have one of these in every color (white, black, nude) and wear them under a shirt almost every single day! It helps me prevent Plumber's Belly (ha!) and I've been able to get by with a lot of the shirts I already had that are swingy and loose rather than buying a bunch of new shirts. It's seamless and SO comfortable and I also felt like it gave my belly and chest some added support.

2. Happiest Baby on the Block book - I had many mom's recommend this book to me - it's all about soothing your baby. I think it's good to get started on reading soothing and sleep books before the baby comes (let's face it, you probably won't have time once the baby is already here!)

3. Prilosec - My heartburn really started kicking in during the 2nd trimester. It got so bad that TUMS wouldn't even touch it and I was awake at all hours of the night in pain. My doctor originally put me on Zantac but after talking to several moms, I switched to Prilosec once a day. I literally have not had an ounce of heartburn since starting it!! Amazing stuff!!

4. Pedicures - By the middle to end of my 2nd trimester I couldn't even think about bending over to paint my toenails. But it's more than vanity that has led me to get regular pedicures. The leg massage is great for swelling and THAT CHAIR with the back massagers is worth the price of a pedicure alone. Because your back will be hurting. It feels soooo goood.

5. Yoga DVD - I'll admit I have really reduced my exercise routine since becoming pregnant. I still walk quite a bit and I always try to take the stairs when I'm out and about. I also have used this DVD that's specifically geared toward pregnant women and really like it. It does have some challenging things (like pushups - eeps!) but the stretches are SO awesome. And there's a little dance portion I really like.

6. Lucie's List for registering - this blog is a Godsend for registering. I would tell any of my friends to not even dare registering without looking at this list. It's created by a real mama and it gives the most practical advice on the things you really need for the baby. I loved that it explained how car seats and strollers work in layman terms (I hope I'm not the only one who had no idea what the difference between an infant seat and convertible seat was!!). Anywhere you register *will* give you a list of "necessities" but it will be a list of approximately 650 items so this really helps you pare those lists down. I could go on forever how much I loved this blog.

7. Baby Names App for Phone (or book) - This is the time when deciding a name get's to be important! Joe and had a really hard time choosing names (and they're still a complete surprise to our family!). Any time we were on a road trip I would pull up this app and read names and we could spend a couple hours discussing the names. We ended up choosing some names that we had already liked for quite a while but this app helped us figure out there wasn't anything "better" out there for us :)

8. Old Navy Maternity Jeans - I have bought a lot of different brands of maternity jeans (including the pricey Pea in the Pod ones the celebrities supposedly wear) and I swear that Old Navy makes the best preggo jeans in the industry!! Even if you're like me and Old Navy jeans don't work for you when you're not pregnant, seriously give these a try! It's all I wear these days!!

Old Navy maternity jeans I scored for $4 on the sale rack!!!

Alright, mamas!! What am I missing?? I loved the comments from the 1st Trimester Survival Guide post - I missed a bunch of stuff!! :)