Your Ultimate 2nd Trimester To Do List ⋆

Congratulations momma you are beginning your 2nd trimester of pregnancy, time to do a few more things to get ready for baby. I have created your ultimate 2nd trimester to do list here so you won’t forget anything along the way. There are so many fun things to do to get ready for your baby along with a few that aren’t so fun, but very necessary to do before baby comes!

You are now on weeks 14-27 and hopefully your early pregnancy symptoms are giving you a break for a while. You should have more energy and will start to feel your little one move, which is the coolest thing about being pregnant this is called the honeymoon phase and it’s a great time to get things done while you have the energy and drive to do them.

If you are still dealing with a few symptoms here is a great article to read Everything You Need to Know About 2nd Trimester Pregnancy Pains about 2nd-trimester symptoms and how to deal with them!

In order to avoid the overwhelm I have created an easy to follow list of things that you can do week by week so let’s get started on the fun stuff!!

This post contains affiliate links see *disclosure for details

What You Need To Do In 2nd Trimester

Here is your to-do list for this trimester, most of these are going to be really fun and exciting as long as you do them a little at a time so as to not be overwhelmed. Take a week and complete each task, this will also help the time go by and keep you busy for a while. You have 14 weeks so this is doable!!

Announcing Your Pregnancy

– Now that you are past the 12 weeks that a miscarriage could happen and your chances are very slim now it is time to think about how you are going to announce your pregnancy to those that don’t know yet. Thebump.com has some fantastic ideas for you! Here are 72 Unique Pregnancy Announcement Ideas

For more information and things to consider you may like this article on When to Announce Your Pregnancy

2. Baby Items

– It’s time to start stocking up on those baby items that you need, start with the basic items like onesies, socks, burp clothes, hats, cute outfits, and then go to some of the bigger items like a crib, bassinet, chair for nursing in, changing table and diapers. You will want to stock up on the diapers so you don’t have to buy any for a while, the best way is to buy some here and there when you are shopping.

Here is an article you may want to reference on The Most Needed and Used Baby Gear

Picking out a crib is going to be one of the hardest things to do along with a stroller and car seat so give yourself plenty of time to do this one because you will probably need it. This is the crib that we finally decided on and love because it can convert into a toddler and full sized bed and it has such an elegant look to it! It has held up well with our hard on everything toddler lol and I was able to take it apart and put it together with no problems.

3. Baby Registry

– Make a baby registry and start adding items to it that you really want and need, this can be done at home or in the store and it is so much fun to do! I have a list for you of baby registry must-haves on Amazon that are items I used all the time and loved Baby registry must-haves

You should have a baby shower sometime soon while you still feel up to it, here are some super cute ideas for baby showers you can share with your host whether that is your mom or a really close friend you are sure to find some amazing ideas for a shower at Cutest-baby-shower-ideas.com: Cutest Baby Shower Ideas

4. Nursery

– You should start thinking about a theme for your nursery and how you want to decorate it. You should know by now if you are having a boy or girl unless you really want it to be a surprise, this is normally done during your ultrasound around 18 to 22 weeks.

Knowing your babies gender will make coming up with a theme a little bit easier for you, you can do so many things nowadays on the walls without having to paint (you shouldn’t be around the paint fumes at all so if you are painting, have your husband or someone else do it for you). Here is a list of adorable nursery themes you might find helpful from Brit.co: Nursery Themes

5. Baby Names

– Time to come up with some baby names that you and your spouse like if you haven’t settled on anything yet. Grab a book of baby names here and pick out a list of at least five names that you both like until you can narrow it down. You can also look at this site Motherandbaby.co.uk that has a ton of unique baby names along with their meanings: Unique Baby Names

6. Go Shopping For Maternity Clothes

– You should start shopping for maternity clothes now if you haven’t already, your clothes will start getting more uncomfortable and you will want something a little looser than you don’t mind wearing. They have a lot of cute maternity clothes out now and you can also buy them online as well if you aren’t up to going to a store to get them.

I personally love using swap.com because they have great prices and a ton of adorable pregnancy clothes, you can also buy baby clothes which are relatively inexpensive!

Other To Do Items For Your List

Yes now we start on the not so fun items on your 2nd trimester to do list but they need to get done and honestly don’t take that long to do. Do one of these a day and you can have them done in no time without having to worry about them after that.

Maternity Leave

– If you are working either at home or somewhere else you need to think about maternity leave and filling out your paperwork for short term disability if you qualify for it. Talk to your boss about how long you will be taking and figure out what you will be working when you get back to work from maternity leave, this second part may take a bit longer and you may not have to decide this right away and can figure it out near the end of your maternity time.

2. Birth Plan

– You need to start making a birth plan so that when you go to the hospital there are no surprises and your doctor and delivery nurse will know what your wishes are and what they can and cannot do. Here is a post that I wrote about how to write your birth plan and it also comes with a free outline and checklist so you can get a better idea of what to do when you write it.

You can start making your birth plan near the end of your 2nd trimester so you have it ready to go just encase you need it a bit earlier than expected, it’s good to be prepared ahead of time.

For some tips and pointers, you may be interested in reading this article on Making A Birth Plan That Works

3. Finding A Good Pediatrician

– If you don’t have a pediatrician for your baby it’s time to start your research and come up with a great pediatrician that you and your husband love and are comfortable with. You should be able to go in and talk to them if you like to get a feel for how they are or you can ask around and find one that people you know love and go to with their little ones.

We found one that my brother and sister in law went to and loved but eventually, we switched to someone else that is way better and more attentive to our needs as parents and our extremely picky toddler who actually likes her. That being said do some research on who they are online and what kind of reviews they have, this is how I found this amazing pediatrician for our son!

4. Doctor Appointments

– You are going to be seeing the doctor every 4 weeks for routine measurements and monitoring for gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. Now is the time to talk to your doctor about getting a prenatal genetic screening especially if you have some risk factors, your doctor may suggest that you do this.

If you get a positive result your doctor may also suggest getting an amniocentesis where they test your amniotic fluid and look for genetic abnormalities.

You are going to want to get immunized around this time as well especially during flu season and plan on getting a Tdap vaccine in your third trimester to protect your baby against whooping cough after he or she is born.

This article has Everything You Need to Know About Doctor Visits During Pregnancy you may be interested in reading it so that you know what to expect.

5. Sleeping On Your Side

– You are going to want to start sleeping on your side now and try to get used to it, it is better for you and your baby to sleep like this and also helps with heartburn now and later on. This also helps improve circulation to your baby allowing the blood to be brought back up to your heart by releasing pressure on the vena cava.

I have a post on how to get the best sleep while pregnant you may find it very helpful!

Final Thoughts on 2nd Trimester Pregnancy To-Do-List

Break up all the things you need to get done and take a week to work on each one if they are big things. You don’t have to do everything all at once and if it gets overwhelming ask someone to help you with some of these.

Your second trimester should be a little easier than the other two as far as energy goes, try to get these things done so you have less to do in your third trimester when you are tired and not feeling up to it.

Don’t forget to grab your checklist so you don’t forget anything!

I hope this to do list helps you get everything you need to do accomplished without completely stressing you out.

Please pin this post to Pinterest so you can reference it anytime you need to!!!

Your Ultimate 2nd Trimester To Do List