I think the 2nd trimester is the best one when it comes to feeling good and having more energy, you are almost midway through now and can enjoy being pregnant! You may have some pregnancy pains in your 2nd trimester but nothing like the first or third. Here is what to expect in the 2nd trimester when it comes to pregnancy symptoms.
Your 2nd trimester is from week 13 to 27 and one of the best phases in pregnancy, most of your morning sickness, moodiness, and exhaustion has subsided. It the most fun part because you get to feel your baby move for the first time and have a more detailed ultrasound which is really exciting!!!
This post contains affiliate links see *disclosure for details
2nd Trimester Pregnancy Pains and What To Expect
-
Cramping
You may notice more stretching pulling symptoms in your belly due to your growing uterus and the stretching of ligaments and muscles, this is very normal and not really painful.
This is called round ligament pain caused by your ligament a muscle that supports your uterus to stretch and you may feel sharp, stabbing pain or a dull ache in your lower abdomen.
Nothing to worry about, these are all normal 2nd-trimester pregnancy pains and maybe felt more so after a few pregnancies due to scar tissue being stretched.
-
Itchy Skin
It may be annoying when it comes to itchy skin at this time but nothing a little cocoa butter can’t take care of, honestly, I swear by this stuff (not one stretch mark after having two babies).
-
Baby Movement
The best part about the second trimester is getting to feel your baby start to move and kick along with some annoying hiccups from time to time, but they are cute! It makes being pregnant a lot more real when you finally feel the signs of life you only could hear at the doctors’ office.
-
Hard to Breathe
One of the worst pregnancy symptoms is shortness of breath as you walk around, it is totally normal but not a fun feeling. Your baby is growing and as they grow your lungs are starting to get squished by all of your organs. There isn’t a lot that can be done about this except to take it slow and if you feel dizzy sit down for a little bit.
-
Smaller Stomach
As the weeks go on it will be harder to eat as your poor stomach will be squashed by everything and not have room for a whole lot of food not to mention the fact that digestion is not up to speed so the really full feeling won’t go away quickly.
The best thing to do for this is to eat smaller meals more frequently so your not super full and won’t be starving either.
-
Back Ache
You may experience a backache due to the added weight you gained in the last few months making it achy and sore. Try to sit up straight as much as you can and use a good chair with great back support. Avoid picking up heavy objects and wear low heeled shoes that have great arch support.
A good foot massage can help with this either a professional or your significant other. You can also soak in a bath to help relieve the tension, I like to use pink stork flakes bath salts they work really well!
For more help on dealing with backaches during pregnancy, this article may be super helpful for you 13 Ways To Relieve Back Pain During Pregnancy
-
Bleeding Gums
You may or may not have this side effect from being pregnant but some women have bleeding and swollen gums from hormone levels sending more blood to their gums. If you do have this try using a softer toothbrush and don’t go crazy with the floss until after your pregnancy.
-
Breast Tenderness
As your breasts grow they may be more tender and sensitive so make sure you have a good well fitting bra to wear.
I wore a sports bra for most of my second trimester just because it was more comfortable and the wires weren’t poking into my boobs and they have some nice ones like this that have thinner straps so it doesn’t look like a sports bra. Whatever makes you more comfortable is best, so if you want a maternity bra go for it if that is what works better for you.
-
Congestion
Your hormones are making your mucous membranes in your nose swell and it is annoying! My best suggestion for this is to use a humidifier and nose spray called xclear which works awesome when it comes to allergies and congestion even after pregnancy, our two year old uses it as well. I love it because it is all natural and lasts a long time.
-
Hair Growth
You will experience hair growth and not always where you want it to go so be on the lookout for some hairs on your face that weren’t there before and other strange places as well. Unfortunately, this won’t go away so you may have to tweeze, or laser remove some of these, later on, I don’t recommend doing them during pregnancy except the tweezers.
-
Headaches
It is common to get headaches during this time and a lot of them are caused by hormones and not drinking enough water. If you do get these you will be able to take Tylenol if it is bad enough but don’t recommend Ibuprofen or Aspirin as they can harm your baby.
For more on how to deal with headaches, this is a helpful article you may want to read Daily Headaches While Pregnant And How To Stop Them
If you are under a lot of stress try to relax and lay down with some aromatherapy and yoga, both are very beneficial for a healthy pregnancy and very relaxing!!
-
Heartburn
One of the worst side effects of pregnancy is the terrible heartburn that can happen at any time and is just awful. The only thing that may work is to eat smaller more frequent meals and stay away from acidic foods that cause it such as spicy foods and tomato based ones.
For more help with heartburn you may want to read this article: Best Home Remedies for Heartburn During Pregnancy
The one and the only thing I found that works are to mix a small spoonful of baking soda with some water and drink it, so if it gets super bad try this it really works and works right now.
-
Spider and Varicose Veins
All your blood is increasing and being sent to your baby leaving little to help circulate in your legs, this can cause little red veins to appear on your skin. They do go away after your pregnant but aren’t fun to look at.
Varicose veins, however, are caused by low circulation and create blue colored veins to appear on your legs or ankles, they do not go away after baby so in order to try not to get them, you can take frequent walks and avoid sitting for too long. You can try to prop your legs up on a stool when you are sitting for long periods of time.
-
Pain and Numbness in Hands
You may have numbness or tingling in your fingers or thumbs and this is due to carpal tunnel syndrome, don’t freak out it will go away after pregnancy.
I am so sorry if you are dealing with this. I know all about having this and it was awful but did go away! I couldn’t open a basic jar of peanut butter or perform tasks at work that required any kind of hand strength, never had it in my first pregnancy just the last one.
Believe it or not this returned early on in this pregnancy as a symptom of early pregnancy, so if you have this happen all of a sudden after this pregnancy and a few other symptoms with it, you may be pregnant again!
The reason this is happening is the tunnel that surrounds the nerve to your fingers can become swollen which causes numbness, tingling, and pain. You can try wearing splints on your hands for support and also talk to your doctor about taking vitamin B6 which can help as well.
-
Vaginal Bleeding
You may bleed or spot after a vaginal exam or after sex, it isn’t anything to worry about and totally normal I know it may seem scary but happens all the time in the second and third trimester. The only time to worry is if it has blood clots in it and is more like your regular period, then you need to call your doctor.
-
Hemorrhoids
You may have some rectal bleeding due to constipation and or varicose veins of the rectum, sounds strange but this happens due to those lovely hormones acting on the walls of the rectal veins, causing them to relax and expand.
As your baby gets bigger your Uterus pushes on these veins causing blood flow to slow down and the veins to dilate, in short, they get squashed and irritated causing you to bleed if your constipated due to coughing, sneezing and pushing while using the bathroom.
I know this is all such a TMI but I want you to know everything that happens so you aren’t worried about it and think your weird or something. Try to use a stool softener tea to ease these symptoms, I recommend using Pink Stork Constipation Relief Tea.
You can also take a warm sitz bath a few times a day if it is really bothersome or you can use witch hazel and ice packs. It will also help to relieve those veins by sleeping on your left side with a pillow between your legs or using a pregnancy pillow.
For more help on how to sleep while your pregnant this article How To Sleep When Your Pregnant has great tips to make you more comfortable.
Final Thoughts on 2nd Trimester Pregnancy Pains
Every pregnancy is different so some of these symptoms may not affect you, which would be great! If they do cause you great discomfort follow the tips above for a more comfortable second trimester.
This is the honeymoon phase of your pregnancy so make the most of the energy you have and get things done that you have been putting off before you get into your third trimester and have no energy again.
Pregnancy can be so miserable at times, hopefully, yours won’t be that way now that you know how to get relief from some of those pregnancy pains. I hope that you found this post to be super helpful and if you have any more tips on how to get through the 2nd trimester I would love to hear your advice!!