Rachel MacDonald

Today, I’m thrilled to be sharing some of the highlights and points to note from weeks 13 to 27 of my pregnancy.

Before we do that though, if you haven’t read the first post in this series yet, head right over here to get caught up: The First Trimester.

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Second trimester notables.

{23 weeks  |  26 weeks}

SUPER HUMAN ENERGY.

If I could have bottled the get-up-and-go from my second trimester, I’d be making paper planes out of $100 bills and sailing the Med in my super yacht by now. HOLY MAMA. 

All I can say is thank goodness it arrived by the truckload, as these middle months were some of the biggest of my life, especially when it came to my business.

To scratch the surface, the second trimester saw me:

// Jointly running our biggest B-School partner program ever, including a private Facebook Group, weekly Q & A’s, comprehensive emails AND a two-day live event in Sydney.

// Coaching more one-on-one clients than ever before in preparation for some time out of the coaching saddle while we embrace the early days of parenthood.

// Restructuring my entire Bright-Eyed & Blog-Hearted program and Member Portal, including adding a bunch of new content, writing a sizeable free eBook and…

// Preparing to launch — an incredibly exciting launch that saw just shy of 400 wonderful new souls join the now 1100-women strong BE & BH community.

You can probably deduce there were plenty of highs, and despite being stretched to maximum capacity with long hours at the computer and deadlines a-plenty, it all felt wonderfully manageable. I felt more intensely focused than I had in years — purpose-FULL, productive, lit up. I was discerning on how and where I spent my time. The energy was potent, and I rode it with glee.

But, as is the nature of life, heartbreakingly there was also an unforgettable low that unfolded during this time as well — the passing of my dear friend Jess Ainscough in February.

The emotion I felt at that time is still difficult to wrap words around, so I’m not going to dive too deeply into it here, but it goes without saying that this time of my life and this period of my pregnancy was tinged with great sadness. I felt waves of anger, fire, frustration. Numbness, and possibly a touch of delusion (‘She’s not really gone.’)

Missing her beautiful smile, today and always. #blessedbyjess

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BODY MOVIN.’

I’ll preface this by saying given I’m not a qualified professional when it comes to movement, I encourage you to find someone who is if you have specific questions. Trust the cues your body WILL undoubtedly give you, and know that pregnancy is not the time for ‘amping up’… it’s for tuning in.

Personally, I’ve used exercise for health, to keep my energy elevated and to maintain my fitness levels somewhat so that getting back in the swing of things once I’m given the all clear post-birth won’t be too difficult.

As someone who is used to moving regularly and sweating it up, tapering right off has been a (mental) shift for me, but I’m pleased to say I’ve found plenty of joy in the slowness. Meandering, meditative beach walks where I chat to my little guy and rub my belly have been the absolute highlight.

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So how exactly have I moved my body since being pregnant, you ask?

For me, it’s been all about:

// Daily walks.

// Twice weekly gym sessions for 30-ish minutes a pop; a combo of elliptical training and lunging, squatting, and chest-pressing with dumbbells.

// In the first trimester, regular yoga. A big break in the second (hello, workload). In the third, pre-natal yoga.

// Occasional running up until month five, until my body told me it just didn’t feel like running anymore.

What I’m looking forward to after baby:

// Running. Ahh, endorphins!

// Yoga and Pilates barre.

// Ab exercises. How I’ve missed you!

// HYPOXI (The ultimate. More to come on this one).

Something worth noting when it comes to exercise is the presence of that clever little hormone relaxin (designed to soften and widen the cervix, whilst relaxing ligaments in your pelvis) means you’re definitely more prone to over-stretching in pregnancy.

Case in point: I went for a swim (of all things) and ended up with a whole lot of tailbone and pelvis pain after frog-kicking my legs out to the side whilst doing breast stroke. The result was me walking like a cowboy for a week — plus, I had to have THREE deep tissue massages to fix it.

Trust me when I say: go gently, friend. Your magnificent body is working hard!

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FLUTTERS AND KICKS.

Hands down one of my favourite parts of being pregnant; a sacred, ‘just between us’ experience that I know I’m going to feel nostalgic about once our babe is earth-side.

I’ll never forget the very first flutter at 18 weeks — accurately described to me as ‘like popcorn popping in your belly’ — and not long after, those sweet tickles advanced to rolls and wriggles, strong kicks and what I liked to imagine were excited little fist pumps. ;)

From the second trimester on, our break dancer / football player has done his best work when I’m lying in bed at night (walking around during the day can rock them to sleep), and I’ve seriously revelled in every movement… yep, even those painful jabs in the ribcage in the third trimester.

I believe they call that MAMA LOVE. Always present, even when it’s not pleasant. 

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CHOOSING OUR CARE PROVIDER.

My husband and I have private health cover, so when we were deciding where to birth, it made sense to go with the private hospital situated 10 minutes down the road from us — which also happens to be one of the most reputable in Australia, particularly for maternity.

Going with this option instead of using a private midwife in a public hospital (which I would have done if we hadn’t been paying for cover for the past couple of years) meant the next step was to make the all-important decision: Which obstetrician do we go with?

Being supremely conscious of energy and resonance when it comes to anyone playing significant role in my life, this process wasn’t something I took lightly and I’d say I grappled with / avoided making the choice for, oh, about a week. Maybe two.

I called friends to ask about their experiences, I did research of my own — but in the end, I went with gut feel above all else and have had no regrets with my decision.

Our first meeting with our OB was at 16 weeks, and because I’ve (gratefully) had a trouble-free, ‘textbook’ pregnancy, the monthly (then fortnightly, then weekly) appointments have been pretty uneventful affairs.

To give you an idea of what to expect if this is up ahead for you, my appointments involve:

// Checking my blood pressure and weight.

// Listening to the baby’s heartbeat or seeing him on the ultrasound to check where he’s positioned and how he’s developing.

// Ask any burning questions, and;

// Getting results of blood tests that have been taken along the way (and for me, getting the Anti-D injections I mentioned in my last post).

My husband joined me for the first couple, but after that I told him not to bother as after hanging out in the waiting room forever, I’m usually in and out of the actual appointments in under 10 minutes.

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MIND-BODY-SPIRIT SUPPORT.

A few other key people in my ‘Pregnancy Support Crew’ have been:

Tanya Goldie: Naturopath — before getting pregnant, and throughout.

Before getting pregnant, we focused on getting my body ready for baby with things such as liver and adrenal support, folate and building up my Vitamin D and B stores (I was incredibly deficient).

During — and on various rotations — I’ve supplemented with iron, magnesium, calcium, iodine, B6, zinc, Vit D, folate and fish oil.

Whether you’re planning or have already fallen pregnant, I can’t speak highly enough about consulting with a naturopath to see how to best support you and your baby on this miraculous and often, wildly taxing journey.

Lauren Dawson from Raw Beauty: Facials

I melt. There’s just so much… care.

Lauren is a total sweetheart who has most certainly found her calling — her passion is palpable, not to mention her skill — and her natural products never fail to leave my hormonal skin aglow.

Anita Crosbie: Kinesiology

Anita has been my go-to kinesy maven for a few years now, and over the course of my pregnancy, I’ve loved popping in to see her every now and then for an energetic spruce up and balance.

Tabitha from Studio Qi: Acupuncture 

I’ve only recently — as in, from 38 weeks — started getting acupuncture and BOY do I wish I’d gone sooner.

I see Tabitha for sinus congestion, something that’s plagued me for over a third of my pregnancy, and also, because I’m slightly addicted to the deep relaxation that comes when I’m propped on the massage table with needles expertly placed on my body.

OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD.

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CRAVINGS AND AVERSIONS.

GONE in the second trimester!

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GETTING EDUCATED.

There are a range of options available to expecting parents when it comes to education, and the way I’ve approached it is from a few different angles — attending a full-day intensive ante-natal class run by one of the midwives at the hospital, reading up and listening to audios on hypnobirthing and Calm Birth / gentle birthing techniques, and also, watching videos online of natural births.

Was actually watching the births confronting at first? Certainly (especially BEING PREGNANT, which adds a hefty dose of reality to the experience). Above and beyond that, though, knowledge is power and awareness is EMPOWERING, and whilst we can never ‘plan’ a birth, I’ve found comfort and confidence in witnessing the various ways it could unfold.

That might not be for everyone, but for me, it’s worked.

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19 WEEK SCAN: IT’S A BOY!

My Mum, Ramai and I are staring up at the beautiful, bouncy being on the screen in front of us and the sonographer asks: ‘Would you like to know the sex?’

YES, PLEASE, I say excitedly… knowing in my heart already.

She wriggles the device around on top of my belly again, and BAM! There we go. An ‘underneath shot’ — I’ll let your imagination piece that together — and cackles of laughter from us all as she declares with certainty:

‘Well, there’s no doubt about it, guys. That’s your son you’re looking at. Congratulations.’

Our cheeky little Leo boy, already making us giggle with his antics.

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COMFORT AND NURTURING.

From extra cuddles with my man, to baths with essential oils and Epsom salts, to wearing materials that feel beautiful against my skin (I bought the best comfy / plushy robe and have thoroughly enjoyed sashaying around the house in it) — the need to be nurtured was strong in tri 2. And has continued to be.

A couple of essentials and best purchases:

// The BellyBean maternity pillow for sleeping. Once my belly started to grow, this gave me the support I needed to sleep on my side without having my stomach uncomfortably positioned on the bed. In the third trimester, I’ve added a regular sized pillow to between my legs, positioned vertically, to help keep my hips aligned as I was getting some pelvic and sciatic pain. Getting in and out of bed — as you do often in the middle of the night for bathroom visits — has become a PROCESS, to say the least.

// I can’t speak highly enough about the Lululemon fold-over-waist tights for exercise. (I’ve never folded, I just pull the waist up). No elastic digging in as your belly expands = total winner.

// I’ve worn my Nike Free runners or Havaiana thongs (flip flops) for pretty much my entire pregnancy — mostly because my feet haven’t fit comfortably into anything else for a while! I’ll call this ‘Benefit of working from home #134’… and also the benefit of living in sunny Queensland. Take that, puffy feet!

// Comfy underwear. Maternity bras or sporty crops that mould to your body, knickers that look good but more importantly FEEL good. When it comes to pregnancy, the dental floss-style G’s are probably not going to be your number one choice… or perhaps they will be, you racy little kitten, you.

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Again, I hope you’ve enjoyed this snapshot of my journey towards motherhood. Looking forward to tying everything together with a bow with the third trimester post!

Two more things ::

1. I adored reading and answering your comments last time — thank you. Pregnancy is a time where every DAY feels laden with questions and ‘newness’, so I want to say to you: if you’ve got q’s, don’t be afraid to ask away. I’d love to offer up any insights I can.

2. Here’s the link again for the first post if you missed it :: Pregnancy Series: The First Trimester

Posted on: 10 August, 2015 | Filed under Inspiration // Empowerment | 39 Comments | ADD YOURS
Tags: pregnancy, pregnancy series, rachel macdonald