15 Things to do During Your Second Trimester

The second trimester is like the golden years of pregnancy – you’re not feeling miserably sick like in the first trimester and you’re not so huge that you are uncomfortable all the time like in the third trimester. Basically, this is the time to get things done! Here is my list of things to do during your second trimester!

1. Create a baby registry: By now, you should have a pretty good idea of what baby items you need to purchase – whether this is your first baby and you’re starting from scratch or this is your second or third and just need a few items. With both pregnancies I’ve used Amazon to make our baby registry because you can add literally any item, brand, and size that you can think of, and they tend to have the best deals on everything. They also give you a 10% discount on items that aren’t purchased which can really add up on more expensive items like car seats and strollers!
2. Go on Vacation: Now is absolutely the best time to go on vacation! Flying or driving somewhere in your third trimester usually isn’t recommended by doctors because sitting for long periods of time can be detrimental to blood flow and can cause a lot of discomfort. You also don’t want to be the woman who’s water breaks on an airplane so it’s best to not chance it! You want to go somewhere when you can still walk comfortably and enjoy being out and about all day without getting super tired too. We usually babymoon when I’m 25-28 weeks and that has been perfect every time!
3. Deep Clean your Home: Like get down in the nitty gritty crevices and clean the places you normally don’t get around to! Clean baseboards, pull out appliances and clean behind those, empty out cabinets and wipe them down, de-clutter drawers, nightstands, and cabinets (read more about de-cluttering here), dust ceiling fans, clean underneath the bed and inside the closets, etc. Get out of the house for a few hours and have your husband clean the oven (toxic fumes) the fridge, and the showers. If you get the deep cleaning done early, you can keep lightly cleaning until baby gets here and you don’t have to worry about trying to bend down and get into tough spaces when you’re really big.
4. Have your carpets cleaned: Either rent a rug doctor from Wal-Mart, or have a professional come by and clean all the carpets in your home. We get free carpet cleaning when we renew our lease every year, but it was our responsibility to move the furniture around so all the carpet could be reached. I liked getting this done in my second trimester because I was able to help rearrange the furniture and then put it all back together the way I wanted.
5. Deep clean your car: Having a toddler means my car is automatically was dirtier than it normally would be! One day I just got fed up with it so I grabbed our shop vac and headed down to get it cleaned up. There were so many wrappers, crumbs, old snacks, water bottles, toys, receipts, and articles of clothing in my backseat I couldn’t believe it! I’m so glad I got this done early because it turned out to be an all day task! Later that day I went to Wal-Mart and bought a dust buster so I can stay on top of  cleaning up the inevitable toddler crumbs without having to drag out the big vacuum every time.
6. Buy heavy baby items: Like the crib, the swing, the dresser/changing table, and any other big item that you want in baby’s room. I made the mistake of waiting to buy some of these items until I was almost due with Reagan and we had to recruit our neighbors to help Jared move things into the house because I couldn’t lift more than 20 pounds.
7. Set up the nursery: Along those same lines, get mostly everything set up the way you want in the nursery early on. I’m super nitpicky about how we arrange our furniture and I tend to change my mind really often (Jared loves this about me). After I set up Reagan’s room initially, I’m pretty sure I changed it three times before finally being satisfied with everything. Setting up early and trying everything out ensures you have the spacing that you want between items and gives you a chance to familiarize yourself with how everything works. A big thing for me (I’m OCD so keep that in mind) was finding the perfect place for the rocking chair where I could rock comfortably without hitting the wall behind me or hitting any furniture in front of me.
8. Sign up for hospital classes: These can fill up fast, and there usually aren’t a lot of different times to choose from. I delivered Reagan at a small hospital so we didn’t need to take a tour because it was very easy to find where we were supposed to go. This time, I’m delivering in a huge hospital that is also right in the middle of a bunch of different hospitals and medical facilities, so I signed us up for tour so we know exactly where to go. The tour isn’t until four weeks before I’m due (I signed up a little late) so hopefully we make it until then!
9. Make baby shower plans: If someone has offered to throw you a shower, now is a good time to decide on a theme, location, date and time, and guest list. Your shower will probably be in the next couple of weeks, so enjoy the party planning process now!
10. Stock up on maternity clothes: You’re only going to get bigger from here on out, so make sure you have enough seasonally appropriate clothes to get you through the rest of your pregnancy. It’s no fun going shopping when you’re huge and nothing fits, so try to stock up now and if you find something you like, consider buying it in two sizes!
11. Set up a savings account: If you haven’t already, set up a savings account for when baby gets here. There are a lot of unexpected expenses those first few weeks so having the money already set aside makes that easier. We have an automatic withdrawal from our paychecks each week go to a special savings account so we never even miss that money. And $50-$100 each week doesn’t make a huge difference in our budget, but it adds up very quickly over the course of 9 months! If you won’t be getting paid to take off work, this is a great way to set aside the money that you won’t be earning so it’s easier to pay bills when you’re out on leave.
12. Stock up on diapers: Search for sales and stock up when you see them! Amazon frequently has amazing deals on diapers and whenever I see them I always buy a box or two in whatever size in on sale and store them in an extra closet. I didn’t do this with Reagan, and often paid way too much for diapers because we were about to run out. Now I have a closet entirely devoted to diapers but I’ve saved  a lot of money!
13. Take lots of pictures: Document that bump! I said I was going to be better at pictures this time around and I think I’ve actually been worse, but I try to get a few taken at least once a month! Plus, it’s really fun to compare belly size from pregnancy to pregnancy!
14. Work on your pregnancy book/journal: I used Shutterfly’s template to make a pregnancy journal and I love having that keepsake! It’s super easy to plug pictures and stories into their templates and at the end you have a really cute and artsy book that didn’t take much effort at all.
15. Get your hair done: They say that it’s safe to get your hair colored while you’re pregnant but the smells and uncomfortable chairs might start to bother you when you’re further along in your pregnancy. I prefer to go in my second trimester so I’m good until after baby is born.

Check out my post on Second Trimester Must Haves here. I can’t believe I’m already into my third trimester! I know this is the one that goes by the slowest so I plan on doing a post on ways to stay busy in your third trimester.