Trish: [00:00:00] Hey mama. Welcome to Pregnancy unpacked. I'm Trish, a labor nurse of 16 years, mom of seven, and your birth vesting. I'm gonna be walking you through not just baby bumps and fruit sizes, but the entire identity shift that pregnancy. C will be for you. Each episode drops every Wednesday, and we're gonna unpack what's happening in your body, what to expect, what to do, what's normal, even when it feels extremely weird, and how to actually feel supported emotionally and physically.

You're gonna hear from me where I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, but I'm gonna be cheering you on along the way. You can follow along each Wednesday because pregnancy deserves more than outdated advice and Google anxiety.

Mama, you have [00:01:00] officially entered the second trimester, and even if you still feel exhausted and a little pooky right now, or confused mentally, this moment right here, it's a big deal. You've made it through some of the hardest and weirdest, most emotional weeks of pregnancy. So now weeks 12 to 14, they're a little bridge between.

I'm just surviving and preparing. So welcome to pregnancy. In fact, your week by week Real Talk podcast where I'm guiding you through what's really happening in your body, your pregnancy, and your mind, in case you skipped through the intro. Shame on you. I'm Trish, labor nurse, mama, and mom of seven. Your birth coach who's here to help you feel ready, not rushed.

One thing to know about me, girls, I'm gonna lay out all your options. I'm not gonna pick 'em for you. That's the reason I left bedside because I was. Sick of seeing doctors telling women what to do, sick of seeing nurses saying, this is what you need to do or have to do. I want you to [00:02:00] choose. So that's why I lay it out like a buffet, girl.

You get to choose what you want and I will support you along the way. Today we're talking about what's changing. Now that you've hit the second trimester milestone, congratulations. What's happening with baby, what your next prenatal visits may include, what symptoms to expect because yes, they will still show up and what you can start doing right now to walk into labor, calm, confident, and in control.

So let's unpack it. So let's talk about baby's growth at 12 to 14 weeks. By the end of week 14, your baby is around three to four inches long, about the size of a little peach. It's your little baby peach and it weighs just over and out. That's my like little puppy baby voice is a little peach. Don't you get annoyed when someone talks like that?

Sorry, I hope I didn't annoy you. Okay, so let's talk about your tiny human 'cause. This little tiny human is developing fast, like rapid. So here's what's going [00:03:00] on inside of him or her. The placenta is now fully in charge of hormone production. Bye-bye. HCG overload.

This is why some of you might be feeling better unless you're like me with Laney. Or I was sick till the moment she came out of me. I remember she came outta me and I was like, Hmm, what's different? And then I realized I felt better finally after 41 weeks. Okay, so hello, balance. Baby's fingers and toes are wiggling.

They're wiggling in there. They're developing sucking reflex and might even be sucking their thumb or a finger and they can move their mouth around. Their vocal cords are forming so that they can talk back to you when they're a teenager. Maybe even 10. I don't know. Their digestive system is developing, swallowing, moving, practicing, and yes, they are moving a ton, even though you might not feel it yet.

We're gonna talk about this next pregnancy on fact, and I can't wait. This is my favorite. This is when baby starts to look more like a little tiny [00:04:00] human than a gummy bear or a little jellybean alien. And so when you have an ultrasound during this time, you might actually see a little person and not a gummy bear if you're scheduled for a NAL translucency scan.

It usually happens during this window as well. And that's a screening where they measure the. Fluid behind baby's neck to assess risk for chromosomal conditions like Down Syndrome, and it's often paired with blood work. So ask your provider if this screening is something that they want you to have or that you want.

It's totally optional, but timing matters because you must do it between 11 and 14 weeks. Now. Now here's what to expect at your normal prenatal visit. During this time, your 12 to 14 visit may feel more routine because you're getting used to it, but a lot of important things are still happening. So you're gonna have your weight check and blood pressure check, listen to baby's heartbeat with the doppler. And that a lot of times just [00:05:00] freaking makes it feel so real, doesn't it? To hear that little heartbeat. That sounds like a horse troll up. Or what would, what would you call it? A Gallup. A Gallup, I guess.

Review results from any lab work or genetic screenings, and they sometimes will offer you an early glucose screening if you're high risk or you had gestational diabetes in a prior pregnancy. But they'll talk you through that. You're also gonna discuss any new symptoms or questions you might have for your provider.

If you got my first trimester prep pack, you have a sheet that you can write down these questions. If not, keep a note. Send yourself some voice memo, transcribe them and make sure you ask those questions, because otherwise you're gonna be driving home and regretting or 2:00 AM you'll wake up and be like, oh my stars, why did I not ask that?

So write those questions down. Pregnancy brain hashtag pregnancy brain. You're gonna talk about your upcoming anatomy scan, which is usually scheduled for 18, 20 weeks. And if you wanna know more about that, grab my second [00:06:00] trimester prep pack. You know, I have my trimester prep packs.

We have one for second trimester, so go to labor nurse mama.com/second and you can grab that. So here's some questions to ask at this visit. When will I get my next set of labs or tests? What screenings are optional versus recommended or required or what have you? How do you feel about a unmedicated birth?

If that's what you're looking for, if you're going for a vbac, if that's relevant, talk to 'em about it. And if you guys aren't vibing with your provider, now's the time to switch. Okay. Remember, if you ever feel rushed or dismissed or pressured, it's okay to say something like, Hey, I, I wanna think about that and get back to you.

Or, and it's even okay to call them out and say, Hey, I feel like you're rushing me. Like you're not giving me time. You don't need permission to advocate for yourself. Start practicing now. I always say start early, start often. Now let's talk about what's happening inside of your [00:07:00] body because you might be finally feeling some relief, like we said, from nausea and maybe even exhaustion.

Maybe not everybody's different, but here's some things that can start showing themselves during second trimester. So round ligament pain. This is stretching sensations that you might feel as your uterus. Gross, totally common. Constipation. Thank you, Mr. Progesterone. So if you have constipation, increase your fluids, eat high fiber foods, and you can even take something called coase, which is over the counter.

Stool softener. Talk to your provider before you take anything. AKA. That's my disclaimer. Mood swings are pretty normal still because your emotions are still shifting. That's just pregnancy, girl, so you just got to get used to it. Skin changes you're, you may have some acne, you may even have some dryness or oiliness, and what's not your norm.

And that's just because of the increased blood [00:08:00] flow and those pesky little hormones. The one thing that I love about second trimester, for myself anyways, I always had increased energy, or at least a little less drag myself out of bed and to the kitchen. I. Tired. I mean, it's just different. You're gonna have some more energy.

I loved it. Some people don't experience that, but most of my friends and myself and my students, we did. So I hope you do. Bloating is another factor during second trimester. It's a problem. Gas is a problem, girl. You may toot every time you move. I'm sorry. I'm so mortified. I've never had gas in front of my husband and I would die.

I'm not that person. I always do polls on labor, nurse mama. I need to do one again of saying like, are you that girl? Will you toot in front of anyone? Do you care or do you not care? 'cause I'm the, I definitely would die. Die. So. But you might be having a lot of gas right now. I'm so sorry. You might even start to show, some of you will, some of you won't.

The more [00:09:00] babies you have, the sooner you show. I actually love when I start showing 'cause I feel so blah, and then I get that round tummy and that's like, this is why I feel so blah. Because this right here and I'm pointing at my belly, this is a really good time to start getting curious about how your body's changing without judging it.

If you're like me and you've struggled with eating disorders, it's really hard. So give yourself grace, love on this body. Remember that this body is growing, someone that you are gonna absolutely adore and love forever. So. Ask yourself like, what do I need? Where am I holding some tension? And how can I support my body through this?

All right, girls, you are not in emergency survival mode anymore, which means you can start thinking about preparing with more intention. And so here's what I recommend during this window. And number one, download the second trimester prep pack. I made this for exactly where you are right now. Once you download it, you're gonna be in my ecosystem.

You're gonna get my newsletter if you [00:10:00] put in your due date. You are going to know exactly what you need to know. Each week. I'll send you a weekly update and I'll send you some extra emails here and there. You're gonna find your second trimester checklist. Some questions to ask at your next appointment, inside, you're gonna find a fetal kick count. You're gonna find a registry checklist and a 20 week ultrasound guide. You're gonna find a lot, so you'll love it. So grab it@labornursemama.com slash second. Now, for a lot of you guys. You're gonna wait till last minute and be like, oh my God, I need to take a birth course now.

But you don't have to wait. One thing about the Labor Nurse Mama birth classes is it starts from early pregnancy all the way through postpartum. So now is the perfect time to start because you've got brain space. You don't feel like crap. You've got time to absorb and the ability to practice what you learned.

So you've got a couple options. We've got our full on birth classes, which is calm labor, confident birth class, or the VBAC lab. Comprehensive [00:11:00] video-based education. You can listen to 'em on the go. Watch 'em when you want to stream 'em to your tv, access them through the app. It covers mindset, interventions, labor positions, postpartum more.

And if you wanna dive deeper and be fully confident, it also includes some partner prep and done for you planning. Everybody who joins my classes gets 30 days free, and my MAMA membership which is where all the magic is happening. We also have two to three pregnancy hangouts with MO on Zoom every month where I can answer your questions and really help you go deeper and get prepared for this baby.

The sooner you do that, the better. The other option we have is Brand Senka new and it's. The calm Labor Confident Birth Pod. It's an audio based birth class. Easy to binge on the go. Great for you for learning and mindset building. It includes some printable guides and an ebook, and it's perfect if you want clarity now without the.

Overwhelm both of the classes you can access through my app, and [00:12:00] we teach you how to do that once you join. So make sure you pay attention to your welcome emails. Don't ignore them, and you can choose the one that fits your life right now. You can choose the one that works for you. Go to labor nurse mama.com/calm for the full birth class, or go to labor nurse mama.com/guide for the birth pod. It's totally up to you, girl. We've got so many options with either one. You can add on the labor bat signal, which once you hit.

36 weeks, you have direct access to me and a doula inside of a telegram chat. That'll be just us very intimate. We'll support you from 36 weeks to eight weeks postpartum. Choose the one that fits you. That's up to you, girl. Now remember, now's also the time to start building your birth team, so ask your provider deeper questions.

Interview doulas. Do not just sign one up, have an interview. How do you connect? If you don't connect now, you're not gonna connect. Then book a consult with a pelvic floor PT [00:13:00] or a chiropractor. You want a Webster certified chiropractor. If you're experiencing pain or discomfort, I really recommend you do them both either way.

So your team doesn't just mean your provider, it means anyone helping you feel supported, grounded, informed. I wanna be a part of your team. All right. Also start thinking about your birth vision. Not a full plan yet, but your vision. Like, what do I want? How do I wanna feel during my birth? What kind of energy do I want in the room?

What support do I need to feel calm and confident? That's where your plan begins. Now during this time of pregnancy, this is where a lot of mamas start to feel fearful. You've cleared the first trimester, baby's growing, you feel okay, and you're like, oh my God, I have to bird. This baby birth is not something I want you to wing.

Confidence is something you have to start building so that when labor. Starts, you already know how to trust yourself and you know what to do. Not you don't wanna start preparing when that contraction starts, so your reframe for the week. I don't have to prepare out of fear. I get to prepare from a [00:14:00] place of power.

Next week, we're gonna unpack weeks 14 to 16 where some movement starts, birth team planning begins, and you finally feel ready to take ownership of your journey. But until then, download your second trimester prep pack, labor nurse mama.com/second. Enroll in your birth. Class, either birth pod or the full class You choose and take one small step towards building the birth experience you want.

Remember, you're the magic. Don't forget it, mama. I'll see you again next Wednesday. Bye for now.