What an absolute joy it is being pregnant – such a surreal and sacred experience that’s constantly evolving and delighting as the journey progresses. In this post, I share all the highlights and notables from weeks 14-27.

If you haven’t read my first trimester post, head on over here to read about my experiences and insights.

(25 weeks | 26 weeks | 27 weeks)

Morning Sickness Relief

Having my morning sickness disappear at week 16 was just the best…I could finally begin to enjoy my pregnancy after a rough 9 weeks. There have still been moments when I’ve felt a bit nauseous but nothing like it was in the first trimester. I did randomly vomit for the first time in my pregnancy when Gav and I were away in Noosa for our Babymoon.

I think it was because we didn’t eat breakfast this one particular morning until about 11am as we were on the road, and I was feeling quite ill because of it (never again). Then when I was tucking into this yummy breakfast burrito, I suddenly flushed and felt this overwhelming wave of nausea. I dashed to the bathroom (that only had one toilet) and thankfully it was vacant as I had about 10 seconds to make it to the toilet bowl before a projectile-vomit-disaster was shared in public!

Our 19 Week Ultrasound

Out of the 3 scans we’ve had, this was by far the one I was equally as nervous and excited about. For those who don’t know, the 18-20 week anomaly scan takes a close look at your baby and your uterus (womb) to check that baby is developing normally and to see where your placenta is lying. This is also the point you can find out what the gender of your baby is…which we did.

And we’re having a girl! SO happy.

Gav and I also had our mum’s with us at this scan which was very special. Everyone was so excited that I was carrying a girl, and to our relief, everything was perfectly normal.

As I’m being looked after by a Midwife at the Family Birth Centre, we don’t require any more scans since everything was fine with this one. I do miss not being able to look at my growing baby…it’s such a beautiful, tear-jerking experience.

Back Into Exercise

After having a full 8 weeks off from training due to my all day morning sickness and fatigue, I was over-the-fricken-moon to feel energised enough in my second trimester to exercise again.

This is what I’ve been doing…

• Light full-body weights 2-3 x week for about 20-30 minutes
• Ocean swimming 1 x week plus walking on the sand to get to the beach (and vise versa) definitely gives my legs and glutes a workout!
• Yoga stretching at home (prenatal yoga/pilates I’ve begun in the third trimester)
• Plus I’ve done stand up paddle boarding a few times which I’m totally in love with. Now that I’m in my third trimester and getting bigger in my tummy and more flexible around my pelvis, my new found hobby will have to take a rain check

What I’ve Been Eating

As soon as my nausea vanished, my diet pretty much went back to normal with the exception of adding in a few more whole grains and fruits.

I’ve been enjoying eating grass-fed red meat again, lots of veggies and salads, purple and green smoothies and juices, almond milk red & dandelion lattes (both great teas to enjoy in pregnancy) and the occasional chai brew, stone fruits and berries, my homemade gluten-free granola (recipe on my Facebook page), Sarah Wilson’s Energy Meffins, organic cheddar, chicken and seafood plus I’ve become obsessed with Cocowhip!!

I’ve been eating a little bit of gluten in the form of bircher muesli and sourdough bread when my body has really craved it, but will be going 100% gluten-free now that I’m in my third trimester.

Ayurvedic Baladi Choornam Tea & Dhanwantharam Baby Pills

These two Ayurvedic ancient recipes have been my pregnancy ‘secret’, which I discovered through reading Dr Gowri Motha’s book The Gentle Birth Method. You have to order them from the UK, so a bit of an investment, but well worth it!

The tea has a calming effect on the mother and central nervous system, promotes deep sleep, regulates blood pressure, prevents fluid retention (I’ve had none), stabilises blood sugar levels, stimulates regular bowel movements (a god send!), and softens the cervix and pelvic tissues for a gentle birth.

The baby pills are potentised digestive herbs that clear the mother’s liver and gut, assisting in the digestion and absorption of nutrients. Exceptionally good for mother and baby.

My Birth ‘Plan’

It is my belief that we can have a strong preference of how we’d like our babies to be birthed and we can plan for this accordingly, but on the day it is the baby’s choice how he/she will come out.

My hope is for a natural, intervention-free water birth with the guidance and support of my Midwife, Doula and fiancé. I will have delayed cord clamping, skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth, and placenta encapsulation. I’ll also be using DoTerra Essential Oils during labour and after birth on my baby (more on this in the next blog post).

To help me prepare for my birth, I am reading HypnoBirthing The Mongan Method by Marie Mongan, listening to the hypnobirthing affirmations and meditation, doing daily positive visualisations, and will begin hypnobirthing and hypnomothering classes with my beautiful Doula in my third trimester (this has begun and I’m loving them).

I chose the birth centre over a private hospital as I knew the model of care the birth centre provides and supports would be the best option for helping my achieve my dream birth. A home birth with a Midwife and Doula present would also be very suitable, but for my first birth I felt more comfortable knowing that King Edward Memorial Hospital was right next door if intervention was necessary.

A Few More Notables Summed Up

Sense of smell – Holy mama, this really amped up at the beginning of this trimester! I could smell EVERYTHING. Gav’s cologne and deodorant (two scents I normally love), became so overpowering that I wouldn’t let him come near me in the mornings after he put them on! Thankfully, this has now passed.

Leg cramps – This common pregnancy symptom kicked in around week 17 and has continued on unfortunately. Excruciating calf cramps, mainly on my left side, that happens only at night time when I stretch or move my legs in a funny way. It doesn’t happen every night thank goodness, and taking magnesium has helped, but when it does seize up it’s very painful!

Dry skin – There was a stage when I resembled a lizard. Dry, scaly skin all over my body and face too! I found I had to keep changing moisturisers and oils to keep on top of it. For my body, I’ve been rotating the following: Coco Body Nourish Me Oil, Sukin Wellbeing Oil, Sukin Body Moisturiser and DoTerra Fractionated Coconut Oil with essential oils. Face has been: Edible Beauty Coco Bliss Regenerating Mask, Pai Rosehip Oil and Mukti Hydrating Moisturiser.

Bonding Ritual – Every night I enjoy massaging coconut oil and either geranium or frankincense essential oils into my tummy, boobs and hips whilst chatting to my baby. Both of these oils are great for stretch marks and are beautiful bonding oils. I also ask Gav to rub the oils in some evening as it’s important that he is included in the bonding process. In the mornings I use one of the other oils/mositurisers listed above as the scent of the essential oils is quite strong.

Flutters & kicks – Other than watching my tummy grow and the experience of my ultrasounds, feeling my little soul move inside me has been my FAV thing about being pregnant. It’s mostly something that my babe and I share quietly with each other, but as the movements have gotten stronger, I’ve loved sharing this sacred experience with my man.

Moving house – A very common event in pregnancy and one I’m grateful for doing in this trimester whilst my energy levels were up (but I have to say they haven’t been sky high like some women experience). We moved about 10 minutes away to a lovely new home with a lot more space. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed ‘nesting’ and can’t wait to begin shopping for the nursery :-)))

New Baby 101 – In addition to the books mentioned in my first trimester post, this book & app (written by Lois Wattis who is a registered nurse/midwife & certified lactation consultant) is a brilliant guide for the first 3 months of caring for your new baby. It has become my bible! I also love the Facebook page for further information.

And there you have it, friends! Now that I’m in the final stage of pregnancy, time is really flying by. I’m sure I’ll have lots more to share in part 3 of this pregnancy series.

Until then if you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.