Hello from the second trimester!
I always thought the second trimester started at Week 12, but yet again, I am learning as I go. Some books and apps went with the Week 12 theory, while others said the second trimester hits at Week 14. I officially entered Week 14 today, so now I’m confident I’ve completed the first big chunk of this pregnancy. Cool!

I will say, I felt pretty drastically different during Week 13. Whether or not I was “technically” in whatever trimester, I felt less tired, my appetite changed a bit, and I generally felt more like myself again. Here’s a look back at Week 13!
BABY IS THE SIZE OF A…
peach, lemon, or pea pod. The apps really disagreed this week! But I took my weekly Whole Foods picture with a peach.




HOW I’M FEELING
As you can see, my skin continues to look even bumpier than my stomach (I now have loads of different pregnancy-approved products to try — thanks for all the suggestions!), and after I snapped my peach photo, I immediately thought, “PREGNANCY FACE!” I think my face has popped a bit, and I have that full-looking face many pregnant women tend to get.
But like I said, I mostly felt good this week. I felt like I had more energy and wasn’t desperate for daily 4 PM naps. I didn’t think I felt bad during those first few weeks, but I do feel noticeably better now. Just not as tired, not as nauseated (especially right when I wake up), and livelier overall. And I feel less sensitive to certain smells, like the Peter Thomas Roth face stuff I started using early in my pregnancy. The smell made me want to cry for a while, but I powered through because I’m such a warrior. Now it still doesn’t smell like flowers, but it’s NBD.
Oh, and all that bloating that was icky and painful early on has mostly gone down. I’m still a little gassy when I wake up (sorry, bedmates) and my stomach gets noticeably bigger by nighttime, but it’s fun to watch.
Brian and I went out on Sunday night (we saw the movie Blockers, which I thought looked so stupid, but I actually kind of loved it and I laughed the whole time and I cried at the end), and when we were walking to the car, Brian said it was the first time I really looked pregnant. A few other people have also commented that I “have a bump,” which I am still convinced is mostly just food, but I’ll take it.
And I can’t stop peeing.




WHAT I’M EATING
No major changes this week. Still digging carb-y stuff (plain pasta is still hitting the spot) and fruit. Still not loving most vegetables, but I’m into broccoli. Nothing fun to report here.
ON THE WORKOUT FRONT
Felt pretty good all week. I did a few Orangetheory classes and finished the Ultra Challenge (to run 33-or-something-IDK miles in the month of April), but mostly when I’m on the treadmill at OTF, I’m very distracted by my giant boobs in the mirror. I think any weight I’ve gained so far is 90 percent in there. My speeds on the treadmill are still a bit slower than they were a few months ago, but I haven’t had to make any crazy changes.




On Saturday, I ran seven miles and felt great. What a change from last week’s horrible five miles! I ran four miles down to Hoboken, then ran the Stevens Cooperative School 5K with Ellie. We had so much fun! Me and my two babies on the run! I was so happy the whole time, and still felt good enough after to spend the day at a bachelorette party. (A week prior, I ran five horrible miles and was dead the rest of the day.)




At the bachelorette party, a few people rubbed my little belly and I loved it. I know some people hate that, but I’m all about it. For now at least. (And they were people I know. Not strangers on the subway.)
I enjoyed a wonderful rest day on Sunday, and I’ll take this week easy before (hopefully) running the New Jersey Half Marathon on Sunday! The plan is to run nice and easy and enjoy it and take walk breaks and water breaks as needed. My only real goal is to beat my friend Laura to the finish, because I want to see her finish. (She’s running the full. I’m running the half.)




WHAT I’M WEARING
I’m at a point where most of my stuff, even my leggings, just feel a little too tight around the waist, but I’m not yet ready for most maternity stuff. (I bought a cute maternity dress and tried it on and I have a ways to go before that looks right.) My beloved Lululemon Enlite bras are officially too tight, and my boobs are busting out the sides of them. Plus, putting them on is a workout in itself. Thank goodness I work from home almost every day and can live in sweatpants and a bathrobe. This in-between period is weird when it comes to getting dressed.




WHAT I’M READING
The Pregnant Athlete, which my doctor recommended. I’m on page two, so check back next week for more on this one.
HOW I’M SLEEPING
Sleep is fine. Even with the pregnancy pillow (which Ellie enjoys more than I do), I still find myself rolling onto my back for most of the night, so I’m working on training myself to stay on my sides. And my dreams are still insane! Last night, I had a very real and very lovable dream about John Krasinski. And a few nights before, I remember having a dream that it was October 21 (two days before this baby’s due date) and Brian and I hadn’t purchased a single thing for the baby. No crib. No stroller. No car seat. So we are already really bad parents I guess. It’s fine.




WHAT I’M WONDERING
Brian and I had a long talk Friday night, which was really great. We talked a lot about how we were raised and what some of our biggest influences were, and talked about the most important values we want to stand by when raising our child. For me, it’s confidence. I want to help instill and nurture confidence in our child, and want to make sure to do that in the most effective way we feel possible. I was raised with a ton of praise. I was constantly told I was the best, the brightest, the smartest, the most talented. (Can you tell?) And that’s cool — I’ve never lacked confidence in many areas. But I’m also now afraid of failure and terrified by the prospect of letting people down or disappointing them. Brian, on the other hand, wasn’t raised getting a constant pat on the back. When his dad died before Brian even graduated high school, that left a huge void in many ways — namely that Brian has gone on to become super successful and will never get an “I’m proud of you, son” from his dad. (He told me this and my heart broke into a million pieces. Needless to say, it was an emotional, but really really good, talk.)




Next up: I have my next OB appointment this Friday! Always excited to see the little Wiggle up on the screen! And then hopefully running 13.1 miles on Sunday!
More Baby on the Run:
23 Responses
First off, I’m loving all of your baby updates! Congratulations to y’all!!! I was wondering if you could include some of the pregnancy approved skin products you’re loving in a future update?? The first time I got pregnant I had NO idea you couldn’t use certain things. Now that I’m having a take 2 I’m on the hunt for some great pregnancy approved face wash!!! Thanks 🙂
Beachcoco Women’s Maternity Pants on Amazon are amazing for pregnancy and (I’m guessing) afterwards. I got two long pairs for outside wear and 2 crop pairs for PJs. They are basically flowy yoga pants. So soft and affordable, too.
I’m due 3 days after you and I’ve been using thred up- it’s online consignment and they have a maternity section. It’s really inexpensive and it lets me try different things (full panel vs. stretchy top jeans for example) and returns are free. I figure I need pants now but my regular shirts will fit for awhile.
I love your updates, so fun to read along!
Around 13 weeks was when I was ready to transition to maternity leggings and pants. Just give in- they’re SO comfy! The earlier you get them the more use you get out of them so they’re more worth the money!! Target actually had really nice Ingrid and Isabel ones!!
The fruit for each week is only the baby, I believe. All your organs move around, the uterus gets bigger and you are making a placenta. So cool to grow an organ and then discard it after baby is born!
Highly recommend the Lululemon 4 way stretch shorts with the soft band. I had an October baby and wore those all spring and summer!
The weird in between thing is all too real. So funny to read your update because my week 13 has been so similar. I’m so over pants. I gave up. Even my stretchy pants are uncomfortable. I bought some maternity stuff today but we will see what it actually fits like when it arrives. Lol!
Good luck at your race this weekend!! And everyone is proud of Brian!
My boobs were also enormous during both of my pregnancies. Victoria’s Secret has a great bra that is super supportive and clips in the front, and then zips over that, so it’s really easy to get on and off. And the zipper part gives great coverage so things aren’t busting out.
You should look into Stitchfix. It was the best while I was pregnant (especially in the beginning when nothing seemed to fit but I wasn’t ready for maternity clothes yet.) is actually still wearing a lot of those early stretchy pieces post partum. They had great stretchy jeans, leggings, etc. and then when I got bigger, they also had great maternity pieces!
Welcome to the second trimester… we made it! The part about Brian and his dad broke my heart as well… my husband’s dad passed away a few months before hubby and I met and it really makes me so sad that he is not able witness all those specials moments (wedding, BABY…). I’m sure he’d have been an amazing grandfather… Hugs to Brian from me <3 And have a wonderful fourth month!
Totally with you on confidence!
Also, google growth mindset – if your child has perfectionist tendencies, it’s very helpful (my daughter started showing she was just like her mama in this way before age 3!).
Also, we talk about our mistakes most days, I’ll tell my 4 (and 2) year old what mistakes I made during my day, so will my husband, and we praise our daughter for hers (though more often than not she says she didn’t make any – work in progress). As much as we can, we want her to understand failure and mistakes are normal and healthy so she’s not afraid to try something for fear of failure or that she’s not good enough.
Please tell Brian that WE are proud of him!
Have you read the book “Mindset” by Carol Dweck? She did a lot of research around how constant praise on kids can impact how they approach certain things later on. It was a fascinating read (I got it from work as they try to encourage their employees to adopt a growth mindset” mentality. It turned out to be one of those “life lessons” for me book. Just thought I’d share in case you’re interested in reading more about her work!
♥♥♥♥
You could easily have another two months before you’re comfortable in maternity clothes – but anything you buy for this in-between time will get plenty of wear during the (at least) equally long awkward period after the baby is born.
Love the updates, and you! Brian had the support of an incredible mom, and more than 10 years of an amazing dad, who IS proud of him!❤️
The MOST incredible mom (and so lucky to have her as a GRANDMA so soon!), and I so wish I could have met Brian’s dad. <3 I have no doubt he would be so, so, so proud of Brian.
Name suggestion: The Wiggle.
…I mean at the very least that’s a nickname and/or hashtag suggestion #babyWiggleCristiano??
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http://www.areweadultsyet.com
You know how to write a good pregnancy update! Can’t wait to hear more
I highly recommend you look into Costco leggings. They’re like $10 for two pair and can be worn throughout an entire pregnancy and are great for post-partum too! My non-baby-having friends are also huge fans.
First – CONGRATS! Second, I had a hard time not sleeping on my back during my pregnancy. Frankly, even up until the end I would wake up on my back sometimes (and everything is fine). I didn’t do well with the full body pillows and found this Boppy pillow worked awesomely! https://www.amazon.com/Boppy-Side-Sleeper-Pregnancy-Pillow/dp/B01N3Y3848/ref=sr_1_6_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1524591512&sr=8-6&keywords=boppy+pregnancy+pillow
I wish you an easy pregnancy and smooth delivery!
Love the baby updates!!
I’m glad you clarified that they were people you know touching your belly and not people on the subway haha. Let’s hope that continues.
x Elise – http://www.thirtythoughtstoday.com
You’re looking great & glad you’re feeling well, too! The wardrobe thing is all too real…try turning some of your pants backward, so the butt part in front doesn’t squeeze your belly as much. It doesn’t work with all pants, but you might get through a few more weeks more comfortably, until you fill out the maternity stuff 😀