The first trimester feels like it passes quite quickly as compared to the second trimester. This is because you find out that you or your spouse is pregnant 4 or 5 weeks into the pregnancy. That is ⅓ into the first trimester.

The 2nd trimester is the time when you start telling others (if you haven’t previously) and find out the sex of the baby (if you choose to do so). You also start to get all the different tests needed to make sure that your baby is growing well and your body has what it needs to grow a healthy baby.

As this is my second pregnancy, I shared my symptoms in my first trimester here and compared how it was different from my first pregnancy.

I want to put it out there that every woman experiences pregnancy differently and it could be a different experience for each pregnancy.

In this blog post, I will share with you my 2nd trimester pregnancy symptoms and how it changed since the first trimester. You may feel the same or you may not have any symptoms at all.

At the end of the day, as long as our babies are healthy, that is all that matters.

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Before I tell you the symptoms that I have during my 2nd trimester, I want to share with you the symptoms I do not have anymore since passing the 1st trimester in my pregnancy. 

1. Nausea

I am so glad to say that I no longer have nausea in my 2nd trimester. In my first trimester, it was not terrible as some other women who had it, but it was not pleasant. 

When I was too full or if I did not have enough energy or was brushing my teeth, I would feel nauseous. 

This is not a lot of fun especially when I have to take care of a toddler while working from home during this pandemic. 

I am grateful that I do not have this pregnancy symptom anymore.

Related: First Trimester Pregnancy Symptoms: 2nd Baby

2. Heartburn

Another pregnancy symptom that I am glad I no longer have is heartburn.

For me, it was more noticeable when I ate fattier foods or spicier foods. I have heard that there are ways to avoid heartburn, however, if you have heartburn, please check with your healthcare provider before consuming what you research online.

Here are 9 of my 2nd trimester symptoms:

1. Increased appetite

Since I did not feel nauseous anymore after each heavy meal, I started enjoying food again. I would have snacks and also suppers after putting my toddler down to sleep.

My midwife tells me that I’m supposed to eat an extra bagel with cream cheese worth of calories during this trimester. 

Honestly, I try to remember but when I’m busy working, I can forget to snack. However, when it comes to meal times, I’m starving so I need to work on eating snacks so I do not feel jittery when it’s time for lunch.

An idea suggested to me was to put a snack next to my laptop so that I can just grab it when I’m hungry for a snack.

2. Sensitivity to smell

Another new symptom that I’m experiencing is sensitivity to smell. There are certain smells that are more obvious to me as compared to before.

It has not come to a point where it turns me off or makes me nauseous, but I definitely noticed the increased sensitivity to smell. 

3. Odd dreams

One of the symptoms that is new this trimester was odd and bizarre dreams. Some of them do not make sense at all. I would wake up and be confused why I dream of it.

Sometimes it happens once a week, but others a few times a week. 

An annoyance that comes with that is that I would wake up right after the dream, which could be at any hours during the night. Then it takes a while for me to fall back asleep.

Do you experience odd dreams during your pregnancy?

I don’t write these dreams down usually, but I heard that people do and try to figure out why they dreamt of a certain thing or person. Let me know if you can relate.

4. Waking up early occasionally

Sleeping in as a parent can be a luxury, especially with a toddler.

Sometimes, I would wake up before my alarm or my toddler. It could be to use the washroom, or just because. I would be up and could not fall asleep anymore. 

After a few times of waking up early, I made a mental note to just do some work since I was up anyway. It is pretty nice to work in the morning with no distractions at all.

I’m not sure if waking up early is my body training me to be prepared for the late nights and early mornings that will happen when the baby comes.

5. Feeling the movement and kicks of baby

This is an exciting one as the baby gets bigger. One of the new experiences I have during the 2nd trimester is feeling the baby.

In the beginning of the trimester, I would feel flutters. I could also describe it as feeling like a little bubble popping around my stomach. 

As the baby gets bigger, I could really feel the kicks and some movements of the baby.

If you are starting to feel the movements of the baby, share it with your spouse, family, or friends. They might not be able to feel it on the outside at first, but eventually they will!

I wished I recorded my husband’s face when he first felt the baby’s kick.

In the last few weeks of my 2nd trimester, I felt it more so when I’m lying down. Maybe it’s the baby telling me to switch my sleeping position or just want to party when it’s time for me to sleep. Good times!

6. Needing to use the washroom

One symptom that has remained the same since the first trimester is the more frequent usage of the washroom. 

This is not only throughout the day but also early in the morning and late at night. As I mentioned earlier, I would wake up in the middle of the night or really early in the morning to go to the bathroom.

I read that it is because of the increase of blood flow and that it might be more frequent in the 3rd trimester as the baby gets bigger and puts pressure on your bladder.

7. Exhaustion

Another pregnancy (or sometimes not really a pregnancy) symptom is exhaustion.

Being pregnant can take a lot of energy out of you as you are growing a little human in your body. 

For me, working from home with a toddler has its own sets of challenges.

I am thankful that my mom is able to watch my daughter for a few hours in the morning while I work. However, it can sometimes be challenging to play with her after her nap time in the afternoon while checking emails at the same time.

One thing I learned is that parents are doing a wonderful job during the pandemic wearing many different hats. It is not an easy task, for sure.

Sometimes I get really tired and fall asleep beside my daughter while putting her down for her nap or sleep at night. My husband has to come wake me up sometimes, but that’s okay. We do what we can and rest when we can.

I am thankful that my daughter sleeps through the night, so I can really rest well at night.

8. Increased discharge

One thing that I noticed closer to the end of the 2nd trimester is that I have more discharge than before. 

Warning (graphic): The discharge that comes out is this white gooey type that is thicker than the usual discharge.

I am not concerned with the increase of discharge as long as there is no tint of blood in it. If you experience an increase of discharge and your body feels off, please tell your OB-Gyn or midwife about your concerns.

9. Tender Breasts 

Last, but not least, this is a symptom that I felt since the beginning of the pregnancy.

It does get uncomfortable, especially when they get bigger throughout the 2nd trimester. 

What I would suggest is to get a nursing bra or a wireless bra to wear. They are usually quite comfortable so it’s a good option to try.

As this is my 2nd pregnancy, I do feel that they are more sensitive and also bigger than my previous pregnancy. Maybe it’s just my body knowing what to do this time around and doing what it needs to for the baby’s sake.

Thank you so much for reading my blog post on “2nd Trimester Symptoms”. Don’t forget to get your access to my growing library of Free Printables. If you like what you read, please pin the image below and share it with others.  Thanks!