What you might not know about the 2nd trimester?

Oh man, the second trimester of pregnancy. You’re probably starting to feel better and thinking “this is great! I feel like myself again”. Maybe you feel like “Man, there are a lot of unknowns ahead of me”, or maybe even a bit like “How can by body get much bigger?” All of these very real and very valid thoughts to be entering into your second trimester with.

Some things you may not have thought about, but could benefit from considering are:

What does my support look like between now and the first few years of being a new mom?

Do I want to surround myself with peer support?

Do I want to have more access to providers that can offer specialty support to me in this time so I don’t rely on Dr. Google or ChatGPT?

What will my moods look like? What will my hormones be doing?

Am I ready to enter motherhood from a mental health standpoint?

Is my parent ready to enter into parenthood and are we on the same page?

What will I need in my healing journey after birth?

Something that I think is a valuable lesson I learned as a more type A women is that there may not be always a clear next right step. That sometimes I had to learn how to float as the waves came in, rather try to swim up over the wave. The acceptance and surrender was its own growth and its own “step” I eventually realized. Having other women in community in the ways that I did was a gift that I would never turn down. Knowing that I wasn’t the only women that was like “omg this is fucking hard” or feeling like “am I a good enough mother” or questioning “will it ever get easier”, was the greatest gift. Motherhood can feel isolating if you’re not surrounded by other women in a similar season as the one you are in.

Even if you have a sister that became a mother 5 years ago, or your parents that had you 30 years ago, there is nothing quiet like a women being in the throws of the same moment of parenthood as you. There is this secret that women don’t talk about, its called “amnesia” women often say “they forgot what it was like when…” or “I was so sleep deprived and surviving I don’t remember”, that comes from even women 2-3 years out. So finding women with similar due dates that you have prior to birth is so unique in the experience that you will share.

Women in community, well there is not anything else quite like it.