Oof! I cannot believe we have wrapped up the Second Trimester of this third pregnancy. Here, I’m sharing helpful Second Trimester insights as a Pelvic Health Physical Therapist. It is so special to be moving through pregnancy alongside many of my clients in order to provide both personal and professional advice on caring for the body optimally during pregnancy.
The time has truly gone so fast this time around, likely because I have two other littles I’m chasing after and running a thriving small business. Truly though – I forget I am pregnant until I get dressed most days. I am so grateful to have experienced such a smooth pregnancy this go-round and can confidently attest that the holistic habits I have instituted this pregnancy and preconception have made a huge difference.
You can learn more about supporting your body holistically preconception HERE and how to thrive through common first trimester symptoms HERE
Often the Second Trimester is deemed the “sweet spot” in pregnancy. For this reason, we always plan a trip right around the 20 week of pregnancy mark to have a special getaway before we grow our family once more. You never know how that first trimester is going to hit, so I LOVE proactively planning for getting away in the second trimester.
This pregnancy, we headed up north to Banff, Jasper and YOHO National Parks in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. You can find our Travel Itinerary Here and Tips on Traveling Internationally with Kids Here.
Beyond our big trip, the Second Trimester has included more consciously supporting my body through movement and nourishment.
Movement
It’s right around the 18 week mark that clients often seek me out for Physical Therapy during their pregnancy. At this point, we can feel our body changing and start having questions about how to ultimately support it. The goal is to FEEL GOOD during pregnancy and avoid any common pain points such as sciatica, buttocks pain, knee pain, heel pain or headaches.
Gratefully, I’ve stayed ahead of these pain points through specialized movement routines I’ve created for myself. This is the same thing that I do for clients professionally, and it’s so neat to be on the receiving end of this as a patient coordinating my own Home Programming.
As a Doctor of Physical Therapy who has treated HUNDREDS of women, I’ve started to notice some common themes. Questions like: What core exercises are safe to do? Is it safe to exercise on my back? How can I sleep without hip pain? Is there a way to tolerate standing all day at work without heaviness in the pelvic floor? Can I avoid sciatica or SIJ pain my friend complained about?
Allll of these questions are common for me to address in client appointments. So it’s been fun to proactively program home exercises for myself to avoid common aches and pains. Don’t get me wrong, symptoms still pop up from time to time – but I have the tools to manage them. Doing the work proactively certainly helps keep pain symptoms at bay, and lessen any symptoms that may happen to come on down the road.
Nourishment
It has been such a blessing to connect with functional medicine dieticians focused on perinatal nutrition support since launching my private practice. I have had the honor of co-leading workshops alongside Alyssa Broadwater, RD – a registered dietitian who specializes in preconception, pregnancy and postpartum nutrition.
Many of her nutrition tips I have implemented in supporting my body this pregnancy. Here’s a few favorites that I really leaned into during the second trimester as I felt my body growing and needing extra nourishment:
- cooking with grass fed beef liver
- desiccated beef liver supplements when cooking with beef liver did not fit into my weekly meal planning routine (code DRKAYLA will save you 10% off Perfect Supplements Desiccated Beef Liver, my favorite)
- collagen (code DRKAYLA will save you 10% off Perfect Supplements Collagen, my favorite)
- daily electrolytes (get a free sample pack on me when you order using this refer a friend link!)
I have also really enjoyed utilizing the Real food for Pregnancy book from Lily Nichols, RD. She has recipes inside this that optimize the above ingredients from real food sources and highlights the nutritional benefits of supplements since our soil quality is not what it used to be. For this reason, it is VERY hard to get all the nutrients our body needs during pregnancy from food alone. There are so many minerals, vitamins and electrolytes that we need to get elsewhere in order to truly support the elevated needs during pregnancy.
Additionally I highly recommend her book, Real Food for Pregnancy, which you can grab HERE to dive into all this goodness further.
Travel
Planning a trip during the second trimester is the BEST. It gives you something to look forward to in the first trimester when symptoms mayyy be feeling a bit rough. Each pregnancy, we have traveled around the 20 week mark. Being active and outdoors leaves me feeling rejuvenated and so grateful for a healthy pregnancy where I do feel good moving my body. This time around, with a nearly 40lb toddler on my back.
In case you missed it, our second trimester travels took us to Banff, YOHO and Jasper National Parks in Canada. You can learn more about traveling while pregnant and traveling with kids in these blog posts:
Behind the Scenes
Work life has been BUSY the past several months serving so many incredible women with orthopedic and pelvic health needs before, during and following pregnancy. Moving through my own pregnancy journey at the same time has made this work extra meaningful.
It also got me thinking. There are so many more of you I would love to help. Yet, there is a barrier. Time. Schedules. Finances. It can be so hard for active, busy women to create time for themselves, particularly surrounding pregnancy.
That’s why I’ve been working on something extra special behind the scenes throughout this pregnancy.
Introducing: The Holistically Well Pregnancy Program.
Imagine reducing your risk of tearing, proactively avoiding low back pain and sciatica, minimizing urinary urgency or leakage and optimizing endurance in pregnancy… sound great, right? Well that’s what is awaiting you inside The Holistically Well Pregnancy Program.
Presented in bite-sized, easily digestible and actionable videos to help support you every step of the way throughout your pregnancy. Downloadable PDFs and audio guides make accessing this information easier than ever. So, you don’t have to stare at your computer screen as you learn how to support your body. Choose to empower your prenatal care while washing dishes, folding laundry or commuting to work. I’ve got you covered, my friend.
Simply Click Here to learn more! I am so excited to support you in this journey, holistically!
