1. Coconut Oil £1.66 from Superdrug // 2. Pillows £18 a pair from John Lewis // 3. Denim pinafore dress £35 from Asos // 4. Memory Foam Mattress Topper £49.46 from Amazon
// 5. Epsom Salts £1.89 from Superdrug //
During the second trimester, I suffered from some pretty annoying skin stretching. Is there anything worse than having an itchy bump while your skin stretches? Bleurgh. Anyway, I invested in some coconut oil and have been applying that daily to my bump ever since. It smells so nice and leaves my skin really soft. Also, it’s been really easy to get out of the tub thanks to the summer heat.
I didn’t want to spend an excessive amount of money on a maternity pillow (well, ok, maybe I did, but I couldn’t) so I decided to treat myself to some new pillows instead. This way, I’ll be able to use them after the baby is born so I don’t feel like I’m wasting money on maternity products. Some of those maternity pillows are crazy prices. I’ve been sleeping with about five pillows since the second trimester and this has been working fine for me.
I always wanted a denim pinafore dress during my last pregnancy but basically spent the whole nine months crying whilst wearing yoga pants so it would have been a complete waste of money. As soon as my bump started to grow this time, I invested in a denim pinafore dress to make sure I got as much wear out of it as possible. I chose this one from Asos, it’s long enough to wear without tights and really comfy. I love it, though I must admit it’s way too hot to wear now that the weather is warmer.
When I was pregnant with Ebony, I was in constantly in pain with my back, hips or pelvis. I decided this was either because of sitting at an office chair all day, commuting to work or sleeping on a rock. I didn’t want to take any chances this time, so as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I ordered a foam mattress topper to make my bed a little comfier. It made such a difference and was absolutely worth every penny. We ended up decorating our bedroom and replacing our bed with a big, comfy bed a couple of months ago, but the months of use I got out of the mattress topper were definitely worth it.
Finally, when I did suffer from the odd aches and pains during the second trimester, I used epsom salt baths to try and relieve some discomfort. I generally only ached after overdoing things but since we were knee deep in DIY and garden renovations at the time, this wasn’t as rare as I might have liked. After a busy day of lugging the wheelbarrow across the garden and digging up mud, I made sure to soak in a bath filled with Epsom Salts. I don’t know if it was the heat, the water or the salts that made the difference, but it definitely helped to relieve some discomfort.
What were your second trimester essentials?
