And on the 8th day, God blessed us with the second trimester.
SERIOUSLY.
One week after entering the second trimester I felt like a new person. I truly didn’t realize how exhausted and nauseous/weird my appetite was until leaving the first trimester in my rearview. So, if you’re one of our pregnant WAFs out there, buried by the first trimester please please please keep your eyes fixed on the second trimester. I’m sending you all of my good pregnancy vibes in hopes that you turn the same corner I did, get your energy and appetite back…just in time to start enjoying all of the amazing milestones that happen in the middle part of pregnancy.
So, what’s been going on over here? A lot. I’ve been using my high energy to kick nursery decorating into high gear, travel to see friends/family, attend baby showers, and mostly sit back and truly enjoy getting to know this little wiggle worm growing in my tummy.
A couple of recommendations:
Registering
THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS. Seriously. So many. This was overwhelming for me, but thankfully through this incredible WAF network and other mommy family/friends I got a good idea of what is most useful in preparing for this little human. I’m working on an entire post dedicated solely to this. Once it’s live I’ll blast it all over social media, and also link it here for you!
Baby Showers
Being a WAF can make baby showers tricky. You have family that want to celebrate you in person and gift you all of the amazing things you’ll need for your little nugget, BUT the odds are you had to fly thousands of miles to get back to family and there is no way you can check all of the massive items usually gifted at showers.
I personally had two showers, and we timed them with already planned trips back to each place because our family understands how hard it can be for us to travel with work schedules, cost, etc. One shower we flew back for and the other we drove back for. The shower we drove back for obviously made bringing gifts back pretty simple, but the one we flew back for was tricky, so we used the same approach as we did with bridal showers. The host made sure to be clear with the invite that we were flying and how greatly we would appreciate any big gifts that wouldn’t fit in a standard suitcase to be shipped directly to our house in Texas. Then we encouraged people to put a little image of what they gifted us in the card they brought with them to the shower (to trigger my memory and give me an opportunity to share with the big group all the big goodies we had been sent already). Additionally, my husband and I packed an extra bag/suitcase strictly for baby goodies, thankfully most airlines will let you check multiple bags at no cost with military ID, so we were able to haul all of those gifts back at no cost (even if they would’ve charged us, it’s still cheaper than paying to ship a bunch of gifts back via USPS, FedEx, or UPS).
Some WAFs I know have done virtual baby showers with their loved ones, which I love and think is a great idea if you have someone back home that is tech savvy enough to help you pull it off!
Goodies
First things first – breast pumps. Insurance will cover a pump for you, so do not purchase one yourself unless you need two! If you call TRICARE and talk to them, they’ll encourage you to just buy your pump then file the reimbursement paperwork with them and wait to get your money back.
Unfortunately, that reimbursement process can take months, and quite honestly, I just don’t trust that it would be as easy of a process as they tell you it will be. SO, I pursued another option that got a pump at no cost to me, without having to mess with the reimbursement process.
All-in-all it took one simple step at the doctor’s office, 15 minutes on a website and less than 5 days of waiting for the pump to arrive to my doorstep. I used
and it was incredibly simple. First thing you need is a prescription from your doctor, mine already had the template, but if yours doesn’t you can use the template they have
and give that to your doc to get the ball rolling. When you get that script back, follow the steps on their website to pick out your pump, upload your script and get the order completed. It’s that easy! Please note, you can also have your doc fill out that script for milk storage bags, replacement supplies, etc. and then when the time comes you’ll have all of these goodies…for free!
There are other sites similar to The Breastfeeding Shop you can use, I just found this one to be fool proof and simple, which is why I’m recommending it to you all 🙂
Other things that TRICARE will help cover are belly bands and compression hose. I never thought I would need these things but frequent travel while pregnant and a low riding baby have proven me wrong haha!
Depending on your TRICARE coverage you will have to pay some out of pocket for these items BUT it’s still more affordable than buying these items at the same quality outright I found. I used
to get these items, they were extremely easy to work with. I called them, explained to them what I was looking for, they sent me prescription templates to give to my doc, once she completed those, I scanned and returned them to the contact I had at MMS, they called me a few days later to confirm, took down my card information for the out of pocket costs I was responsible for and my items were here within a week.
Pregnancy Books
Luckily for me (and you) we had a bunch of WAFs contribute to a
for all of our WAF mommas out there. This list has books that others have read, loved and found incredibly useful, be sure to check it out and enjoy!
Belly Lotions + Oils
This
has been stuck in my head for weeks (thanks to my sister), specifically the part where the Gingerbread Man yells out “stretch marrrrks” because…ain’t that the truth.
There are SO MANY products out there aimed at preventing or reducing the appearance of stretch marks from pregnancy, I had no idea where to start. I settled on a rotation of two products,
and good ol’ fashioned
. Both of these smell great to me, and I’m happy to report have reduced my belly itches (didn’t know that was a thing, turns out stretching skin itches quite a bit 😂) and stretch marks. Some people will say that it’s all in your head, rubbing down with oil or lotion isn’t going to help prevent stretch marks, and they may be right. For me, these nightly rub downs have been something fun/intimate to loop my husband in on while I feel like a beached whale laying in bed annnnnd like I said, they’ve helped with any itching from growth. Take it or leave it, but these products have treated me really well and are two of the more affordable options out there!
My last tidbit before I wrap this post up and embrace the third trimester with open arms is this: do not, I repeat, DO NOT let other people try to guilt you, shame you, or bully you about decisions you’ve made whether it be about your pregnancy or how you plan to raise your child. One thing I have learned since my bump started growing: if you thought the unsolicited advice was bad when you were getting married, it is 10x worse when you’re pregnant. I’ve gotten it from strangers, close family, people I’m meeting for the first time at spouse socials…you name it. My advice to you is: 1) do your own research 2) talk to your spouse and agree on decisions jointly 3) don’t take the unsolicited advice too seriously. Some people will have really great insights that will help you out big time, and some people are just downright offensive. Take what you can and leave the rest. No one person has this pregnancy and motherhood thing all figured out (despite what it might seem like). Ultimately, if you’re making a well-informed decision with your spouse out of a place of love for your child, THAT is all that matters. So, DO YOU and don’t let people make you feel the least bit guilty about it.
As always, if you have any other resources or information you think would be helpful to add to this post, feel free to comment below or shoot us an email. Truly makes our week to hear from you all!
My sweet sister + momma that threw an incredible “Baby It’s Cold Outside” shower for me in Iowa.
Xo, Kirst
