How did I travel through second trimester - My experience

Second trimester is a considered to be a chill period in most pregnancies as the baby would have gained good shape, baby's organs would have developed, morning sickness will start to fade away so mothers can eat well whatever they like. It is better to do nursery planning and shopping during this time as third trimester will be fast and busy with glucose test, vaccines for whooping cough, flu and so on. Most importantly, visit your dentist and get a thorough scan/cleaning or any treatment if needed during second trimester, remember to inform your dentist you are pregnant so he/she will take extra care while performing the procedure. Because dental problems are highly possible due to low calcium deficiency during pregnancy. Here is my journey through second trimester. I visited my gynae every 3-4 weeks and she asked to take a detailed ultrasound scan with Doppler, around week 20-22. This was a memorable experience for us as the sonologist showed baby's eyes, ears, hands, fingers, legs, toes, baby's head, heart, tummy. The sonologist also checked whether the heart beat is normal, blood flow through heart chambers is normal, blood pressure through placenta is normal. I even remember my baby was so active when we went for the scan that the sonologist had to wait for a while for baby to settle down to capture the pictures. Baby also showed thumbs up like action. We could also see her opening her mouth and taking in drops of fluid, probably was hungry. I had slightly out of the range blood pressure for which my gynae prescribed aspirin to regulate the blood pressure and to prevent chances of preeclampsia. I also planned and listed what to buy - nursery things like crib, mattress, crib fitted sheets, crib organiser, bath tub; hospital bag things like disposable panties, cool pads, postpartum pads, feeding wear, breast pump, bidet bottle, breast pads; postpartum stuff like maternity belts, feeding bras, feeding gowns, pyjamas, traditional herbal confinement medicines/concoctions, nipple cream ; baby essentials like diapers, wipes, disposable changing sheets, dry sheets, towels, wash cloths, bibs, feeding bottles, teats, cleaning brush, drying rack, vegetable cleanser, baby laundry detergent, onesies, rompers, swaddles, sleep sacks, head to toe body wash, lotion, diaper balm, massage oil, etc so that it will be easier for me to order/buy later. I listed in detail what to buy, which brand, from where to buy(online/shop), which seller/shop to buy from; this truly helped me in third trimester as I straightaway could order or buy whatever I listed without breaking my head. We also visited baby shops like Mummy's market, Baby Kingdom, Mothercare, Baby's Hyperstore to see what are the baby needs to buy, price range, offers etc. We didn't buy anything but just visited the shops to get an idea. There was no baby expo that time due to covid restrictions. We also did a rough study on the hospitals my gynae was affiliated to and compared the features, packages, cost of stay, distance from our place of stay etc so that we could decide on the hospital later. My morning sickness was getting much better during the middle of second trimester and I got cravings. I used to feel hungry and munch on healthy food and snacks to the best extent. I wanted to keep a check on sugar intake/sweets to keep gestational diabetes at bay. I thought that's one of the many things I can do to protect my kid. I borrowed books from library to keep my mind relaxed during free time. Since I did the cooking, managed easy household chores and working out the above mentioned shopping list/checklists I had very little time to read those books. I used to take a nap either before or after my lunch for 30-45 mins max. My husband and I got to spend a lot of personal time together by watching web series, going out to visit baby shops, have dinner outside after our routine checkup. He would keep checking on me what I ate, what I am doing, how I am feeling regularly because he worked from home. I kept myself active, continued to go for walk with my husband daily in the night and do exercises everyday as suggested by my doctor. I ensured I didn't strain myself physically or get drained out while keeping myself active. My best wishes to all the mothers-to-be to stay chill and relaxed at the same time be careful and cautious during this time, to have a happy smooth pregnancy journey.