Tips to feel good in the 2nd Trimester

Whilst the hormones from the 1st trimester have calmed down (slightly), entering the 2nd trimester is a happy feeling. The worries and increased risks from the 1st have settled, your bump is growing, and you're now starting to feel properly pregnant. Although it is much nicer to not feel sick all the time, and like a total crazy person, I still struggle with how I feel within myself. My body is changing rapidly and it's hard to adjust and cope with these changes so I wanted to share with you how I try to feel good whilst pregnant.

1. Exercise

In all the books, at all the midwife appointments, we are told how good exercise is for you while pregnant and although during the 1st trimester I couldn’t think of anything worse, I have really felt the benefits of exercise now. While building up your stamina and making you fit for labour (this is the real motivation to exercise!) it also releases those lovely endorphin's. A few occasions when I have felt particularly hormonal, or down, a bit of exercise really does me the world of good. I feel SO much better for it. Throughout my pregnancy I have attended a barre class which is a mixture of ballet/Pilates/yoga and I love it! The particular class I go to is amazing with a fabulous instructor who is pre & post natal trained so has been able to guide me through the class as my pregnancy has progressed - www.nutripaige.com/class/barre-concept  The class makes me feel strong and energised and I love going each week. In the gym, I usually do a high incline walk for 20-30mins and will do a little arm work out with weights and save my legs for barre. When exercising it's really important to keep hydrated and not push yourself too hard, listen to your body.

2. Beauty Products

There's nothing like giving yourself a little pamper and there are so many fab beauty products out now for pregnant women. Some of my favourites are:

- Palmer's Cocoa Butter formula massage cream for stretch marks

  This cream comes in a squeezy tube which is great for sticking in your handbag! That way after a lunchtime gym sesh I can apply, or take it on a holiday easily. It smells amazing, like all cocoa butter does and feels lovely and soft. I use this on my bump, boobs and bum! I also got it for a bargain at Home Bargains stores for just £3.99 compared to £7.35 at boots.

- Bio Oil is a trusty favourite, and you can't go wrong. Again I use this on my bump boobs and bum, but also will use in the bath. If my skin is feeling particularly dry, I will add a few drops in the bath and have a nice relaxing soak. Whilst this makes my skin feel nice, I wouldn't advise washing your hair with it in the bath!

- Iconic London Baby on Board Oil is SO nice. It smells amazing, and with it coming in a glass bottle I feel ever so special and like I am treating myself when using it. I use this all over and a few drops goes a long way so this really lasts well. Iconic London are bringing out a whole ‘Baby on Board’ range and I cannot wait to try out the other products!

- Jolen Cream Bleach is something a friend recommended to me early on in my pregnancy when I was complaining about unwanted belly hair. As a mummy herself, it is a product she had used, and it is an un-harmful hair bleaching product. I used this on my tummy when I was going on holiday and it was perfect! I didn't want to wax the hairs as I knew they would fall out after pregnancy, so this bleach is perfect. One of my fave pregnancy beauty finds!

- St Tropez Self Tan Express is my favourite fake tan ever, and everything looks better with a tan. This is safe to use in pregnancy, and whilst you might be feeling bigger and paler, a little bit of fake tan will make you feel 10 times better. This tan can be left on for 1 hour for light tan, 2 for medium and 3 for dark so it can even be used last minute. I swear by it pregnant or not! 

3. Shopping

I have found it really hard to dress for my changing shape, and being at that stage where your bump hasn't fully appeared has made it awkward to dress. There are loads of maternity ranges out there now and lots of fashionable looks available, but at the same time I didn't want to spend loads of money on a new wardrobe just yet, when my body is going to continually change. I decided to go for a Primark haul and found so much in there. Whilst they don't have a maternity range, they do sell jeggings in pretty much every colour! I was able to buy a few pairs at only £6 each in a size bigger to what I normally wear and the stretchy waist band has been amazing! I also bought lots of lovely t-shirts, a loose summer dress, some stretchy work skirts and more. Primark has a great range at the moment, and the prices meant I could buy loads and feel like I was having a real splurge without breaking the bank.

4. Relaxation

Being pregnant and having Crohns disease has left me feeling SO tired. I haven't been sleeping well either but I recently got a pregnancy pillow which has been life changing! With a growing body shape, it's hard to feel comfortable and not being able to sleep on your back comes with challenges so sleeping with this pillow has been amazing - although it doesn't help me to get up in the mornings! As well as not sleeping so well, I have had a really bad back so I have found massages helpful as well as relaxing. If you are pregnant and booking a massage, be sure to ask for a pregnancy massage, as this will be structured in a special way to support you and not harm the baby. While massages have helped my aches and pains, it's also been great for my mindfulness. There are so many worries and concerns when you're pregnant, it's important to take time out to relax and recoup, so whatever makes you feel relaxed - do it! I've also enjoyed reading, as it's a perfect escape and something to distract and take your mind off of your worries. (I am currently reading Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn which is soon to be made into a HBO series!)

These are just a few little tips to feel good that I have personally found helpful. Please share with me your tips or ask questions about anything I have written about.

XOXO Crohnie Girl 

Woah.. we're halfway there!

It felt like the most surreal thing finding out I was pregnant. It's something I don't ever think you could prepare yourself for, and whilst it is such an exciting discovery, it also comes with so much worry. I was anxious from the get go given my Crohns and felt constantly panicked, but as the weeks have gone on I feel more and more settled and confident I am doing all the right things.

I can't believe I am now 20 weeks pregnant, I feel like it has completely flown by and to now be half way through my pregnancy is crazy. It's feeling more and more real every day as I see my bump grow. The moment when it really felt real was feeling the movement for the first time. It could so easily be mistaken for wind or just a tummy gurgle, but when I felt it repeatedly I knew it was my little baby. One morning on the train to work at about 18 weeks I felt the movements low down and grabbed my boyfriends hand to feel, and we both felt a very faint little limb push on my tummy. It was just the most incredible feeling and something I will remember forever. Now I am feeling it more and more which just makes me so excited to know that my baby is growing and in a few months will be here! I find it reassuring to feel the little movements as I had felt really worried. With my health problems, I never knew what was going to happen so we are just going with the flow and taking things as we find them.

At 18 weeks I had an appointment with a consultant specialist who would determine whether I needed to be under specialist care or just under midwife care. He did all the usual checks and a quick scan and listen of the heart beat to see that everything was OK, then we had to discuss my history: the medication I currently am taking, how long I have been taking it for, the last time I was on steroids, my current symptoms, all history about my Crohns to determine what the course of action would be. Given that I am currently in a healthy state and my Crohns is in remission the Dr was happy for me to continue as I am but did have some concerns for the future. I was told that it has been proven for some mothers on Azathioprine to give birth to premature babies or low birth weight babies as well as affecting the babies immune system in the last trimester. As I lost about half a stone during the first few weeks from sickness, and not consistently putting on weight, I have been worried about my baby's weight and how they were growing. The Dr reassured me it all looked fine now, but I might need to have regular growth scans to monitor the baby's development, and that it could be a good idea to come off the medication in the last trimester. The growth scan's didn't alarm me, and I would rather the baby have more checks to make sure it's OK, but the thought of coming off the medication did unnerve me.. I have been on aza for almost 3 years now, so who knows how I would be off of it. It is worrying, but I need to not worry about something that hasn't even happened (classic me!) and see how it goes. I eat well and look after myself, so the Dr is confident if I continue to do so the pregnancy and myself will progress fine.

Last week I met with my Gastroenterology consultant for my usual 6 month check up and it was lovely to be discussing positive news instead of the usual upsets. I explained what the Dr had said to me about the medication and she advised to stay on it, she said that the most important thing is that I stay well during the pregnancy and she wouldn't want to risk a flare by coming off them. She reassured me that hundreds of mums give birth on azathioprine to healthy babies and the medication shouldn't cause any harm or determine a difficult labour. The only time I have to be careful is after birth, as it is quite common for new mums with Crohns to relapse due to the hormone change, the stress, lifestyle change among other things. So during that period I need to be extra careful, but if the worst comes to worst I can go on a course of steroids and this wouldn't harm the baby either should I choose to breast feed. So really it was a super positive appointment, and although the antenatal Dr had said I might have to come of the medication, he did say he was happy to follow my Gastroenterology consultants advice.

We had our 20 week scan yesterday, and I just cant explain how amazing it is to see my baby growing inside of me! It is pure magic. During the scan the sonographer checked all my baby's organs and structure and also measured it's growth and I was totally over the moon to hear it is growing well. It's so encouraging seeing the scans and knowing that everything is going well with the pregnancy and I can breathe a sigh of relief I am doing the right thing. So now the plan is to just keep doing what I'm doing. I am going on holiday in a few weeks and can't wait for some sunshine and to relax. Here's to the next 20 weeks!!

XOXO Crohnie Girl