Thank goodness for the second trimester! Whereas there was many a morning in the first trimester I was so tired I could barely make it out of bed, let alone around the park, I have found both regained and additional energy in the middle part of my pregnancy. Seriously, I’ve read that energy rebounds after the first trimester (T1), but I never thought it would do so with such a bang. I’ve always been an energetic person–hyper, if you will, but I prefer energetic–so during T1 I was on both a physical and emotional downer.
With the advent of the second trimester (T2), I find myself practically sprinting around the park when I set out for my morning walk. Even my boss wonders what’s wrong with me. When I arrive in the morning–and this is post-walk, post commute, which is enough to deflate anyone–I might as well just prance right in to my office. Being in T2, with all this new-found energy just feels good, and it’s impossible not to share it.
Many women suffer morning sickness in T1 which keeps them from eating as much as they should, which, in turn, keeps them from feeling as energized as they should. It’s a vicious cycle. I was lucky, VERY LUCKY, look ling back, to have not had a drop of morning sickness. Although I was tired I wasn’t vomiting, so I hauled myself out of bed and on to the course. I would’ve felt guilty not to, considering so many friends spent their mornings with their heads in the toilet. I kept saying to myself, based on what I was reading and hearing from new moms, that if I could just get through T1 everything would be OK. And it was.
Many women also experience loss of sleep from being up at night urinating frequently, or, unfortunately for some, vomiting, which can drain energy faster than anything. I noted with relief (physical and mental) that during T2 the need to urinate all night long seems to abate. Now I’m up once a night if at all, and am rarely cognizant of anything other than trying not to walk into a wall in the dark.
According to reliable sources, energy is regained in T2 due to hormones, which made everything yucky in T1. Given my firm belief in the power of science, and, frankly, hormones given how unreasonable I was at the end of T1 for no good reason other than that I was pregnant, I’d have to trust the experts on this one. That said, it’s also possible that by keeping in the habit of waking and walking in the AM during T1, I may have been setting myself up for even better results during T2. It’s like running a marathon–sure, running a half marathon is tough when you’ve never done it before, but it makes training for the 26.2-miler a whole heck of a lot easier. In other words, all that hard effort in T1 has finally paid off in T2.
It’s paid off for my son, too. Although he weighs only about seven ounces, he’s a very active lad. During two of my sonograms he was noted as being very active in the womb. He also likes to karate kick whenever my OB listens for a heartbeat. I don’t know if he gets it from my being naturally hyper–eh, energetic–or if it’s from my workout sessions, which are perhaps exposing him to the joys of fitness, but, either way, he seems to be having a VERY good time in there.
Of course I’ve also read that energy can dip again in the third trimester (T3) given that’s when a woman is at her biggest and as a result trouble sleeping. A uterus full of baby pressing against the stomach can also cause indigestion, which in turn can lead a woman to not eat as much which can also sap her energy.
All I can say is, based on personal experience alone, just try to stick with it. I’m pretty sure there will be a point at which, like my friends who’ve had children before me, I will be too big to breathe, too big to move, and too big (and tired) to care. That’s fine with me. In fact, I’m looking forward to what my one gal pal refers to as the chocolate phase–for the last two weeks of her pregnancy she basically did nothing but sit around and eat the chocolate she was craving. For the first 38 weeks of her pregnancy she’d done her darndest to keep in shape by walking too and from work each morning, so felt no remorse whatsoever when she became too big to do anything else besides choose between Godiva and Hershey’s.
For now, however, I’m going to take advantage of this extra energy. I’m going to walk as much as possible, be outside as much as possible and try to DO as much as I can. Perhaps this commitment to fitness during T2 will aid me in keeping my energy from plummeting when I hit T3. Did you have a similar boost of energy in your second trimester? If so, how did you handle it and how did it affect the outcome of your T3?
Author by Jennifer Jordan
