second trimester must-haves

better supplements: this one isn't a recommendation for all 2nd trimester mamas, but was a necessity for me. i started my prenatal treatment with an obgyn who said my prenatal vitamin had me good to go. when i switched to a midwife, she looked at the one i was taking and realized it was lacking dha, an omega-3 fatty acid. i added dha pills to my daily intake, as well as added back in my calcium supplements and a few of my other previous daily supplements. the big discovery in the 2nd trimester was that i was still lacking nutrients. my skin was very dry and itchy, from scaly patches on my face to itching all over my body. i dropped the vegan dha and started taking cod liver oil daily and it's made a huge difference. nordic naturals' orange flavor was my first try and i'd definitely recommend it.

custom baby binder: i'm a libra on the cusp of virgo so i am super organized and appreciate lists, schedules and plans. with all the tests and appointments and things to plans for, i was feeling really out of control early on in my pregnancy. spinning even. then i switched from my obgyn to a smaller midwife practice and was given a pregnancy binder that changed everything for me. if you're at all like me and an organized outline like this isn't provided to you, make one! my binder comes with us to every prenatal appointment. in my binder there is a section on breastfeeding, a section on postpartum care and lots of articles and resources about the items we'd be making decisions on like to circumcise or not, to use a birthing tub or go without and so on. most importantly, it gave me a guide of what to expect each trimester - what tests i could do, what developments would take place and what my midwife office would be expecting from me. i added a clear page protector in the back to slip in receipts from co-payments and invoice stubs for payments we've been making in my treatment thus far.

pregnancy yoga: in my second trimester i began prenatal yoga at yoga west, a studio just blocks from my house. i've never been a  yoga person so i was intimidated to try, but i instantly felt at home. it's done wonders for sore shoulders from hunching over my computer all day and gives me time to connect with my body and baby. hopefully will help with birthing too!

nursery prep & painting: this isn't a "necessity" but if i can make a recommendation to other expecting moms, it would be to get started on the nursery early, especially painting! we painted the nursery a month ago and my bump was already difficult to work around. painting a small room really took a lot out of me and i cannot imagine doing that now when i'm in my third trimester. (for the curious: we painted the room benjamin moore's gray owl - a very soft, just slightly blue-gray and left white trim)

maternity clothes: so not glam, but so needed. around 16 weeks is when i really started having to ditch my old pants, especially more tailored trousers for work. my top hasn't gotten too much bigger overall, but since maternity pants have unsightly stretchy waists, i also needed new tops that ran long and covered these panels up. i've got a full maternity clothes post coming next week.

myregistry.com: i'm not having a baby shower. i felt really unsettled with the thought of one from the start and finally told my mom a final "no". none of my friends or family, even with the most loving intentions, can give me one reason to have one other than i "need" one in order to get presents and thus get stocked up on everything i need to have a baby. to me, that just doesn't sit well. in fact, i find it really gross that what should be a celebration of a woman becoming a mother and welcoming a new life to earth, has become all about stuff. so no shower for me, but a few close family friends want to contribute something to us and baby o so i've been making a small registry of essentials. myregistry.com allows you to register for anything on in internet. i love being able to add handmade toys from a small business on etsy instead of being stuck with what's available at say, babies 'r us and choosing green products (organic bedding, glass baby bottles) from shops like our own. i mean, how cute is that ohio shaped teething toy - a nod to scott's cleveland roots?

clinique's moisture surge gel: as an advocate of eco-friendly and chemical-free bath and body products, i hate admitting this one, but it's true. my skin kept getting drier and drier and drier no matter how much water i drank or how much oil i slathered on post-shower. it got so bad that i would wake myself up in the middle of the night because i'd be scratching my face! i mean, that's just gross. on a visit to my parent's house, i found this in my mom's medicine cabinet and could feel a difference after just one use. i hate that i'm relying on it and its yucky ingredients while i'm pregnant, but some things you've just gotta make concessions on.

as i was happy to report when i shared my first trimester must-haves, this baby girl keeps growing along right as planned and making my life very easy. i feel pretty set, but if you have any products you loved during your pregnancy, please do share in the comments!