Now that you’re in your second trimester you may be like me and have a pretty huge sigh of relief. You might already be showing and are likely excited to finally tell the world your exciting news!

They say the second trimester is the honeymoon period of pregnancy since you’re likely feeling a little better (if you were one to get morning sickness) and your energy level is likely to have already picked up, or will soon.

Over the next few months, I’m sure you want to check a few more things off of your long to-do list before baby comes. I’m sharing a few things I did during my second trimester to not only prepare myself and Shane for this huge new change in our lives but also our home.

Here are 12 Things to do during your second trimester to get ready for baby:

1. Share the Exciting News – If you haven’t already shared your exciting news with the world (social media, work, etc.) now is the time to start thinking about how you want to share. You’re likely showing already and if not you will be soon. Talk with your partner and discuss how you want to share the exciting news with the world. Shane and I waited until about week 16 weeks to share with social media, you can check out our announcement post here.
2. Buy Maternity Clothes – I didn’t buy a ton of maternity clothes but I did make sure to buy a few staple pieces like pants and t-shirts to make sure I was comfortable throughout my entire pregnancy. I also made sure to size up in items that were non-maternity. Since I’m pregnant during the summer months I didn’t want to feel uncomfortable and I’d rather get the most use out of an item rather then waiting until I HAVE to buy something since nothing else fits and feel like it’s a total waste. If you buy items early, you’ll be able to get the most use out of the items.
3. Clean House – Shane and I aren’t always the most organized people so when I found out I was pregnant I spent a lot of time going through our house organizing, cleaning, and making room for baby. I’ve hard babies usually have a lot of stuff so I felt it best to start making room for baby as soon as possible before having our baby showers, buying all of the baby things, and loading the house up with even more stuff. I’ll be honest, we’re not always the cleanest people either so I found the second trimester to be the perfect time to deep clean the house (cleaning the fridge, windows, plan for carpet cleaning, etc.). I had a lot more energy in the second trimester and didn’t want to wait until the last minute when I was tired and had no energy to start this process.
4. Finish up Projects – Speaking of energy, now that you have some, it’s a great time to finish up any other miscellaneous projects around the house that you may have been putting off. Once baby comes life is going to get a lot more crazy and those projects that have been on your to-do list are way more likely take even longer to get done once baby arrives. Shane and I had quite a few projects around the house that we had planned to get done but never got around to it so we found the second trimester a good time to start finishing up those projects while I still had energy to help him and before the chaos of the third trimester (preparing for baby).
5. Create a Baby Registry/Research Items – I actually started a baby registry in the first trimester because I follow quite a few bloggers who were pregnant on social media and as they would recommend items I found it easiest to add the items to the registry and compile all of the suggested items into one area. I figured I could always add or take off items later but at least I could refer back to them when I was ready to start narrowing things down. If you haven’t already, create a baby registry and start researching items. You’ll want to make sure you’re getting items that will fit your lifestyle best such as strollers, baby monitors, cribs, etc. so start looking into which items you feel will work best for your family and start adding them to your registry.
6. Look Into a Childbirth Class – Honestly, Shane and I decided that we weren’t going to do a childbirth class. I watched one on YouTube by a retired mid-wife and seriously feel that it was so informative and helpful that I’m not sure if we need to take a class as well. Now is the time to start researching what is best for you and if you’re interested in taking one, now is the time to start signing up.
7. Plan for Childcare (if needed) – Luckily for Shane and I, we didn’t have to worry about childcare once the baby arrived since Shane is self-employed and I work from home most of the week. If you are going to need childcare start looking into your options right away. I’ve heard daycare places fill up fast so make sure to start asking for recommendations from friends and family and looking into your options now so you don’t have to settle with an option you don’t feel comfortable with.
8. Gender Reveal – At 20 weeks, and sometimes before then, you can find out the gender of your baby, if you choose to do so. Shane and I waited until our 20 week anatomy appointment to find out. He and I talked about different fun ways to share the gender with everyone and finally decided to take a video of a smoke bomb that we bought at Walmart for $5 and shared the video on social media and with family and friends. You can check out our gender reveal post here
9. Plan your Baby Shower – Start discussing baby showers with family and friends and see who is planning to throw you a baby shower and when. Shane and I are very fortunate to have both sides of our family host baby showers for us and they were all very excited to do so! You can always host a baby shower yourself too. Now is the time to start discussing with your family and friends and figure out the details.
10. Start the Nursery – It’s likely that you won’t receive a lot of items for the nursery and nursery decor during your baby shower/s so now is a great time to get started on the nursery or buying items you know you won’t get as gifts. This was such a fun time for me since it really helped things sink in and get more excited realizing that baby girl will be here in just a few short months!
11. Schedule your Glucose Test – Between 24 and 28 weeks your doctor will want you to schedule your glucose test. I received a few tips from my doctor and the nurses during my 20 week appointment to help me pass the test the first time. They told me to schedule it for the morning, eat a high protein breakfast (eggs and bacon) the morning of the test, and not to eat a lot of sugar (including fruits) and carbs in the few days leading up to the test. I had my test done at 24 weeks and thankfully, I passed the first time. If I hadn’t, I would’ve had to have had a 3 hour test to re-take it again, no thank you!
12. Take Pictures – I shared in my first trimester post that I wasn’t sure if I was going to take pictures of my bump at first. Although, I haven’t taken consistent pictures throughout my pregnancy I have tried to make a point to take pictures and it has been so fun to see my baby bump grow. There have been weeks where I truly didn’t think my bump was all that much bigger and after comparing photos I was amazed at the amount of growth. I suggest taking the photos because it’s fun to see the progress of your little one growing in your belly and you won’t regret having the photos, even if they’re poor lighting selfies in your bedroom mirror like mine. 🙂

I hope you’ve found this list helpful! I know there are so many different things on our lists of things to do before baby and I feel that it’s helpful to break the list down and tackle them one by one. It helps with not getting too overwhelmed with all of the changes going on during this big exciting time in our lives.

Am I missing anything that you would add to this list? I’d love to hear from you!

xoxo – Katie