Second trimester essentials

Second trimester essentials

Back in December I posted about us trying for a second baby, and I shared my natural fertility essentials. Well, I am overjoyed to announce we’re pregnant! I’m currently 25 weeks, and feeling very big and hot! And I can’t wait to share my second trimester essentials with you!

Pregnancy is a time when many women look to clean up their beauty routine. Now you’re thinking about the precious little one growing inside, as well as yourself. But in the second trimester, you can relax a little as the chances of loss are lower and your baby’s organs and limbs are formed. That’s one less thing to worry about. And for me, that means introducing essential oils back into my routine.

The second trimester of pregnancy is also a time when you need to take special care of yourself and your skin. Your belly and boobs are growing, your skin gets itchy, and your circulatory system is doing extra work. Some extra care is definitely needed!

Here’s my checklist of second trimester essentials:

Second trimester essentials checklist

  • Maternity clothes
  • Non wired, stretchy bras
  • Pregnancy safe nail varnish and remover
  • Leg relief creams and balms – to relieve varicose and spider veins
  • Pregnancy pillow
  • Magnesium spray
  • Stretch mark massage oil or cream
  • Nourishing snacks and drinks
  • Pregnancy multivitamins
  • Pregnancy teas
  • Fragrance free skincare
  • Sleep aids – for instance nasal strips, a pillow mist, or soothing bath salts
  • Perfume for pregnancy – gentler and safe to use

So let’s take a look at my second trimester essentials in more detail!

Safer nail polish and remover for pregnancy

While breastfeeding Jonah, my nails were so weak and fragile. My first pregnancy symptom was longer, stronger nails. I was like, hmmm, are my nails growing? This hasn’t happened for a while! But I didn’t want to get my hopes up until taking a pregnancy test.

Perhaps your fingernails are now looking lush and strong, too? Or maybe your nails have suffered during pregnancy?

Whether you want to make the most of your lovely nails, or boost them with some colour and polish, you’ll want the cleanest non toxic nail polish possible.

That’s because nail polish is often one of the most chemical laden beauty products you can use. And yes, it can get into your body – and your breast milk!

Kure Bazaar Nail Polish in Dolce

This natural nail polish is quite nice looking isn’t it? The range seems high-end, and this is reflected in the price. The natural and vegan formulas are based on potatoes, wheat, cotton, corn, bamboo, and Vitamin E.

Disclosure: NATorigin Nail Polish, Kure Bazaar Nail Polish, and Herbfarmacy Horse Chestnut Balm with points from my allowance as a LoveLula Accredited Blogger. Kit & Kin Stretch Mark Oil, and Nipper&Co Happy Bumps Tea by Mama Organica. The Pregnancy Food Company items by The Pregnancy Food Company. Zenon Kition Unfragranced Body Moisturiser by Zenon Kition. My opinions are honest and my own.

Kure Bazaar Nail Polish in Dolce

I chose Dolce, which is a beautiful soft nude pink. There are so many other colours to choose from in the Kure Bazaar range.

Kure Bazaar nail polishes are 10-free – containing no toluene, formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, synthetic camphor, TPHP, parabens, xylene, styrene, nano colours, or benzophenone-1-3.

Again, the staying power isn’t the same, but the peace of mind is there!

Kure Bazaar Nail Polish in Dolce

Buy Now – £16 at Naturisimo


NATorigin Nail Polish in Brunella

NATorigin is a lovely makeup brand, and super-clean. Their nail polishes are made from natural ingredients like corn, potato, wheat, and manioc. They’re great value for money compared with other natural nail polishes.

NATorigin Nail Polish in Brunella

The super-clean vegan nail polishes contain no toluene, formaline, formaldehyde resin, camphor, nickel, rosin, or chrome. There’s no endocrine disrupting benzophenone-1 which is an ingredient I absolutely don’t want to use while pregnant, yet one that appears in natural nail polish ingredients.

I chose Brunella, which is a lovely nude colour. The polish goes on very well and is a surprisingly dense colour.

The downside is that these very natural nail polishes just don’t have the staying power of some other natural nail polishes. I wear rubber gloves and avoid hot baths to protect my polish, as the natural formulations don’t seem to like hot water.

For me, the downsides are definitely worth it while I’m pregnant because I want to minimise exposure to potentially harmful ingredients.


Benecos Nail Polish Remover

A very gentle and cost-effective nail polish remover – perfect peace of mind that your nail polish remover isn’t more chemical-laden than your nail polish!

Benecos Nail Varnish Remover

Some natural nail polish removers can be so expensive, but Benecos Nail Polish Remover is very reasonably priced.

It’s acetone-free, vegan, and BDIH certified. It takes a bit of working into the nail to lift the polish, but it’s worth it! The smell is bearable, which is always nice.

Benecos Nail Polish Remover

Buy Now – £6.33 at BigGreenSmile


Leg relief is a definite second trimester essential

Restless legs? Arghhh! Leg cramps at 3am? Noooooo! Varicose and spider veins? Sigh. My legs will never be the same, but here are my second trimester essentials to bring some comfort and relief.

The Organic Pharmacy Bilberry Complex Cream

I’ve always had spider veins, which seem to be hereditary, unfortunately – and I got the beginnings of a varicose vein while pregnant with Jonah. In my current pregnancy, that varicose vein started to get worse. I also got a ton more spider veins down my calves, which was quite upsetting. I went out looking for something containing horse chestnut as a herbal remedy, since I’d heard that it can protect vein health.

Top second trimester essentials like this The Organic Pharmacy Bilberry Complex Cream

That’s when I came across The Organic Pharmacy Bilberry Complex Cream. This cream contains bilberry, horse chestnut, and witch hazel in a refreshing cream. The ingredients act as astringents to support capillary and vein health.

It seems to be a really nice cream for all kinds of pregnancy complaints such as swollen hands and feet, haemorrhoids, and vein problems.

While it is expensive, the cream is very light and cooling, and sinks in nicely with a light scent. I’m really enjoying using it, and I hope by the end of my pregnancy it’ll have helped to lessen my veins.

The Organic Pharmacy Bilberry Complex Cream

Buy Now – £18.95 at The Organic Pharmacy


Herbfarmacy Horse Chestnut Balm

To treat my varicose veins, I chose this lovely balm – a true lifesaver and absolutely deserving of my second trimester essentials list. The beneficial herbs horse chestnut, burdock, and calendula are combined in a soothing base of sunflower oil, shea butter, and beeswax. The balm aims to soothe the aching and tenderness that comes with varicose veins.

Herbfarmacy Horse Chestnut Balm

I love this Soil Association certified organic balm! It comes in a gorgeous frosted green glass jar with a beautifully illustrated label. The texture is very light and is completely non-greasy. It’s lightly-coloured and has no scent. You only need to warm a small amount in your hands before applying to your tired tootsies and pins.

It’s a real tonic if you’ve been on your feet too long. You just need a willing partner to massage it in to your feet and legs!

Herbfarmacy Horse Chestnut Balm

Buy Now – £10 at Herbfarmacy


BetterYou Magnesium Spray

Cramps have been a real problem for me during both my pregnancies. As if getting up to pee every 4 hours wasn’t bad enough, being woken by legs cramps is just the worst! It really helps me to ensure I’m well hydrated before going to bed. Even if that means 2 loo trips during the night!

BetterYou Magnesium Spray

I’ve found magnesium spray really helps with my aching legs and cramping during pregnancy.

It’s claimed by many that topical application of magnesium is even better than taking a supplement, although this claim at present seems to be scientifically unsupported.

Personally, I get good results from magnesium spray. You could also try epsom salts in the bath, but the magnesium chloride in magnesium spray is more readily absorbed than magnesium sulfate in epsom salts.

This spray is easy to apply to legs. Just spray on, then massage in. I’ve found that if the skin on my legs is less than well moisturised, it itches a lot. It also leaves a weird after-feel, it’s almost an oily feeling.

But I’m positive magnesium spray helps with my cramps, and it’s safe to use during pregnancy, so I’ll keep on using it till I give birth.

BetterYou Magnesium Spray

Buy Now – £8.95 at Amazon


Support your stretching skin

Weleda Stretch Mark Massage Oil

Weleda products feature in so many of my blog posts, and for good reason. This beautiful stretch mark oil is full of things to make a mama-to-be feel good and keep elasticity in the skin.

Weleda Stretch Mark Massage Oil

I don’t think any oil can prevent stretch marks from forming, but a massage oil certainly helps with itching and feels so comforting to use.

It contains sweet almond oil, vitamin E rich wheatgerm oil, and organic arnica extract. There’s also rose, neroli, and myrrh which make it smell absolutely gorgeous. I love the glass bottle, too.

Weleda Stretch Mark Massage Oil

Buy Now – £13.29 at Amazon


Kit & Kin Stretch Mark Oil

Kit & Kin are a lovely family brand co-founded by Emma Bunton. I really love the convenience of this stretch mark oil, which comes in a spray bottle. It’s less expensive than Weleda Stretch Mark Massage Oil, which is great news if you’re on a budget.

Kit & Kin Stretch Mark Oil

The oil contains a blend of 15 skin-nourishing oils such as sunflower, jojoba, strawberry, neroli, and mandarin. There are no synthetic fragrances. The oil is dermatologist approved and Soil Association certified organic.

It’s a real pleasure to use, leaves skin super-soft, and the smell of neroli is so uplifting. I’m going to try more Kit & Kin products in the future, for sure!

Kit & Kin Stretch Mark Oil

Buy Now – £11.99 at Kit & Kin


Nourishing snacks and drinks

The Pregnancy Food Company

We all want to eat healthily in pregnancy. And it’s nice to find delicious foods and snacks specifically for mamas-to-be and breastfeeding mamas. Why not try some no-bake energy balls or some spiced apricot granola?

The Pregnancy Food Company offer delicious, nutrient dense food made with mama and baby in mind.

The Pregnancy Food Co. Mamma's Granola

They’re all low glycemic load, organic, and contain no added sugar. My favourites are the super-nutritious Pregnancy Cacao, Orange, and Sweet Blueberry Nourish Balls, made using eggs, apricots, flaxseed, avocado, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, blueberries, cacao, and chia. They make a really substantial and delicious mid-morning snack.


Nipper&Co Organic Happy Bumps Tea

This tea is absolutely lush! I’m not a huge herbal tea drinker, but I love this one. The organic herbal infusion contains raspberry leaf, ginger, and rose petals, and has a subtle minty taste.

Nipper&Co Organic Happy Bumps Tea

Enjoy this Soil Association certified organic tea throughout your whole pregnancy. Raspberry leaf tea is a traditional pregnancy drink which is thought to act as a tonic to the uterus, aiding labour and delivery.

Midwives advise not drinking raspberry leaf tea in the first trimester, however this advice applies to drinking pure raspberry leaf tea. This tea contains raspberry leaf at 13% which is far milder so long as you don’t chug back too many cups a day!

I’m really enjoying this tea and it’s so nice to sip something which is rich in nutrients and may well help speed up labour!

Nipper&Co Organic Happy Bumps Tea

Buy Now – £6.99 at Nipper&Co


A fragrance-free moisturiser

Bamford Mother & Baby Balm

Some days, I don’t want fragranced products – I just want a good moisturiser. Enter Bamford Mother & Baby Balm!

Bamford Mother & Baby Balm

This multitasking body moisturiser will take you through pregnancy and beyond. Use it to help with itching, and ease stretch marks. When your baby arrives you can use it as a baby balm!

The moisturiser is so clean, and would work amazingly if you’ve developed sensitivities to essential oils during your pregnancy. It contains shea butter, sunflower seed oil, jojoba oil, rosehip seed oil, and is 100% organic.

Bamford Mother & Baby Balm

Buy Now – £22 at Naturisimo


Final thoughts on my second trimester essentials

I hope I’ve given you lots of ideas for healthy second trimester skincare and health products. With Jonah I really didn’t take care of my skin in the same way I do now, and I’m really looking forward to seeing if these lovely natural products help throughout the course of my pregnancy.

You may also be interested to read my pregnancy natural beauty tips.

Please subscribe to my blog to stay in touch throughout my pregnancy! I hope to share more along the way.

What do you think to my second trimester essentials? Please do let me know what your essentials are – or were! I’d really love to hear about them.

Update: My baby arrived in November – read Cara Grace’s birth story!

Until next time!

Helen
Find out my second trimester pregnancy essentials for natural beauty, skincare, and health. Healthy stretch mark oils, non-toxic nail polish, pregnancy snacks, and more!

14 Replies to “Second trimester essentials”

  1. Wow, big congratulations to you, a wonderful news! Need to get that Benecos Nail Polish Remover, seems to be really affordable.

    1. Thanks so much, Petra! We’re so happy! Benecos Nail Polish Remover is great! So nice to find a clean remover that works quite well.

  2. I looked for natural nail polish my entire pregnancy and couldn’t find one that lasted! Thanks for the recommendation I’ll keep it in mind for my next pregnancy.

    1. It’s really hard to find one that’s clean enough for use in pregnancy that actually lasts! The two I recommend here last just long enough, but I wouldn’t call them long lasting. Well, we can always touch our nails up!

  3. Sounds like you found some great products!

    1. I certainly did! It’s so nice to find time to care for myself during pregnancy.

  4. Great and thorough list to keep the mamas happy and healthy during pregnancy!!

    1. Thanks so much, Leigh! Happy and healthy is great!

  5. Congrats on your pregnancy!! Natural products and healthy nutritious snacks were a must during my pregnancy as well. Belly cream and oil was the best for preventing stretch marks and itchiness.

    1. Thank you, Amber! It brings a whole new host of needs. So glad you could find products to help!

  6. I love all of these simple and natural products. I will definitely remember this list!

    1. Thanks, Liz! I’m glad you find it helpful.

  7. Natalie Hansford says: Reply

    Huge congratulations! I’m currently 30 weeks with my third child (4 year old twins already). I was wondering if you’ve used supplements or probiotics during your pregnancy, if so is be interested to know which ones. Thank you. X

    1. Thank you, Natalie! Congratulations to you too! I only use Pregnacare Max to cover my nutritional bases. I used this with my first pregnancy too. Do you use any supplements? 🙂 xx

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