WTF Is Happening to My Body?

Managing Second Trimester Symptoms Without Going Insane

The second trimester is often billed as "the good one." You'll often hear this referred to as the honeymoon phase of pregnancy—a window when the morning sickness recedes, your energy rebounds, and you begin to glow. And while some of that is wonderfully true (hi, baby bump selfies and the ability to eat again), it's not the whole story. What many of us don't understand until we're knee-deep in it, though, is that the second trimester means a whole new set of players joining the pregnancy symptom party — a burning heartburn, an inexplicable back pain and 2AM leg cramps that hit harder than a jump scare in a horror movie.

Nobody took me aside and said, "Hey, just so you know, your uterus is about to start picking on your stomach and spine." Instead, I was blindsided, Googling my symptoms at midnight and texting my pregnant cousin things like, Is it normal to feel as though a dragon is breathing fire up my throat every time I lie down? Spoiler alert: it is, but that doesn't mean it's fun, and it doesn't mean you should run the risk of getting through it without some serious coping strategies. So if you're somewhere in the 13-to-28-week range and struggling to comprehend your changing body, here's the most common symptoms of the second trimester — and what actually helped me get through them without crying on the floor. (Okay, only once.)

🔥 Heart Burn: A fire breathing dragon

What it feels like:
A slow, creeping burn that begins in your chest and occasionally makes its way up to your throat. It might feel as if you just ingested magma — or as if your body is taking your lunch choices personally. Lying down? Forget about it. Even water might betray you.

Why it's happening:
When your uterus stretches to accommodate your growing baby, it pushes everything else — including your stomach — up. And progesterone is relaxing the valve between your esophagus and stomach, so acid can sneak back up more easily. Heartburn can happen at any time, but it's particularly frequent after meals and at night.

What helped me survive:

• Eat small meals, more regularly: Big meals exacerbated my bloating, so I began eating like a hobbit — first breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies and so on.
• Avoid acid triggers: Citrus, tomatoes, spicy foods, fried things, chocolate, and even mint (I KNOW) can exacerbate heartburn.
• Sit up after eating: I started sitting upright at least 30–60 minutes after meals. Netflix+ sitting up straight = new ritual.
• Get a wedge pillow or prop your head up: Sleeping flat hurt too much to last. I started with pillows piled atop one another, then graduated to a wedge.
• You can consult your OB for safe antacids: Tums saved my life, but you need to check your specific prenatal needs — some iron-rich vitamins can make it worse.

What nobody told me: Heartburn isn't only for the third trimester. Mine kicked in at 18 weeks and didn't abate until delivery — so the earlier you establish a routine of managing it, the better.

🤕 Back Pain: The Sneaky Slow Burn

What it feels like:
A gnawing, dull pain in your lower back, particularly after standing too long, sitting too long or just plain being. Some days felt like someone had swapped my spine for a coat hanger.

Why it's happening:
The advancing baby bump shifts your center of gravity forward, and that puts a strain on your lower back muscles. Also, the hormone relaxin is loosening your ligaments and joints in anticipation of birth, loosening things up a little—and making them a little less stable.

How I didn't let it ruin my day:

• Prenatal yoga: Just 10 minutes of stretching every day helped realign my posture and relieve tension.
• Pelvic tilts and gentle movement: This was my jam when the couch has taken me hostage for too long.
• Maternity support belt: These babies lift your bump just enough to take the weight off your back. Don't sleep on them.
• Heating pad therapy: Short, low-heat sessions on my lower back were magic, especially after long walks or errand days.
• Improve your sleep situation: A full-body or C-shaped pregnancy pillow will help to align your hips and spine, making sleep (slightly) more pleasant.

Bonus tip: If you are working from home or do a desk job, then make sure to invest in a lumbar support pillow. Around week 22, you'll want to thank your back.

🦵 Leg Cramps: The Bedtime Bandit

What it feels like:
A suddenly jabbing cramp in your calf that wakes you from sleep as if someone juspt zapped your leg. They often come in the middle of the night and find you flailing, gasping, bungling an end, half-asleep and trying to stretch it out.

Why it's happening:
There's a mix of causes of leg cramps in pregnancy: dehydration, low magnesium or potassium, pressure of your uterus on your nerves and blood vessels, and the general effort of hauling around your extra weight. Your body's basically like, "Help! I'm tired and confused!"

What finally stopped mine:

• Stretch before bed: Every night before I crawled into bed, I did a simple calf stretch (toes flexed up toward my shin).
• Hydration: Increased my water consumption and added an electrolyte packet to one bottle a day. Coconut water works, too.
• Magnesium lotion: Applied to my legs at bedtime, this one was a dead-on cramp-blocker. Some mamas also use supplements — check with your provider.
• Snacks rich in potassium: Bananas, avocado, dates, and sweet potatoes became my besties.
• Compression socks: Not cute but if you spend lots of time on your feet, it will help blood flow and prevent cramping.

My horror story: I screamed so loud one night while having a cramp that my dog fell off the bed trying to escape. The next morning, we both limped.

Last Word: You Are Not Alone, You Are Bayou

I will shout this for the mothers in the back: you are not broken, your body is responding and figuring it out. Even when it seems to be working against you, it's actually going through overdrive to grow and support your baby. These symptoms are not indication that something is wrong. Signs that something amazing is happening, they are.

Whether you're contending with a burning chest, throbbing back or legs that have taken up a flair for the dramatic, know this:

You are strong. You are learning. And you are doing a beautiful thing — a messy one.

Take a breath, stretch it out, hydrate and send this post to a fellow mama who's wondering if she's the only person up at 2AM Googling, "calf cramp or muscle possession?"

We got this. 💪