23 Weeks, 4th Baby, and Abs Like Mashed Potato
By around 20–24 weeks pregnant, a lot of mums hit the same moment: you look in the mirror, clock the bump, try to engage your core and realise your abs now have the structural integrity of a bowl of mashed potato. And yet there you are, doing life, doing school runs, doing your job, and growing an entire human like it’s just another Tuesday.
Picture this: a mum with long brown hair, standing against a plain white wall in a white tank with black trim and black bike shorts. She’s almost 23 weeks with baby number four, one hand on her hip, smiling like she’s about to host a TV show, not collapse on the couch. On the inside she’s thinking, “My ab muscles are quite weak from my first three rather large babies,” and on the outside she looks like a walking billboard for “I’ve actually slept eight hours.” That contrast is the entire second trimester vibe.
The Second-Trimester Reality No One Puts on a Baby Shower Card
Everyone tells you the second trimester is the “easy one”. And yes, compared to the first trimester hungover-without-the-fun stage, it’s an upgrade. But it’s not exactly a spa retreat either.
This is the chapter where:
- Your bump goes from “food baby” to “there’s definitely a person in there”.
- Your abs and core are like, “We did our best, but we’re clocking off now.”
- Your back, hips and pelvis suddenly have big opinions about chairs, beds and anything with a waistband.
- You realise you still need to be a functional human who wears pants in public.
Add “baby number four” into the mix and your body is basically a veteran employee on its fourth big project, going: “Look, I know what to do, but we’re going to need better equipment this time.” That’s what I love about this mum’s story – she’s not pretending to have Olympic-level abs. She’s saying, “My core is tired, my babies were big, and I feel supported and wonderful when I’m in these bike shorts.” Honest, practical, no glitter filter.
Why Support Matters More Than Looking Cute (But We Want Both)
Let’s talk about that word she used: supported. When your abs are feeling wobbly and your bump’s getting heavier by the week, “support” from your clothes isn’t about being squeezed into shape. It’s about feeling held enough that you can walk, sit, and chase a toddler without constantly adjusting your waistband or fantasising about taking your pants off in the produce aisle.
In the second trimester, you’re often more active than you’ll be later on – you might be doing gentle workouts, working on your feet, or just running your normal life at slightly slower Wi‑Fi. So what you put on your body has to work just as hard as you do. No digging, no fuss, no “this only looks good if I don’t breathe”. You want stretch where you need it, coverage where you want it, and the kind of comfort that lets you forget about your clothes and focus on not leaving your keys in the fridge again.
The Bike Shorts This Mum Won’t Take Off
The shorts our 23‑week, fourth-time legend is raving about? The Emama Maternity Bike Shorts + Pockets - Black. These are purpose-built for pregnancy – the bump, the movement, the “I might do pilates or I might just walk to the café and call that exercise” lifestyle.
They’re designed as maternity shorts, not just regular gym tights pretending to be maternity wear. The bump panel is made to grow with you, the fabric is made for an active day (even if your definition of “active” is walking from the couch to the pantry 17 times), and the design is all about giving you options: you, your pregnancy, your active life. Wear them to a morning pilates class without worrying about overheating in summer, then keep them on for half a day with friends over coffee, errands, or a very committed nap.
And the pockets. The pockets. The way pregnant women talk about pockets, you’d think we just discovered electricity. Keys, phone, snacks, daycare pass, random rock your toddler insists is special – they all have a home. At around $120, these aren’t your “I’ll wear them twice and forget them” shorts; they’re the kind of piece that basically becomes a uniform, especially in that second-trimester sweet spot where bike shorts are life.
See Emama Maternity Bike Shorts + Pockets - Black in action
Real-Mum Road Test: From School Run to Couch Marathon
Let’s break down a realistic second-trimester day in these shorts:
- Morning: You roll out of bed, pull on your Emama Maternity Bike Shorts + Pockets - Black and an easy tank. You can actually bend to put shoes on without your waistband fighting you.
- Mid-morning: Light pilates, a walk, or just power-waddling through the supermarket. The shorts move with you, your bump is supported, and your phone is tucked neatly in a pocket instead of down your sports bra.
- Afternoon: Sitting at a desk, working from the couch, or catching up with friends. No digging seams, no awkward adjusting, just stretchy comfort doing its job.
- Evening: You collapse on the lounge and realise… you never bothered to change. Because you didn’t need to. That’s elite-level maternity dressing right there.
This is why testimonials like our 23‑week mum’s matter. She’s worn the shorts in real life with real weak abs and real previous giant babies. She’s not selling a fantasy; she’s confirming that on a very practical level, these shorts helped her feel more held together — literally and emotionally.
How to Build a Second-Trimester Uniform You’ll Actually Wear
If you’re in that middle stage of pregnancy and your wardrobe feels like a hostile environment, here’s a simple strategy:
- Start with one hero bottom: A workhorse piece like the Emama Maternity Bike Shorts + Pockets - Black that you can wear to move, to lounge, and to exist. If you’re living in bike shorts already, this is where to upgrade.
- Add easy-wash tops: Tank tops and tees that you can throw over the bump without thinking too hard. Solid colours mean your bike shorts can be the base of multiple outfits.
- Choose shoes your back likes: Second trimester is not the time to win a stiletto competition. Prioritise whatever your hips and lower back don’t complain about.
- Keep a “crawl-into” outfit ready: On tougher days, have one set – like these shorts and your comfiest top – that you know will feel good no matter how puffy, tired or emotional you are.
None of this is about looking perfect. It’s about creating a tiny bit of ease in a season where your body is doing the wildest transformation of your life.
A Little Pep Talk for the Multi-Baby Mums (and the First-Timers)
Whether this is baby number one or number four, having “weak abs” or feeling wobbly in your body doesn’t make you less strong – it literally means your body has shown up for you and your babies again and again. That’s not failure; that’s experience.
If a simple thing like the right pair of maternity bike shorts makes you feel more supported and wonderful in the middle of all that? Take the win. You are not “extra” for wanting comfort; you are extremely pregnant and therefore extremely entitled to anything that makes your day 1% easier.
So if you’re in your second trimester, living in bike shorts and wondering which pair is actually worth it, I’d put the Emama Maternity Bike Shorts + Pockets - Black at the top of your try-on list. Your mashed-potato abs deserve nothing less.
