2nd Trimester

The 2nd trimester, also known as the planning trimester, typically starts from week 13 to week 27 and is often considered to be the best period of pregnancy. The discomforts that you went through during your 1st trimester such as mood swings, depression, anxiety and fear will have eased. The baby in the womb has not grown large enough to cause you any burden on your waist yet. Therefore, most women will take this chance to get all the necessary things done in preparation for the delivery of the baby. During the 3rd trimester, it will be much harder to do so as the weight of the baby will begin to grow and this will be a burden on your waist such that you will feel tired easily after walking just a short distance.

During the 2nd trimester, your baby will begin to grow his hair, ears and eyes. He will begin to yawn, hiccup, suck and swallow just like we can. By week 21 of pregnancy, the baby will begin to form his arms and legs. This is the time where you may feel the occasional little kicks in your belly area. In week 22, your baby will begin to develop his sense to smell, taste, see and hear. And by the end of this trimester, your baby is around 11 to 14 inches and would weigh at least 2 pounds. This is the point during your pregnancy where the baby’s weight will begin to wear you down as it continues to grow in size. The baby will have also developed his own unique set of fingerprints.

Take mild exercises such as a walk around the park to ease the circulation of blood around your body. This will improve your general health and help prevent any problems in the later stages of pregnancy. Try to eat smaller meals more often, rather than three larger meals a day to ease your slower digestive system. You will have to be prepared for sensitive gums, leg cramps, dizziness, and an increased in appetite during this stage of your pregnancy. You may also encounter other pregnancy symptoms such as skin changes, itchiness in the lower abdomen, and varicose veins and hemorrhoids. Just take note that not all of these symptoms will be present and it will be different for every woman.

You should routinely visit your practitioner for the next several weeks during your 2nd trimester. Your practitioner will examine your health and make sure that it is in no way affecting the growth of the baby. You will also go through an ultrasound test between week 18 and 22 of pregnancy to allow the doctor to check the status of the baby. The doctor will measure the baby, determine the baby’s gender and check on the baby’s organs to make sure everything is in order. Between weeks 12 to 22 of pregnancy, you will go through a quad screening to measure the four main substances produced by your baby and passed through your bloodstream. This allows the doctor to determine if there are any abnormalities in the baby’s system. However, there is not much to worry about these test as most of the time, everything will turn out fine.

The most important aspect in the 2nd trimester of your pregnancy is to have a balanced life. Eat healthy regular meals, exercise regularly by walking around and get enough rest and sleep. Avoid eating anything that is harmful to the growth of your baby and avoid doing any physical work that requires you to move around or bend over a lot. Time flies and this period of your pregnancy will soon past you by before you even know it.