Pregnancy is undeniably a beautiful experience for any woman. The sense of closeness and the love for someone you haven’t even seen yet. Words fall short for this lovely gift women possess. A pregnancy lasts for approximately 40 weeks which are divided into 3 trimesters. The second trimester lasts from about week 13 to week 27.
The second trimester is when you will have a second realization that you will be a mother soon. You will notice, feel and see your baby grow larger and stronger. You will also see noticeable growth in your baby bump as a result. It will also be a lot easier period than your first trimester as the fatigue and your morning sickness will start subsiding. In the second trimester, the undulating hormone levels, which cause the wild mood swings during your first trimester, will stabilize.
Changes That Occur in Your Body
Your body goes through major changes during the second trimester, and unlike the changes in the first trimester, these are more physical. Your uterus expands, and you begin to show a bigger abdomen. During this period, you may also feel dizziness due to low blood pressure, and your appetite tends to increase. The most interesting part is feeling your baby move. The less interesting part is body aches, stretch marks on your stomach, breast, thighs and buttocks. You can also experience itching and swelling of the ankles or hand is not uncommon. You will also notice changes in your skin like darkening of the skin around your nipples or patches of darker skin.
You should consider contacting your doctor if you experience the following symptoms:
- Nausea
- Jaundice
- Vomiting
- rapid weight gain
- extreme swelling
What changes does the foetus go through?
The second trimester is all about your baby’s growth. The baby’s organs start to develop during this period fully. The baby also starts to hear and even learns to swallow. We will now talk about the growth of your baby in detail.
Around week 16, your baby will start growing tiny hair and approximately by week 22 will develop eyelashes and eyebrows.
Around this time lanugo (fur coat) will cover the baby’s skin which will maintain the temperature until more fat is built up and vernix caseous (greasy layer of oil and dead skin) will cover the skin too, both of these will be shed before birth.
Once you reach the end of the first trimester, the baby’s digestive system will be fully formed. It is said that the baby now starts practicing sucking and swallowing movements and can also taste the food you consume through the amniotic fluid. This also influences the kind of food your baby likes, and hence it is advised to eat a lot of healthy vegetables and fresh fruits.
The baby’s ears start to move to the right position at about 22 weeks into the pregnancy. The sense of smell, sight and hearing starts to develop, and the eyes begin to open up.
Around 17 weeks, the heartbeat is regulated by the brain, which can be heard with a stethoscope at 20 weeks. About 25 weeks in, the capillaries start forming, which will then carry the oxygenated blood through your baby’s body.
The brain will also start inducing kicks by 26 weeks and control blinking.
Important Tests During Second Trimester
- Multiple Marker Screening
This test screens for Down syndrome and any other chromosomal abnormality. It also looks for neural tube defects like Spina Bifida. Nearly all pregnant women are asked to do this test at about 15 – 18 weeks in the pregnancy and is done by a blood test. The drawbacks are that it shows 5 percent false positives.
- Amniocentesis
This test also screens for Down syndrome while also looking for trisomy 18, and other possible chromosomal abnormalities. This test also identifies the baby’s gender. Pregnant women of age 35 or older are suggested to get this test done. The test is also suggested for women who are at a risk of having a baby with a genetic disorder or chromosomal abnormality. The test is carried out at 15 – 18 weeks pregnant and is done by inserting a long thin needle through your abdomen into the amniotic sac to withdraw the fluid sample. The drawbacks of this test include being uncomfortable and might cause mild cramping or spotting. 1 in 200 women has a miscarriage. This test is suggested to women aged 35 and above, which is when the risk of Down syndrome equates to the risk of a miscarriage from the test.
- Glucose Screen
This particular test screens for gestational diabetes, which usually affects 5 per cent of women. Women specifically who are over 30 in age, overweight, and have had a large baby before or family history of diabetes possess a high risk. It is done at 24 – 28 weeks by a blood test one hour post drinking a sugar solution.
Staying Healthy During the Second Trimester
Here are a few tips you should consider following while in your second trimester
- Continue taking prenatal vitamins.
- Do pelvic exercises.
- Drink as much water as possible.
- Have a healthy diet consisting of fruits and vegetables
- Ensure great dental hygiene
- Eat enough amount of calories.
- Here are a few things you should avoid
- Exhausting exercises which could cause injury to your stomach
- Alcohol
- lower caffeine intake
- raw or smoked seafood
- cat litter
- Unpasteurized milk and dairy products.
How to Prepare for Birth
You could have prenatal education classes which are taught locally. You could also consider going to classes for breastfeeding, first aid and infant CPR. You might as well watch birth videos which are more natural and not frightening. Taking a tour of the hospital or birth center where you will be giving birth is a great idea. You can also prepare for the baby by making a small nursery in your house to welcome your new born child.
Listen, Motherhood is one of the several difficult jobs because you have to do it your entire lives. After saying that I will also say that it is the most giving job you could have, the love, the bonding, it’s all priceless. The second trimester of pregnancy is when you will start feeling these emotions and start understanding how your life will be so much more fulfilling after your baby comes to this world. You will realize how important this little human will be to you and how you will protect your baby from everything that doesn’t do good. It is an experience you should be grateful for and cherish your whole life.