The second trimester of pregnancy ranges from the fourth to the sixth month, and corresponds to weeks 14 to 28. The beginning of this trimester usually marks a before and after for many women, who can finally say goodbye to a first few months full of nausea and discomfort, and start enjoying your pregnancy.
Not surprisingly, it is often said that this second stage of pregnancy is the calmest and most bearable, since the main discomforts have disappeared, the tummy has not yet reached a considerable volume and the mother begins to notice the first movements of her baby, a unique, wonderful and indescribable feeling.
If you have just entered the second trimester of your pregnancy, we will tell you what changes await you and your baby .
The most important physical changes
The main physical change that you will experience in this stage is the growth of your belly, which will begin to appear at the beginning of the second trimester (although if you have had a previous pregnancy, this will be noticed earlier). If we compare it to an object, by the fourth month your uterus will be the size of a small melon and will be below the navel, and by the end of the sixth month it will have passed the navel line and will be the size of a balloon.
Although it is possible that there are people who insist on guessing the sex of your baby by analyzing the shape and size of your belly, the truth is that there is no relationship between the two factors, nor is there between the size of your belly and the size what will your baby have.
If we attend to the typical discomforts of this stage, the usual thing is that the mother feels better physically than during the first weeks of gestation, since in most cases the nausea will have disappeared. However, in the second trimester new discomforts such as leg cramps, constipation and associated hemorrhoids appear, or heartburn caused by the effect of hormones and the increase in the volume of the uterus.
Muscle aches in the lower back and groin are also frequent, due to stretching of the ligaments, as well as noticing the first Braxton Hicks contractions, contractions that have nothing to do with what you will feel in childbirth, and that will do make your abdomen harden and tense for a few seconds. Although they are not painful, Braxton Hicks contractions can be somewhat uncomfortable , although they subside within a few minutes with rest.
To better cope with all these discomforts, it is important that you take care of your diet, avoiding large meals and including foods that help fight heartburn, as well as foods rich in potassium, magnesium and fiber. In addition, you should drink the recommended amount of water, practice moderate physical exercise on a regular basis and perform gentle back and leg stretches from time to time.
It is also very important that you take care of the weight you gain in pregnancy, always paying attention to your body mass index, avoiding eating for two and always choosing healthy and nutritious options. Remember that overdoing the kilos can bring complications , both for you, as well as for the development of the pregnancy and the health of your baby.
The typical fears and doubts of this stage
Although the anxiety of the beginning may have calmed down over the weeks, the truth is that pregnancy is a stage of great emotional charge , and doubts and fears vary as the months progress.
Thus, in this second trimester it is common for the woman to begin to experience doubts related to her future motherhood (will I be a good mother? Will I love this second baby the same as the first? -In case she already has more children-, Will I know how to measure up?), as well as other issues that have to do with your baby’s health.
Wondering if everything will be okay in there, if the baby is developing correctly or if there is something you are doing that could harm it is absolutely normal. In any case, if you feel that there are aspects that generate special anxiety or concern, do not forget to consult with your doctor or midwife.
Pregnancy checks
Between week 18 and 22, one of the most important tests of pregnancy takes place : the morphological ultrasound at 20 weeks, a test that lasts longer than other follow-up ultrasounds and aims to identify possible fetal malformations, both severe and mild, as well how to analyze its movements, the placenta, the amniotic fluid, the heart and other internal organs of the baby.
On the other hand, in the second trimester you will also perform a new blood and urine analysis, in order to detect and remedy common diseases in this stage, such as urine infections and anemia, which usually appear from the 20th week of gestation.
Also, between week 24 and 28 you will have to take a glucose test or O’Sullivan Test, which aims to measure your blood glucose and rule out the presence of gestational diabetes . If the results of this test are equal to or greater than 140 md / dl of glucose in the blood, the Oral Glucose Tolerance (TTOG) test (or long glucose curve) will be performed, which finally discards or confirms the appearance of Gestational diabetes, a disease that must be controlled to avoid complications.
Your baby’s development
At the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy, the baby already looks very similar to a newborn , but much smaller.
So much so, that between week 14 and 16 its size will be between 10-11 cm from the crown to the end of the back, fitting in the palm of one hand. Between weeks 16 and 20, the baby will grow to reach 350 grams in weight and 16 cm in length, and at the end of the trimester its length will reach 36 centimeters and its weight to 1,100 grams.
In this second trimester, the baby’s organs are in a very advanced stage of development , although some, such as the lungs, must continue to mature until the last moment. Your skeleton also begins to strengthen and this will cause your movements within the uterus to start to become noticeable between the 16th and 20th week, depending on whether it is the first pregnancy or not. Feeling the first kicks of your baby is really wonderful and an experience that you will never forget.
As for the senses, these are in full development, and the baby reacts to the different flavors of the amniotic fluid, the light or to sounds from outside, such as voices, music or very loud noises. Your voice is one of the first sounds it recognizes, so you can begin to communicate with your baby by speaking softly and stimulating him with soothing music.
In this second trimester, a thin layer of hair called lanugo also begins to develop on your baby’s body. Along with vernix caseosa, lanugo helps to maintain the body temperature of the fetus and protect its skin from dehydration, cold and the irritating effects of amniotic fluid.
By the end of the trimester, your baby will have reached such a degree of maturity that it would have a good chance of survival if it came into the world prematurely. But the pregnancy is still several weeks away and it continues to form and train to live outside the womb when it comes time to deliver.
Photos | iStock
In Babies and More | Pregnancy from week 1 to week 40: everything that happens from conception to birth, The nine most frequently asked questions about the tummy in pregnancy: all the answers, Nine changes that (almost certainly) you will notice in pregnancy
