Kudos to you To-Be-Mommy on successfully completing one-third of your pregnancy journey. And welcome to the second trimester! You can be happy as most of you are now free from morning sickness, frequent tiredness, etc. and are glowing brighter and brighter each day. Your hair and nails may also undergo a good change.
All in all, you are now filled with renewed energy altogether and are ready and excited for further surprises coming your way. So, let’s see what the second trimester has in store for you!
Symptoms During The Second Trimester
As you step into the second trimester, your uterus will expand even more. Nausea and fatigue conditions will reduce, but your appetite will come to track. Back pain may elevate. You are more prone to colds and coughs because of your low immunity levels. By mid of this trimester, stretch marks may start appearing. Discharge of body fluids may also increase. After this, get ready for the kicks and nudges. Side-by-side, equip yourself with food 24*7 as hunger sessions may spike up.
Back Pain Elevates
Along with it, you may feel your hands and feet swelling up. Leg cramps and nose bleeding may also occur sometimes. Interruptions in sleep may occur due to the lack of comfort in sleeping positions. Pregnancy acne can kick in as you enter the last month of this trimester, making your skin itchy. You need to undergo a preterm labour checkup by the end of the second trimester. The anxiety levels will heighten, and you might also experience bleeding gums.
Baby’s Development Episodes During The Second Trimester
By the end of the first trimester, your baby is around three inches in length, has unique fingerprints and a beautiful set of eyes and ears. All their essential organs, including genitals, are fully developed. Their heartbeat is clear and loud, and they can very well hear you speak from outside. Taste buds form and they can also give facial expressions. They are busy testing their limbs, and kidneys have begun producing urine.
By week 16, the baby’s eyebrows and eyelashes will develop. By week 17, bones start hardening up, and the umbilical cord gets stronger and thicker. In the second half of this trimester, your little bud is engaged in enhancing their senses. By the end of the 20th week, their taste buds are also fully functional, and they have developed their proper sleep cycles.
Checklist
If you are about to enter or have already entered your second trimester, it is likely that you are done with Oscar tests. If not, schedule one asap as they can only be done till week 14. Start adding more fibre foods to your diet and take good care of your teeth. You might require chit notes to get reminded of the tasks as the pregnancy brain makes you more forgetful. It is time to ditch high heels and switch to more comfortable ones.
You may also need to go for some lingerie shopping as your breast size may double up showing readiness to feed the child. Include small walks and exercises in your daily routine. Make your spouse feel the kicks in a way to connect with the coming munchkin. By the end of this trimester, you can go for some maternity shoots which are very much trendy these days. Speak to your boss and get away with your maternity leave and start with your baby shopping. Add more milk, cheese, soya, pile up on Vitamin C, and eat as many greens as possible. Also, don’t forget to drink lots and lots of water.
Extra Tips
- Prepare yourself as you are going to gain 2kgs every month from now on. Remember, that this is a beautiful part of your journey to motherhood.
- Try going for prenatal exercises and massages. It will help you relax your stressed muscles.
- Keep track of your blood pressure, weight gain and every change you experience in your body.
- By week 17-18, couples can start chit-chatting with the baby bump so as to make the child aware of their voices.
- Avoid sleeping on your back.
- You can try meditation for destress purposes.
- Start thinking of names to keep up the excitement level.
- Have frequent anomaly scans and catch a glimpse of what’s happening inside.
- The good news is that the second trimester is the best time to go for a trip (Babymoon). So accordingly plan one after consulting with your doctor.
- Try joining some classes to be in contact with some other mums-to-be in order to feel more relatable and homely.
- Listening to soothing music can help you relax.
- Wash your face with mild cleansers at regular intervals to avoid that over oily skin.
- Most importantly, say no to any kind of stress.