Second Trimester of Pregnancy – The second trimester

1
1961
second trimester

Pregnancy in the second trimester is the best phase of the whole nine-month journey. Some also call it the golden period as all the morning sickness, nausea, food aversions etc. go away.

In the next three months, you will probably not feel as tired as you did in the first trimester and your body would have accustomed itself to nurture a life inside.

The second trimester is the time between the 13th – 24th week, when your baby will grow may be up to 9-12 inches. You will start feeling kicks and movements as soon as the baby’s muscles grow stronger. During this time, you will want to do some of your planning and preparation, since your energy levels will be better.

Read Also : The Third Trimester of Pregnancy – All Things You Need To Know

Preparing For The Second Trimester

  1. Continue Those Prenatal Vitamins, as the baby starts growing more – yours and the baby’s nutritional requirements will increase.
  2. Increase Your Intake of The Food Rich in Iron, Vitamin D, Calcium, and Magnesium, as the baby is now developing limbs, organs, eyes, and bones. These nutrients will help the baby grow stronger bones and teeth.
  3. Exercise Regularly Under Your Doctor’s Guidance. As your body will gain weight during pregnancy, you need to stay active. Exercising will help you stay active.
  4. You Will Witness Signs of a New Life. You finally feel your baby’s first kick sometime around the fourth month. During the sixth month, you’ll start noticing a pattern in your baby’s movement for example- it’ll pick up pace after you’ve eaten, start being more active when you’ve finally called it a night.
  5. Your Skin Texture Will Change, as your belly starts growing big – the red, pink stripes may appear on your belly, hips, thighs, and breasts over the next few months. And let’s not forget the stretch marks, 90 percent of the women get them. Now, you can’t do much about them, just keep your skin moisturized.

Read Also : Pregnancy by Trimester- All The Trimester of Pregnancy
The Second Trimester - some points you need to know

  1. Your Baby Can Hear You, Yes it Can. Talk to your baby, make a connection and by the end of the second trimester, the baby can recognise your voice.
  2. Your Breasts Will Continue to get Bigger. You may notice your breasts getting bigger, and they’ll continue to grow throughout your pregnancy, these changes prepare you for breastfeeding. Also, your areolas (the pigmented circles around your nipples) will also get bigger and darker- which is perfectly normal.
  3. You’ll be Visiting Your Doctor Often for regular check-ups, screening for diabetes, ultrasounds, genetic screening tests etc. Ask as many questions as you want to your doctor, put all those doubts at rest.

Read Also : Pregnancy Trimester By Trimester

  1. Consider Where You Would Want to Have Your Baby, start looking at the birthing centres and hospitals as per your convenience. Make the booking in time to avoid last minute rush.
  2. Consider Shopping, as your shape will be changing- it’s good to buy a few comfortable maternity clothes and footwear. Also start buying basic clothes for the baby- sheets, diapers, baby bags, toys and nursery items.
  3. Emotional Changes, while your crazy mood swings from the first trimester stabilise, your hormones are still playing up and are totally taking a toll on everyone around you. Try and tame them, go for a nice pedicure, prenatal yoga or just do what makes you happy.

By the second trimester, most women start embracing their new identity of “mom to be” – so enjoy the phase. Lastly, put your feet up and revel in how great you feel right now because the third trimester is on the way and things are about to change yet again.