Welcome to the second trimester, often called the “golden period” of pregnancy. Most of the unpleasant symptoms of early pregnancy begin to disappear as soon as you enter the 2nd trimester. Well, for most of you this time is going to be the most enjoyable and comfortable phase of pregnancy. Once here, you’re likely to have decreased feeling of nausea, improved sleep and increased energy. However, second trimester comes with its own set of pregnancy symptoms and body changes. In this post we elaborate on all of these to help you manage this stage of pregnancy better. Learn what to avoid during the second trimester.
Tell me the beginning and end of the second trimester?
The second trimester runs from 14 to 26 weeks of pregnancy, lasting 13 weeks or approximately three months.
More about the second trimester
Often, any anxiety and morning sickness that went with your first trimester starts to diminish at this point. You’ll start to feel your fetus move by the end of this trimester. You will likely start to show the bump, need to buy more comfortable clothes and you might begin to settle into your pregnancy and enjoy it more.
Tell me the symptoms of second trimester pregnancy?
You’ll notice several changes in your own body during this time. Your uterus — the place where your fetus grows during pregnancy — continues to stretch. This organ will expand throughout your pregnancy as your fetus gets larger.
However, your uterus isn’t the only thing growing during the second trimester either. You’ll start gaining weight and might start showing – the tell-tale belly bump.
Following is a list of pregnancy symptoms that you may experience during the second trimester:
- Growing uterus – Belly bump
- An increased appetite
- Some swelling in your hands, feet and ankles
- Some stretch marks
- An achy body
- Kicks – movements of you baby
- Dizziness owing to lower blood pressure
- Difference in skin colour or patches
- Cold during pregnancy second trimester
- Cravings – hormonal changes can trigger strange food cravings
Second trimester checklist
These are just some of the highlights and things to do in the second trimester:
- Announcing your pregnancy: Although some people may have guessed already, some of your friends, family, and colleagues will expect you to share the good news with them.
- Having tests and check-ups: During the second trimester, you’ll continue with your regular prenatal care. Your doctor may check your fundal height to assess your baby’s size and growth rate. Additional tests may be recommended if you are at risk for certain conditions, such as gestational diabetes.
- Meeting your baby bump: This trimester your belly and breasts will grow noticeably. Although it’s different for every pregnant woman and can even be different from one pregnancy to the next, you might start showing early in this trimester.
- Experiencing an energy boost: During the second trimester, you may experience an extra burst of energy. Use it to your advantage. Begin your prenatal exercise routine (best done in guidance of a prenatal therapist), walking, swimming, or prenatal yoga. Meet friends, go out – try not to overdo it and schedule time for rest as well.
- Increasing appetite: After a relief from morning sickness, you will begin to like eating now. Remember – you don’t need to “eat for two.” Expecting moms typically only need around 300 extra calories per day — that’s about a glass of skim milk and half a sandwich — as part of a healthy pregnancy diet. For more help, ask your doctor for personalised advice.
2nd Trimester: Changes in your Body
What happens to my body during the second trimester?
Following is a list of body changes that you may experience during the third trimester:
Cardiovascular changes in 2nd trimester
- Dizziness, which occurs when your blood vessels widen and relax — increasing blood flow to your baby, but slowing your blood pressure down. Take it easy, eat plenty of small meals and fill up on fluids to reduce dizziness symptoms. Click to read Pregnancy Dizziness: What helps when feeling dizzy?
- Varicose veins and/or hemorrhoids, a type of varicose vein — which, fortunately, should shrink or go away after pregnancy if you didn’t have them before you conceived. Read more about All you need to know about Varicose Veins
Aches & Pains during second trimester
- Back Pain: Pregnancy back pain may set in thanks to the extra pressure on your back due to the extra weight you’ll gain in these few months. Be regular with your prenatal exercises, follow good sitting posture and avoid lifting unusually heavy weight. Click to Read 10 Ways to avoid back pain due to pregnancy
- Stomach tightness and lower abdominal pain: As your uterus expands during pregnancy, it puts pressure on nearby muscles and ligaments making the stomach feel tight. During your second trimester, your round ligament muscle often cramps as it stretches. You feel it as a dull ache in your lower abdomen, but you may also feel sharp stabs of pain. Minor cramps are normal, and may be caused by constipation, gas, or even sex.
- Headache. Headaches are one of the most common pregnancy complaints. Try to get plenty of rest, and practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing. Remember to not take any medicine without checking with your doctor.
- Leg cramps, which usually start in the second trimester and last through the third. It’s due not only to hormones and weight but also possibly a shortage of calcium or magnesium — so be sure to keep eating a healthy, well-balanced pregnancy diet.
Food & Digestion in Second Trimester
- Heartburn and constipation. These are caused by your body making more of a hormone called progesterone. To relieve heartburn, try eating more frequent, smaller meals throughout the day and avoid greasy, spicy, and acidic foods (such as citrus fruits). Click to read more on how to tackle acidity. For constipation, get more fiber and drink extra fluids to keep things moving more smoothly. Physical activity will also help move things along.
Other Second Trimester changes: Breast, Vagina and Hormones
- Skin pigment changes: During pregnancy, your body produces more melanin — the pigment that gives skin its colour — so your nipples may become darker, and brown patches may appear on your face (called chloasma or “mask of pregnancy”). These darker skin patches tend to slowly fade after your baby is born.
- Thicker hair: During pregnancy, many moms-to-be find that their hair gets thicker and might grow faster than usual. It’s one of the physical changes you may really enjoy this trimester!
- Quickening. By the midpoint of your pregnancy (20 weeks) you will probably have started to feel the first delicate flutters of movement in your abdomen, which is often called “quickening.” Some women don’t experience quickening until their sixth month of pregnancy.
- Discharge. It’s normal to see a thin, milky white vaginal discharge (called leukorrhea) early in your pregnancy. Use a panty liner if it makes you feel more comfortable, but do not use a tampon as it can introduce germs into the vagina. Click to read more about vaginal discharge and bleeding during pregnancy
What to avoid during the second trimester?
Here are a few things you should avoid at this stage of pregnancy:
- Sleeping on your back. Since the entire weight of your uterus and baby will rest on your back, intestines and vena cava (the main vein that shuttles blood from your lower body to your heart) it is likely to cause you and the baby discomfort. Prefer to lie on your side.
- Hot tubs and saunas. Nothing sounds better to your painful swollen feet than a soak in a nice, hot bath. Unfortunately, hot tubs and saunas are best avoided during pregnancy, as is anything that raises your body temperature to more than 101 degrees F. If you take a warm bath, use luke-warm water only.
- Raw or undercooked foods. Your appetite might be back, but you should still continue to avoid raw or undercooked seafood, eggs and meat. Be careful with handling food safely – wash, clean, cook and chill (leftovers).
- Unpasteurized dairy and juices. Unpasteurized milk and food made with unpasteurized milk (soft cheeses, for example — like Brie, goat cheese and feta) should be avoided. These items may run a risk of containing bacteria.
- Elective ultrasounds. Resist the urge however, to schedule a 3D or 4D sonogram at a prenatal portrait center. While there are no known risks of ultrasounds during pregnancy, ACOG says that they should only be used for medical reasons — and performed by a qualified medical professional.