Second trimester - 13-27 weeks
Most women find the second trimester of pregnancy easier than the first, but staying informed is still essential. During this time, you'll gain weight as your baby grows, which includes the baby, placenta, amniotic fluid, and additional body changes.
Stretch marks may appear due to skin stretching; these are harmless and often fade after birth. While nausea and fatigue from the first trimester may improve, some symptoms might continue. By around 17 weeks, most individuals have gained at least 10 pounds.
You may experience back or pelvic pain, which physiotherapy can help manage. You might first feel your baby move between 16 and 24 weeks. As their movements become stronger, it’s important to recognize their patterns. Contact your midwife if you notice a decrease in movement.
During this trimester, many people find out about the foetus’s assigned sex. This is typically done during an ultrasound at around 20 weeks.
Symptoms
As your body adapts to accommodate your growing baby, you might experience:
- Discomfort in various areas, such as your back, abdomen, groin, or thighs.
- An increase in weight.
- Darkening around your nipples (the areolas).
- The appearance of a Linea nigra (a dark stripe that runs from your pubic bone to your belly button).
- Spots of darkened skin.
- Stretch marks on your abdomen, breasts, thighs, or buttocks.
- Patches of darker skin, typically found on the cheeks, forehead, nose, or upper lip. These patches often appear symmetrically on both sides of the face and are sometimes known as the mask of pregnancy.
- Numbness or tingling in the hands, a condition referred to as carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Itching in the abdomen, palms, and soles of the feet. (Contact your doctor if you experience nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice, or fatigue in conjunction with itching, as this may indicate a serious liver issue.)
- Swelling in the ankles, fingers, and face. (If you notice sudden or severe swelling or experience rapid weight gain, reach out to your doctor immediately, as this could signify preeclampsia.)
Babys Development
At this stage of pregnancy, your baby can hear some sounds. Their skin may appear wrinkled and will be covered with a greasy substance and fine hair known as lanugo. The baby will alternate between sleeping and waking and may start to kick and stretch. Their sucking reflex is developing, and they may even suck their thumb.
You can usually find out the sex of your baby during your 20-week screening scan, if you wish. This scan is typically offered when you are between 18 and 20 weeks pregnant, but this may vary depending on your local hospital’s policy. If you would like to know the sex, be sure to ask the technician performing the scan beforehand.
Month 4 (weeks 13 through 16)
Many people start to show signs of pregnancy around this stage, particularly if they have been pregnant before. A healthcare provider can clearly detect the foetal heartbeat using a Doppler ultrasound. The foetus is even capable of sucking its thumb, yawning, stretching, and making facial expressions.
- Week 13: The vocal cords begin to form, and the foetus’s large head starts to grow in proportion to its body.
- Week 14: The foetus’s skin starts to thicken, and fine hair begins to grow. It can bring its fingers to its mouth and turn its head. The external genitals are fully developed, and fingerprints begin to form.
- Week 15: Some organs, such as the intestines and ears, are moving to their permanent positions. The foetus continues to practice breathing with amniotic fluid, and its lungs are starting to develop. The foetus begins to make more purposeful movements, like sucking its thumb or smiling.
- Week 16: The foetus has developed lips, and its ears are now functioning well enough that it can hear you talk. Although its eyes remain closed, the foetus can react to light by turning away from it. It also makes sucking motions with its mouth, demonstrating the sucking reflex.
By the end of the fourth month, the foetus is approximately 4 to 5 inches long and weighs about 4 ounces, which is roughly the size of an avocado. During this time, muscle tissue and bone continue to develop, leading to a more complete skeleton.
Month 5 (weeks 17 through 20)
By the end of the fifth month of pregnancy, most individuals begin to feel the foetus moving. These first movements are known as quickening and may feel like a flutter. If your pregnancy has been healthy up to this point, you'll likely have your first ultrasound. During this appointment, you might even learn the foetus’s assigned sex.
- Week 17: The foetus still has thin skin but is beginning to gain fat. Its skin is covered with a whitish coating called vernix. This “cheesy” substance is believed to protect the foetal skin from long-term exposure to amniotic fluid.
- Week 18: The foetus is covered in lanugo, a soft, peach fuzz-like hair that helps maintain its warmth and provides an additional layer of protection. The foetus may experience a sleep-wake cycle, and loud noises can wake it if it is asleep.
- Week 19: The foetus is becoming stronger, and most people start to feel its kicks and punches. The foetus also has a unique set of fingerprints and is capable of hiccupping.
- Week 20: The foetus’s nails grow toward the tips of its fingers. The area of the brain responsible for its five senses begins to develop.
By the end of the fifth month, the foetus measures approximately 9 to 10 inches long and weighs around 1 pound. At this stage, your baby can hear sounds and swallow. Eyebrows, eyelashes, fingernails, and toenails have developed, and your baby can even scratch itself.
Month 6 (weeks 21 through 24)
If you were to look inside your uterus at this moment, you would observe that the foetus’s skin appears reddish, wrinkled, and the veins are visible through its translucent skin. At six months of pregnancy, its eyelids start to separate, and you might notice some irregular, jerky movements. The foetus reacts to sounds by moving or having an increased heart rate. Your baby experiences cycles of sleep and wakefulness. Genuine hair starts to develop on your baby's head.
- Week 21: Limb movements are coordinated and frequent. The foetus has bone marrow that helps it produce blood cells.
- Week 22: The foetus’s grasp is getting stronger, allowing it to touch its ears and the umbilical cord. It can hear your heartbeat, your stomach rumble, and your breathing.
- Week 23: The foetus will start to rapidly add fat to its body.
- Week 24: The foetus’s lungs are fully developed, but not well enough to work outside your uterus.
By the end of the sixth month, the foetus is about 12 inches long and weighs around 2 pounds. Taste buds have formed, and footprints and fingerprints are present. In boys, testicles start to descend into the scrotum, while girls have their uterus and ovaries in place, with all their eggs developed in the ovaries.
Starting at 24 weeks, a baby's chances of survival increase if born prematurely, although they would require intensive care for an extended period at this early stage. The longer the baby remains in the womb, the better their chances of survival become.
Month 7 (weeks 25 through 28)
The foetus continues to mature and develop body fat reserves. It frequently changes position and responds to stimuli such as sound, pain, and light. The amniotic fluid is beginning to diminish.
- Week 25: Increased body fat makes the foetus’s skin smoother and plumper. Its nervous system is maturing rapidly.
- Week 26: The foetus produces melanin, the substance responsible for skin and eye colour. Additionally, the foetus’s lungs begin to create surfactant, which is essential for breathing after birth.
- Week 27: The foetus can open its eyes and blink. It also has eyelashes.