2nd trimester of pregnancy

The Stages Of Pregnancy - The Second Trimester
What's happening inside the womb now: Your baby is more active, though you can't quite feel it moving yet. He may start to put his thumb in his mouth now, and his skull is starting to get more solid. Ribs are starting to form but aren't quite visible yet ....more

Sex during pregnancy
It is important that you nourish your relationship as much as your nourish your unborn child during pregnancy. Most women find that their bodies grow large and unwieldy during pregnancy. Many women are surprised to find that their sex drive actually increases during pregnancy ....more

Enjoy Your 2nd Trimester!
Congratulations! Your pregnancy now comes to the second trimester, which is within weeks 13 through 27. Your morning sickness has faded away gradually by now. This means, you should be feeling better than before ....more

Different stages of pregnancy: what foods to take
During pregnancy, as the baby negotiates its way through three different stages of pregnancy called trimesters, what foods to take becomes important ....more

Smoking and pregnancy: the risks
Smoking during pregnancy causes a lot of unnecessary risks both to the mother and the baby she is carrying. Smoking during pregnant also increases the risks of giving birth to a stillborn baby or a baby with medical complications ....more

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Your baby is more active, though you can't quite feel it moving yet. He may start to put his thumb in his mouth now, and his skull is starting to get more solid. Ribs are starting to form but aren't quite visible yet.

Early in the second trimester, hormones are having their effect! The prostate gland or ovaries are developing. The roof of your baby's mouth is nearly complete.

Around the third week of this trimester, your baby now has a layer of transparent skin, and is starting to form eyebrows and hair on his head. Eyes and ears have more definition and bone and marrow are now forming.

One month into the 2nd trimester, your child is four and five inches in length and weighs nearly 3 ounces. Your baby's eyes are becoming sensitive to light. Her eyes are becoming sensitive to light and she can squint, frown and display other expressions. She can also make a fist.

That all important fat layer that keeps us warm and protects and energizes our body is forming now.

Your child can swallow! The nerves in his brain are now connected to the ears which have reached their final position on the skull. Your son can hear your heart beat, and the rumble of hunger in your stomach. He may react to loud noises outside his environment but jumping or moving.

By the 18th week of your pregnancy, you may already have felt the first signs of life in your womb. If not, you WILL soon. Your baby's hearing has improved. He can faintly hear your voice and the voices of others as you converse. He can move his muscles reflexively and his kidneys are producing urine which is stored in your amniotic sac after it is excreted. He has a new coating (vernix) and very fine hair (lanugo) to protect his thin skin.

About 6 inches long now, weighing about 9 ounces your baby is most likely moving around by now and you can feel it! Her skin is thicker and less transparent and she has eyebrows and some hair on her head. During this trimester, bone marrow begins to produce blood cells and your child starts to ingest sugar from your amniotic fluid.

Your baby is about one pound around 21 weeks into your pregnancy. She has developed a sense of touch and now has taste buds. Genitalia is complete.

Your child will practice breathing by moving your amniotic fluid in and out of his lungs. His skin is much less transparent and he is developing more fat.

Your son has fingerprints! His inner ear has developed to the point where he can sense whether he is upside down in the womb. By now, he will have developed a schedule or cycle for sleep and wakefulness

Fingers and hands are fully developed though your baby's ability to control these tools is far from refined. You will notice more movement as your child explores his limited universe within the womb.

Maybe close to 2 pounds by your 25th week, your baby is growing faster with clearly defined eyebrows, eyelashes and eyes. At the end of this trimester, you are 2/3 of the way to delivery and the changes you and your baby experience during the final trimester will be even more dramatic. Right now your baby's organs and immune system are working hard to reach completion in time for delivery, and he has grown to 3-4 times in length since the end of the first trimester.

During your second trimester you may still be experiencing morning sickness and you may have started to have headaches and a sensitivity and aversion to certain smells and foods.

It is important that you nourish your relationship as much as your nourish your unborn child during pregnancy. Most women find that their bodies grow large and unwieldy during pregnancy. Many women are surprised to find that their sex drive actually increases during pregnancy, particularly during the second trimester. This is due to the increased amount of blood that is coursing through your pelvis and vagina.

Sex is safe during pregnancy provided you have a low risk pregnancy with few complications. Your doctor will let you know if you should avoid sex for any reason at all. Most women can enjoy a healthy and fulfilling intimate relationship throughout their pregnancy, right up until their delivery date.

Surprisingly, many women find that they are more sexually aroused during their second trimester than they were prior to pregnancy. The increased blood flow to the vaginal and a woman’s growing bosom often results in a heightened sense of self and sexual arousal.

Most women will shy away from sexual relations during their first trimester when morning sickness and fatigue often get in the way of love making. During the third trimester, some women find themselves uncomfortably large and prefer not to be intimate, whereas others continue having intercourse right up until they go into labor.

One of the most common concerns of fathers to be is that sex will hurt the baby. Some men are afraid that they will bump into the baby when they have sex. By and large however this concern is unfounded. If your husband is overly concerned about having sex during pregnancy, have him join you at your prenatal visits. A little reassurance from your physician that he will not hurt or bump into the baby may be all your husband needs.

Partners often react very individually when it comes to sex and pregnancy. While some men find the site of their wife’s blossoming body a true turn on, others are ambivalent or even a little turned off by pregnancy. It is important that you are open, honest and communicative with your partner about your needs during pregnancy, and try not to take any emotions your partner may be feeling personally.

Remember that pregnancy is often an emotional roller coaster, and your husband or partner may be more concerned that you might react differently, or may be scared of the idea of having a family in general. Some men have a difficult time being intimate with their wives even when they recognize that they will not harm the baby, because they feel another presence is in the room.

That said, many men and women have remarkable sexual relationships throughout their pregnancy. Even if you do not engage in intercourse with your husband, it is important that the two of you work on nurturing your relationship throughout your pregnancy. Foot rubs, kissing, back rubs and holding hands are all excellent ways to share some intimacy without actually engaging in intercourse.

The best way you can ensure that you and your partner remain close during your pregnancy is to check in with your partner on occasion. Inform them of your needs, let them know where you are coming from and what you need or want from them.

If you and your partner are interested in maintaining a healthy sexual relationship during pregnancy, then undoubtedly you must be wondering what positions will work best for you as your belly grows and expands. The best thing you can do during your pregnancy is keep an open mind and be creative. Most women will find that it is uncomfortable to enjoy sex in a missionary position after about the first or mid second trimester. Try flipping over, woman on top and even lying next to one another during your pregnancy.

Congratulations! Your pregnancy now comes to the second trimester, which is within weeks 13 through 27. Your morning sickness has faded away gradually by now. This means, you should be feeling better than before.

It's actually the stage when you experience the most enjoying moment with your pregnancy. You'll feel energetic and full of vitality. You can do a lot more than when you were in the first three months.

However, this does not mean you can do anything you want. You still need to be cautious about what you do and avoid doing too many activities.

Check out the points below to guide you in going through this invigorating phase:

1. Control your appetite. Compared to the previous trimester, it's improving now. Try not to overeat and watch out for getting overweight. Get balanced nutritious food instead of fast food.

2. Handle leg cramps by straightening and lifting up your legs for several minutes. If you get cramp, move your toes upward and hold for a few seconds.

3. Carry out 'low impact' exercise. Getting pregnant does not mean you do not need exercises. They are even needed at this time. Swimming, yoga, and walking are good exercises for pregnant women. Ask your hubby or friends to join you.

4. Perform Kegels to strengthen pelvic floor muscles. Simply squeeze the muscles for a few seconds and let them relax just like when you stop and start urine flow. Do it several times a day as trained muscles can make labor easier.

5. Enjoy love-making with your husband. These months are the most comfortable time for both of you to do it.

Besides you'll be enjoying this second trimester, another incredible thing is coming up. In the 22nd week of your pregnancy, the tiny little creature in the womb is about to make a little move. Wow! You won't believe it's true 'til you feel it by yourself

During pregnancy, as the baby negotiates its way through three different stages of pregnancy called trimesters, what foods to take becomes important. Your body too changes its shape as it makes room within itself for the baby’s growth. You need to eat a variety of foods that are beneficial to the baby. These foods also help you in maintaining health and preparing to breastfeed. Below is the list of foods that you ought to consume as you make your way through nine months of preparing for your baby’s birth.

The First Trimester: Consume Nutritious Foods Containing Folate
The first stage of pregnancy lasts for about three and a half months or 14 weeks, during which stage you may experience the dreaded morning sickness, sore and enlarged breasts, and the advice of your health care provider that you get enough vitamins, minerals and nutrients as they are essential for growth and development.

You require around 2200 calories a day to keep your baby in health. You need well balanced, healthy diets with adequate fiber; prenatal vitamins as prescribed; avoiding of the use of alcohol and tobacco; small, more frequent meals that will help you if you are nauseous, get good nutrition. Let us take a look at the foods you will be asked to eat during the first trimester when your diet chart is made. You might be advised to vary your intake of these foods. But they remain more or less constant through your pregnancy and when you breastfeed. Eat lots of fruit and green leafy vegetables, wholegrain breads and cereals. Take moderate amounts of low fat dairy foods and lean meats and small amounts of foods high in fat, sugar and salt. Consume dried beans and lentils, nuts and seeds, and low fat milk, cheese and yoghurt. A folate supplement should be taken prior to conception and for the first three months of pregnancy to help reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Folate is a B vitamin that is essential for cell growth and reproduction. It is found in green plants, liver, yeast and fresh fruit.

The Second Trimester: Increase Food Intake With More Iron To Your Diet
The second stage of pregnancy lasts until the end of the seventh month and is, for many women, the easiest stage of pregnancy as they start to regain some of their energy. It is during this stage that the stomach begins to expand and that you are pregnant becomes noticeable. At this time any feelings of morning sickness should dissipate, although some women may continue to vomit well into the second stage. At this point you may experience the baby moving and kicking in the womb. This is the period when a sex determination test can tell you whether you are giving birth to a boy or girl.

What should you eat during the second stage? Well, there are several foods. During this phase you have to increase your intake by 2500 calories/day, so eat the foods mentioned above in larger amounts. Continue to maintain a well-balanced diet with plenty of fiber; take vitamin supplements if prescribed and avoid the use of alcohol.

You have to increase your intake of iron during this stage. The iron that your fetus consumes from you will last it through five or six months after birth. So eat rich sources of iron like red meat and sources of Vitamin C like oranges to help absorb the iron.

The Third Trimester: Go Heavy On Calcium
The third stage of pregnancy starts from the seventh month until the time when the baby is born, at nine months. It is marked by a surge of feeling for the baby, as also more anxiety and greater sensitivity towards the environment. This is a phase of greater pain in your lower back; with the increased size and weight of your baby causing the ache, making you feel discomfited, tired and anxious. Your daily requirement remains at 2500 calories; you may need to resume small frequent feedings to prevent heartburn; continue prenatal vitamins as prescribed. Continue to avoid the use of alcohol; get yourself adequately hydrated and avoid overheating to protect the baby and you. You may feel like eating for two people now that you can physically sense the baby’s movements. There is no need to eat more food. You may only need to increase your intake of the same foods by about 10 per cent or so. However, you have to increase your intake of calcium during the third trimester. The baby is developing bones, if it does not find the required doses of calcium from the mother’s diet, it begins to draw from her bones. So, stock up on dairy products like milk and cottage cheese, and on soymilk, for the required calcium. You will need the calcium to make milk for breastfeeding too.

Be prepared to take on each stage of your pregnancy, armed with adequate nutrition and vitamin supplements.

Smoking during pregnancy causes a lot of unnecessary risks both to the mother and the baby she is carrying. Smoking during pregnant also increases the risks of giving birth to a stillborn baby or a baby with medical complications. The mother can also experience miscarriage in some cases. In addition, even if a mother had successfully given birth to a healthy baby, for example, there is still the risk of that baby dying suddenly while he is sleeping. This death is called the Sudden Death Syndrome of SIDs and this type of condition can twice as likely occur when the mother smoked when she was pregnant.

It is not only the baby who suffers when a mother is smoking during pregnancy. The mother can likewise suffer different complications like vaginal bleeding, the rupture of the membranes, and premature detachment of the placentas. Also, smoking during pregnancy can interfere with the absorption and use of vitamins and minerals including folic acid. You should note that folic acid is important during pregnancy because lack of this nutrient can lead to complications like defects in the neural tube.

Cigarettes contain a lot of chemicals that are harmful to your developing baby. For example, when you inhale cigarette smoke, the baby in your womb will be confined in a smoke-filled area and will also suffer a lack of oxygen. Another negative effect of smoking during pregnancy to your baby is that it will increase his or her heart rate. This is due to the nicotine found in cigarettes and this chemical can also increase your blood pressure and constrict your blood vessels.

There are varied risks you have to face in the different stages of your pregnancy. In your first trimester, there is a less chance of your baby having complications if you stop smoking at this point. On the other hand, in the second trimester of your pregnancy, the risk of complications is already higher but you can still stop the most adverse affects of smoking like placenta previa and giving birth to a stillborn baby if you stop your smoking habit at this point. During your third trimester, there are already negative effects your baby suffered from, but there is still a chance that you can give birth to a healthy baby. But note that your baby can have a lower than usual weight due to the fact that the weight of your baby is directly proportional to the number of cigarettes you had smoked during pregnancy.

It is undeniable that smoking during pregnancy is bad for the health of the baby and the mother. There are around two thousand five hundred different chemicals found in cigarettes, some of the health risks involved while inhaling the cigarette smoke is still unknown up to today. But the carbon monoxide and nicotine found in cigarettes are the most notorious chemicals that are believed to cause the greatest damage at this point. You may never know what you are putting yourself and your family at risk to when smoke during pregnancy.