Second trimester is the period from 13 to 27 weeks of pregnancy. In most women second trimester is comparatively easy. This is mainly because of the stabilization of hormonal changes that had happened during the first trimester.
You will be aiming to gain 10 kg during the second trimester of your pregnancy. Nutrition is very important in this trimester, so try to keep your eating habits healthy.
Weeks 13 to 15
Image courtesy freedigitalphotos.net
The thirteenth week is very important in terms of tissue development of your baby. Your baby would begin having an abdomen that has an intestine and urine formation would begin.
Skull of your baby would begin developing in this week in the head and hand and leg bones begin forming.
The 14th week your baby reaches almost the length which he/she would be at birth. Sex becomes apparent and you would be able to determine your baby?s sex. Your baby would be 45 grams of weight now.
The 15th week you will be able to visually see your baby?s skeletal development in ultrasound images. Your baby begins to stretch his/her limbs and is quite big so that you would be able to feel the movements inside your tummy.
Week 16
Your baby is now almost as big as an avocado with a length of roughly 4.5 inches and a weight of 85 to 90 grams. (Yes! You have read it right ?90 grams)
From the 16 week onwards your baby begins to try to support itself with the newly forming tissues and organs and thus the kidneys produce urine that slowly begins passing through the umbilical chord.
Hair growth begins changing the appearance of your baby?s scalp. Facial muscles develop making it possible to move the baby?s mouth sometimes giving cute smiles once a while.
Week 17
By now you must have begun showing signs of gaining weight. Your baby is now around 140 to 145grams (5 ounces), the size of an average sizedKashmirapple.
Well, you would be surprised that tiny ears would begin popping from your little ones head and the baby would begin hearing sounds. Apart from the sounds of your heartbeat and changes in your stomach he also begins hearing the sounds that come from outside.
(This phase is important in a sense that you would be able to give him the best of your choice of music, a liking that he would carry on for a long time to come, you can talk to your baby or ask your husband to talk-the baby would recognize all these voices after he comes out of your womb)
Your baby would be 5 inches long and begin kicking you, Of course you would begin to feel your fetal movement this week.
Week 18
With the ear already grown, your baby slowly begins developing these senses. Your baby would begin recognizing certain sounds and sometimes reacting too (like the All Is Well in 3 IDIOTS)
Some sounds may seem to excite your baby and you will feel more movement.
Week 19
The baby begins to grow in a faster pace from now on and the organs develop too. With more organ development your baby begins to move more freely and frequently too. With a stethoscope placed on your slightly bulged tummy you would be able to hear the heartbeat of your baby.
A protective layer is seen to cover the body of the baby which is white and creamy in texture. This layer helps in protecting your baby?s skin from the amniotic fluid. A layer of soft hairs also are present on the skin which do the same function.
You baby would weigh 250 gms
Week 20
Your baby is around 280 grams in weight and 6 inches long from crown to rump now. The genitals are fully formed and your baby begins making small breathing like movements almost like the way you do.
You would feel small jerks which most often are the hiccups that arise due to the breathing practice going on in your womb.
Week 21
Slowly baby fat begins to deposit in your baby?s body, the veins that were visible earlier would not be visible anymore. Your baby has good weight gain and grows at a faster pace. Your baby is around 300 grams and 7 inches long.
The digestive system of your baby is developed and hence he begins digesting the amniotic fluid that he gulps. The baby can sense the taste of the fluid, thanks to the taste buds that have developed on his tongue.
The amniotic fluid helps your little one to put on more weight owing to its nutritious factors.
Week 22
340 grams, Hurray! Your baby is 340 grams this week and 11 inches from crown to rump.
Your baby has developed iris-less eyes now that are closed. The skin has developed completely and your little one is ready to feel the touch of the sides of her safe haven when she comes in contact with the sides of your womb.
Your baby would now begin to move his hands and touch his face. He would sometimes even suck his thumb (I can hear you telling ?now! That is a bad habit?. However you have no control till he is out).
Neurons in the brain begin developing and slowly processing the feelings he has such as taste, touch and sound begins.
Week 23
450 grams or one pound is the weight of your baby now, with a good routine of active and quieter phases at day and night (whichever suits the baby, some babies are quieter in the day and active at night, some are vice versa)
Almost all the organs are formed and the brain too has begun functioning giving responses to external and internal signals. You can speak to him regularly now. The hearing sense sharpens and begins to register different sound and even react to loud noises.
Week 24
A miniature of what you are about to see on the delivery day is ready this week. Eyes and ears and the cute face is all set now for the D-Day.
Your weight gain in even faster now which goes straight to making your baby gain weight too, so do not worry about the fat depositing in your body, they are helping your baby put on weight too.
At 12 inches and 500 grams your baby is no longer the tiny one who used to do cartwheels inside your womb. He now finds lesser space there and hence tries different steps though.
He has eye lashes (eyes have not opened yet), finger nails and rapid eye movements too.
Week 25
680 to 700 grams is the weight of your baby now. His nostrils are slowly opening, though he would not be able to take his first breath yet, and his genitals are fully differentiated.
The heart beat is becoming louder (ask your husband to place his ear on your tummy to listen to it). He is now moving his hands and fingers trying to catch things which most often are his own feet.
Week 26
The new ability your baby attains this week is to open and close his eyes. The brain and lung development still goes on and other organs too are fine tuning themselves.
It is interesting to note that the eye color of every baby at the 26th week is blue; this trait which is genetically transferred reaches the final color just a few weeks after delivery.
Your baby is just more than a foot long and weighs 910 grams this week.
Week 27
Marking the baby?s movement should begin now. At the active period of the day or night your baby should move 10 times in one hour. Choose any one hour in random during the active phase of your child (night or day) and count the number of movements in that one hour.
If you do not find 10 movements, have some juice or water calm down and begin counting again, now the next hour. If you are not able to count 10 movements during the active period of your baby at a stretch for more than two hours, make sure to contact your physician.
Thumb sucking almost has become a hobby to your baby now; some babies even suck their toes. This helps in strengthening of his jaws and muscles around his mouth. Lungs and brain keep developing more towards perfection.
Congrats! You have completed your second trimester successfully and your baby is safe and sound. You would head towards your third trimester next week. Keep reading to know the next part of your pregnancy.
