The second trimester is an important period during which many changes take place, not only in your body, but also in the baby's development.
What can you look out for during the second trimester of your pregnancy and what changes take place? Read it in this article.
Find here your vitamins for the second trimester of your pregnancy.
What happens in the second trimester of pregnancy?
During the second trimester of your pregnancy, your baby undergoes remarkable growth and development. At the beginning of this trimester, your child is about the size of a lemon. During this period, the bones begin to harden, allowing your child to move better. The baby's brain also becomes increasingly active and complex. A few weeks ago, the brain still looked like a 'butterfly structure', now more and more connections and details are becoming visible on the ultrasound. In addition, the nervous system also undergoes significant development and is further prepared to function in the outside world.
From 24 weeks of pregnancy, your child is viable. This means that your child has a good chance of survival if born at 24 weeks. All organs are sufficiently developed to function outside the womb. However, the baby is still not fully developed around this period, is very vulnerable and is not yet ready to breathe on its own. Therefore, it is important to carry the pregnancy to term up to 37 - 42 weeks of pregnancy.
What developments take place in the baby during pregnancy?
Every week, changes and developments take place and new milestones are achieved. Here is an overview of some highlights per week:
Week 13-14 of pregnancy:
Around this period, the baby begins to grow and move. He or she can move the facial muscles and starts practicing frowning and smiling. The respiratory and digestive systems are also further developed. The baby drinks from the amniotic fluid and can also urinate. This is how he or she learns to swallow and the kidneys learn to filter the water.
The sex developments are completed in week 13. From 14 weeks, it is therefore only possible to see the sex clearly via ultrasound. Do you want to know what the sex of your child is? From 14 weeks, you can contact Baby Glimpse.
Week 15-16 of pregnancy:
The bones and muscles are further developed and your child becomes stronger and stronger. The movements also become more vigorous, allowing you to feel the baby for the first time. Did you know that from now on your child can start to make a thumb sucking motion?
Week 17-18 of pregnancy:
The baby's senses begin to develop further. Vision improves, allowing him or her to distinguish light and dark. From now on, your child can also perceive sounds from outside. Therefore, talk regularly to your baby, allowing your baby to get used to and react to your voice. The baby becomes more enthusiastic about drinking and urinating in the amniotic fluid. During an ultrasound, it is clearly visible whether the kidneys are functioning optimally and the baby is drinking and urinating sufficiently.
Week 19-20 of pregnancy:
You are halfway through your pregnancy. The baby is about the size of a mango. The first layer of skin grease, which has the beautiful name vernix, is produced from now on. Vernix is a white substance that keeps the skin greasy, hydrates and protects. From now on, your child has a functioning immune system that can produce antibodies. If your child comes into contact with a virus or infection, the immune system is activated. In addition, your child can taste what you eat! The nutrients from your food enter the amniotic fluid and your baby tastes this by drinking the amniotic fluid.
Week 21-22 of pregnancy:
The baby's fingerprints are formed! The eyes also open. The only thing they can perceive is light or dark. So if light is shone on the belly, they can already see this. In addition, they start using their hands more and more and feel around. Because of this, the umbilical cord is seen as a 'toy' and they can already pull on it.
Week 23-24 of pregnancy:
The baby's lungs are maturing and start producing surfactant, a substance that is essential for breathing outside the womb. Sounds are perceived better and better and from now on they can even start reacting to those sounds by kicking or moving.
Week 25-26 of pregnancy:
The first layer of fat is produced. The baby also starts to get more rhythm in sleeping and waking. You can start to notice this yourself because your child starts moving at fixed times. In addition, facial expressions are practiced enthusiastically. So smiles and frowning faces can be observed during the ultrasound. Are you starting to experience heartburn? This can be caused by the baby's hair growth. From now on, the first hairs start growing on the little head.
Week 27-28 of pregnancy:
You have arrived at the end of the second trimester. The breathing movements become more frequent, while the lung sacs are filled with amniotic fluid. The baby also starts yawning more and more from now on, this is due to the developments taking place in the brain. A good sign, therefore!
Second trimester of pregnancy - What changes?
In addition to the baby's developments, your body also undergoes some changes. Because the baby is now growing significantly, you will notice that your belly is also becoming more visible. Because of this, you can also notice that you are gaining a little more weight.
In the first trimester of pregnancy, hormone levels skyrocketed. The hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is the biggest culprit of nausea and fatigue in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Because your body starts to stabilize more from the second trimester and adapts to the pregnancy, you will start to feel much better. The hormones progesterone and estrogen will continue to rise to regulate the pregnancy and the hormone hCG will now start to decrease. This change often causes your nausea to become less or even disappear and you get more energy.
Pregnancy hypertension - second trimester
During the second trimester of pregnancy, the blood volume increases to transport enough oxygen and nutrients to the placenta and fetus. This increase in blood volume can sometimes lead to increased blood pressure in the pregnant woman, which can result in pregnancy hypertension. In addition, factors such as genetics, a history of hypertension, obesity or a multiple pregnancy (twins) can increase the risk of developing pregnancy hypertension.
Gestational diabetes - second trimester
During the second trimester of pregnancy, you have an increased chance of developing gestational diabetes, due to the change of hormones taking place during your pregnancy.
The hormones estrogen and progesterone rise during your pregnancy. These hormones reduce the sensitivity of cells to insulin, which can result in insulin resistance. This means that cells react less well to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. Because of this, the body has to produce more insulin to keep blood sugar levels within normal values.
It is important to avoid high sugar levels as much as possible. If you consume too much sugar through your diet, your blood sugar level rises and this can actually worsen insulin resistance.
Although the second trimester of pregnancy is often seen as the nicest and easiest period of pregnancy, it is important to realize what changes and developments take place. By being consciously aware of your lifestyle and your hormones as a pregnant woman, you can support these developments as best as possible and this has a positive effect on the baby's health and the outcome of your pregnancy.
Enjoy this beautiful period!
Love,
Jacqueline Steenbeek
Midwife, Hormone-, Orthomolecular therapist, mother of 3 beautiful children.
