A Week-By-Week Account Of The Second Trimester Of Pregnancy

Week 14 to week 26 make up the second trimester of pregnancy. This phase of pregnancy is perhaps the easiest and comparatively most peaceful. Your nausea and fatigue have stopped and you can relax a while before your third trimester starts. Here is week by week know how on the second trimester.

Week 14- Your baby’s beating heat can be heard. It weighs approximately two ounces and can move its arms and legs

Week 15- The baby begins to develop small fine hair on its body that it will shed off before birth

Week 16- You can feel the movements of your baby inside you. It is very active inside.

Week 17- The baby’s circulatory system is developing and it is growing healthier by the day.

Week 18-The baby can now open and close its eyes. Its digestive system also begins to function.

Week 19- A waxy substance covers the baby from head to toe, to protect it from its wet surroundings, and to make it easier for the baby to be born from the mother’s birth canal.

Week 20- Lots of developments take place in your baby at this time. The head starts developing soft hair and the internal sex organs in the infant start forming.

Week 21- Your baby is developing, slowly and steadily.

Week 22- Your baby is almost completely developed. The brain and the sex organs still need to be formed.

Week 23- Your tiny baby is ready to make it in this big wide world

Week 24- Rapid growth and fast developments are the hallmarks of this week of pregnancy

Week 25- The veins and arteries are developing as well as the spinal chord.

Week 26- At this time of pregnancy, the baby has developed a proper respiratory system

That was some inputs on the second trimester of pregnancy, week by week. You should read up more on pregnancy and your condition in books, magazines and on the net. It will help you through this difficult yet marvelous time of your life. For more information visit pregnancy period.

Second Trimester Of Pregnancy- An Easier Phase

The second trimester of pregnancy is comparatively easier than the first stage of pregnancy. The feelings of nausea that you underwent in the first trimester of pregnancy are gone and you tire less easily. Your sex drive may be back too. Therefore, its time now to do the things you just could not do in the first trimester, go for an outing, listen to music, read some good books and magazines on pregnancy. This is the best time really, because the third trimester of pregnancy can be quite challenging and then your baby will be born and you will have no time.

How your Body Changes

Now is the time when your stomach expands and you gain weight, as your baby within you begins to grow. Your breasts will secrete milk and grow larger. Your heart will pump more blood and grow slightly larger in size.

Your Baby Is Growing Too

Your baby by the end of the second stage of pregnancy has its own distinct identity. It has a clear fingerprint. It has eyes, ears, nose, and a forehead in place and can even smile, because the facial muscles have formed. Its vital organs too have formed like the heart, lungs, and kidneys. This is the time when you will feel your baby move in your tummy.

Regular Check Ups From The Doctor

Some mothers may be constipated during this stage of pregnancy. You may experience backache and may be unable to sleep on your back or belly. The best way to sleep is on your sides propped up by cushions. This is also the time when you may get gestational diabetes. You must also be careful and report to the doctor immediately, if you have high fever, vaginal bleeding, blurred vision, or swelling of your face and hands. It is advisable to get regular check ups from your doctor to avoid any complications. You should also take as much rest as possible, do not stand if it is not necessary.

Your Diet

Eat a healthy diet, rich in calcium, folic acid and other vitamins. Eat freshly cooked green leafy vegetables and foods high in fiber content. Eat fruits and citrus fruits. Eat papaya to avoid acidity. Do not smoke or drink alcohol or do drugs.

Wish you lots of joy and happiness in your second trimester of pregnancy. For more information visit pregnancy period .

Pregnancy Stages-A Mother’s Journey Through Pregnancy

The Stages of pregnancy take a woman through one of the most beautiful and rewarding experiences of her life. She will soon be a mother; the feeling is out of this world.

The stages of pregnancy are divided into three pregnancy trimesters.

The First Trimester- Nausea And Mood Swings

The first stage of pregnancy brings on many changes in your body, as the baby within you starts to grow. You may feel stressed out, nauseas, suffer from fatigue and tiredness, and develop mood swings. All these will usually go away as the pregnancy progresses.

Meanwhile, the baby within you begins to grow too. By the end of the first trimester, your baby weighs almost half an ounce. Its eyes and ears develop, the liver makes bile, and the kidneys secrete urine.

The Second Trimester-You Can Feel Your Baby Move

In the second pregnancy trimester, your abdomen expands, as you gain weight with the growing baby inside you and you will soon be able to feel your baby move. Some of the pains you had in the first trimester will continue, while there will be certain changes such as skin changes, stretch marks, itching on the abdomen, feet and palms.

You baby will develop fingers, toes, eyebrows and eyelashes; it will also develop its vital organs, like the lungs, heart and kidneys. By the end of the trimester, you will even be able to feel the baby move inside you.

The Third Trimester- Prepare To Have Your Baby

You will now go to the bathroom more often because of the growing baby’s pressure exerted on the bladder. You may have greater difficulty in breathing too. You may have trouble sleeping, develop tender and sore breasts, feel heartburn, and develop swollen feet and ankles.

Your baby continues to grow, but it has less space in the uterus and so you may not be able to feel its movements. It can open and close its eyes and as your due date approaches, it will drop into the lower abdomen and taker its birth position. At birth, a baby usually weighs approximately 71/2 pounds.

Those were the three stages of pregnancy. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you kept a pregnancy journal and jotted down all your feelings in the journal? You could also have some lovely pictures in your journal of you at different stages of pregnancy. For more information visit pregnancy period.

Useful Information On Medicines To Avoid While Pregnant

It is important to know, which medicines to take, and which medicines to avoid when pregnant. When you become pregnant, your body’s metabolism slows down and so it finds it difficult to remove harmful toxins from the body. Therefore, taking over the counter medication during this period is a big no. In fact, you must consult a good doctor before taking any medication during pregnancy. Otherwise, it can severely impair growth of the unborn child in the mother’s womb.

It would be a good idea to do some reading about medication during pregnancy and its negative effects on the fetus. It will create awareness and ensure that you do not take any drugs without a doctor’s prescription.

Some Drugs To Be Wary Of During Pregnancy

Herbal Remedies

Herbal remedies they say are ideal during your bouts of nausea and morning sickness. However, you should not take any of these drugs without clearance from your doctor. Whether it is spirulina or Echinacea, ginko biloba or St. John’s Wort, do not take them without checking with the doctor.

Antibiotics

Avoid popping pills at the smallest of illnesses. These antibiotics may do you and your baby more harm than good.

Tranquilizers

Valium is a commonly used tranquilizer. However, do not take any tranquilizers without your doctor’s permission.

MAO Inhibitors

These are another class of medicines that can have undesirable side effects in mother and child. Phenelzine and Isocarboacid are common MAO inhibitors.

Medication During Pregnancy-Yes Or No

Whether medication should be taken during pregnancy is debatable. However, there are times when medication becomes absolutely necessary to save both mother and child. For instance, a diabetic mother may have to take medication during pregnancy to prevent a miscarriage. In the same way, an Aids patient may have to take medication to ensure that the disease is not passed on to the baby.

Pregnant mothers must avoid certain medicines, it is true, however as we saw in the earlier passage, sometimes medication cannot be avoided during pregnancy.