Second Trimester Mama Baby CareAs discussed earlier, the first three months of pregnancy are called the first trimester of pregnancy that last till 1st to 12th week of pregnancy, then comes the second trimester that last till 27th week.
In the beginning when a woman gets to know about pregnancy, everything seems beautiful yet confusing. When hormones start taking control of your body in the first trimester, that beautiful life seems a little difficult to deal with. But changes in the second trimester are way more than the first. Many women claim that the second trimester is way more difficult as compared to the first one.
The reason is, in the first trimester, only hormonal changes occur and some functional changes like lots of peeing, nausea, bleeding etc. Whereas, many of them also say that the first trimester seems hard to handle in terms of unexpected changes. But if we talk about the second trimester, this brings about physical changes as well which is all natural to for example heavy belly and breasts.
Remember that the size continues to grow big in number every passing month during pregnancy. Many women fear this change because of fitness consciousness and question themselves that will they ever be able to get back in shape?! A lot of women do manage to get back in the shape as they were by having a proper diet post pregnancy and routine work-out.
So let’s move on to get to know more about your child in the second trimester. Your child has now grown big in your belly – and it’s kinda visible too 😉 The human that is growing in your belly will be about 13 to 16 inches long in size and will weigh about 2 to 3 pounds by the end of the second trimester. The most awaited moment will be witnessed when you will feel your baby kicking inside. By the end of the second trimester, the baby will be able to kick, move and turn side to side.
Strictly following all the precautions been taught in the previous article about first trimester, what else should be done will be explained here:
A guide to the second trimester of Pregnancy:
As discussed above, the second trimester of pregnancy comes with major changes that are unignorably visible, some of the major changes are
- Growth in the size of belly carried by growth in the uterus as it is natural to expand by the time
- Muscle ache which is due to deficiency of some vitamins and dehydration
- Leg cramps due to low blood circulation in the leg as the uterus expands and some nerves are unable to work properly
- Body seems to swell, mostly from ankles and arms but if things get out of normal boundary, call your doctor
- Weight scale meter goes uncontrollably high
- Constant increase in the size of breast followed by darkening of skin around your nipples
- Stretch marks starts to appear in the growing areas like your belly, breasts, thighs
All these changes might sound horrible but in reality it’s what a woman has to go through and it’s not at all ugly! The transformation that takes place during these months is as beautiful as watching your baby grow 🙂
Things that should be avoided during pregnancy – Specially Second Trimester:
How to move towards Healthy and Safe Delivery Tip 1:
Do not Fear your Physical Growth
Growing a human is not easy! Never fear any change in your body or physical appearance because you are beautiful in any shape in any form. Always remember the reward you will get after these 9 months of struggle
How to move towards Healthy and Safe Delivery Tip 2:
Prenatal Check-ups
After the end of first trimester and start of second, visit to your doctor should be frequent. To get to know about your baby’s health and wellbeing in your womb. To ensure your own health as well. At this stage, your first ultrasound is done and screening of baby for unfortunate genetic faults is observed.
How to move towards Healthy and Safe Delivery Tip 3:
Dental Health is a Must
During this phase, try to keep your dental health i.e your teeth and gums clean and healthy to avoid premature delivery.
How to move towards Healthy and Safe Delivery Tip 4:
Need to Revise your Diet Plan:
At this stage your diet must contain fibers, proteins and calories at a certain level. The under-cooked food should be avoided to prevent diseases that are caused from under-cooked food because some of these food items contain infectious particles if not cooked well for instance, raw meat. Keep the intake of folic acid and vitamins as it was from the start.
How to move towards Healthy and Safe Delivery Tip 4:
Prepare yourself for Birth
This is a good time to join clubs that provide Mom-To-Be education. One must also join groups of training that offer training to new parents about how to carry your child, how to feed your child, how to understand your child’s hidden messages.
How to move towards Healthy and Safe Delivery Tip 5:
Avoid Sex
Second trimester gets harder every passing day with a lot of things to avoid, first you strictly avoid your favorite fast food from your favorite cafe, and then you avoid caffeine and everything you still love. But also your partner? Wait!! Is that any trick or something? But the answer is yesses. You have to avoid sex, sad news! But it’s worth avoiding for.