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During this period, significant changes occur in the body of a pregnant woman – body weight grows, more energy has appeared compared to the upcoming period, active movements of the unborn child are felt. It is believed that the second trimester is easier to bear than other periods of pregnancy, since the woman no longer feels the symptoms of toxicosis, she has the opportunity to lead an active lifestyle.
What does the expectant mother feel in the second trimester?
After three months of the gestational period in the body of a pregnant woman, many organs and systems have rebuilt to meet the growing needs of the fetus. Some of these changes go unnoticed by the woman, some of the changes were expected and well tolerated, something causes problems.
Feelings in the second trimester:
Enlargement of the mammary glands. Hormonal changes have had their effect on the breasts since the first trimester. Now the mammary glands have significantly increased in size, a venous network has appeared on them, colostrum is sometimes released from the nipples, the areolas of the nipples have darkened, their diameter has increased. To prepare the breast for the upcoming breastfeeding, you need to gently rub the nipples with a terry towel, leave the mammary glands for some time in the open air. The bra should reliably support the chest, it is selected according to size, giving preference to natural fabrics.
Increased abdomen. At the beginning of the second trimester, the volume of the hips and waist increases slightly, but by the end of this period, the mobility of a pregnant woman will significantly decrease due to the growing belly. To alleviate the condition, a prenatal bandage should be worn.
Training bouts. In the lower abdomen from time to time there are pulling painless sensations, silt false contractions. They are not accompanied by pain, during these contractions the uterus, as it were, “hardens”, becomes dense. Thus, she prepares for the upcoming birth. False contractions do not cause any harm to the fetus.
Age spots and darkening of the skin. Pigmentation appears on the skin of the face and neck during pregnancy, which disappears after childbirth. In the second trimester, the strip of skin from the pubis to the navel becomes darker, as well as the skin of the perineum. This is due to increased secretion of melanin.
Stretch marks (stretch marks) on the chest and abdomen. Pinkish-red skin blemishes, sometimes accompanied by itching, occur during intense tissue growth. Over time, they become paler, or disappear altogether. To prevent the appearance of stretch marks, you can lubricate the skin with olive or almond oil, a moisturizer from a series of pharmacy cosmetics.
Dizziness. Such a symptom in the 2nd trimester is associated with arterial hypertension, when the total volume of circulating blood in the body of the expectant mother increases significantly, and due to the action of progesterone, the tone of the blood vessels decreases. To prevent such vascular pathologies, it is impossible to get up abruptly from a prone position, it is advisable to rest more, observe a drinking regimen.
Snoring and bleeding gums. Swelling and friability of the mucous membranes due to the increased volume of blood circulation leads to the fact that the mucous membrane of the palate and larynx increases in size, which leads to snoring. For the same reasons, the oral mucosa swells and loosens, the gums soften and become easily injured, they bleed.
Dyspnea. The need to carry an increased amount of oxygen to the placenta with the help of blood increases the intensity of exhalations and inhalations. In addition, the enlarged uterus acts on the diaphragm, lifting it and the respiratory system up from its normal position. To make such changes less likely to lead to shortness of breath, you should often walk, ventilate the room where the woman is.
Cramps in the calf muscles. The increased consumption of minerals for the formation of organs and tissues of the unborn child can lead to their shortage in the body of a woman. This deficiency is manifested by nocturnal cramps in the muscles of the legs. For their prevention, vitamin-mineral complexes should be taken on the advice of a doctor.
To endure the second trimester of pregnancy without complications, you should rest more often, treat possible problems with optimism, avoid stress, remembering that the mother’s condition is necessarily transmitted to the child.
Fetal development in the second trimester of pregnancy
The countdown of the second trimester starts from the 13th obstetric week, and its end falls on the last days of the 28th week of pregnancy. By the 13th-16th week of intrauterine development, all internal organs have already been formed in the fetus, and the placenta has completely taken over the functions of the life-support organ of the unborn child. Since that time, there has been an improvement in the functioning of the central nervous system, the respiratory, digestive, and urinary systems of the fetus.
He already has a sleep and active wakefulness regimen. With the development of the nervous system and brain, the future child improves the perception of the world available to him. He can react to the bright light of a lamp brought to the mother’s stomach, shudders from sharp sounds, feels touches to the stomach from the outside.
The facial expressions of the fetus develop, he can frown and smile, swallow amniotic fluid, touch the umbilical cord, his face and suck his finger. The main achievement of the second trimester is that the mother clearly feels the baby’s movements. For her, he is no longer an abstract being, but a living child who moves, hiccups, pushes the walls of the uterus from the inside with his strengthened arms and legs. The fetus moves so intensively that it changes its position several times a day. Sometimes the belly of a pregnant woman becomes asymmetrical because the baby is predominantly in one part of the uterus.
Fetal parameters:
Fourth month – weight 140 g, height 15 cm;
Fifth month – weight 350 g, height 21 cm;
Sixth month – weight 900 g, height 34 cm.
By the end of the fifth month, the fetus is already beginning to open its eyes, until then hidden under the eyelids. Thin and delicate hairs (lanugo) grow on the skin of the body and head, outlining the eyebrows and eyelashes. The entire fetus is covered with an original lubricant that protects the epidermis from the action of amniotic fluid. His urinary system works well, passing through itself the products of the processing of amniotic fluid, swallowed by the baby.
Meconium formed in the intestines – the original feces, which will be released after childbirth. By the end of the second trimester, the baby’s respiratory system is not fully formed, although its main sections are already in place, and the unborn child has repeatedly imitated respiratory movements.
The formed nervous system makes the fetus very susceptible to the state of the mother. If she tolerates negative emotions, he calms down, or, conversely, makes a series of sharp movements. Therefore, you should protect yourself from stress and conflicts with others. Most women feel energized in the second trimester, they are active and full of energy due to a stable hormonal background.
Is nausea possible in the second trimester?
Although in most women, early toxicosis no longer makes itself felt, sometimes its symptoms drag on and move into the second trimester. More often than others, nausea is felt in women with multiple pregnancies – almost up to 20 weeks. In order to meet such an unpleasant symptom as rarely as possible, you need to have breakfast without getting out of bed. Tea with lemon and crackers or cookies is great for this.
It is advisable to limit the consumption of fatty foods, to exclude intensely perfumed cosmetics from everyday use. If nausea continues for too long, accompanied by debilitating vomiting, this condition requires immediate medical attention. Perhaps this is a sign of preeclampsia – a dangerous pathology of pregnancy.
Causes of pain in the second trimester
The increased risk of miscarriage remained in the first trimester, and the pain associated with the risk of miscarriage should not be felt. However, there are quite a few reasons for concern.
Causes of pain:
Pain due to round ligament sprain. If the pain sensations are concentrated in the lower abdomen, and they appear sporadically, this is a manifestation of the pressure of the uterus on the round ligament that supports it from below. Such unpleasant sensations pass quickly, are not accompanied by spasms.
Lower back pain due to a shift in the center of gravity. Almost all pregnant women feel such pains, they are due to the fact that the growing uterus shifts the balance, and the spine hardly regulates the increased load on the lower back and spinal column. The growing uterus adds stress to the vertebral discs, pushing all the organs apart.
Pain due to diseases of the urinary system. Violation of immunity often leads to the fact that pregnant women develop a specific type of cystitis. If left untreated, the infectious process is understood along the ascending pathway and affects the kidneys, causing pyelonephritis. Kidney dysfunction is dangerous for the health of a woman and a child, it negatively affects the course of childbirth, so this pathology should be treated immediately.
Pain due to softening of the joints. After a long walk or a forced sitting position, a pregnant woman may feel pain in her joints. This is due to the fact that in preparation for childbirth, hormonal regulation somewhat softens the pelvic bones and articular ligaments. If a woman does not wear a support bandage, after every walk she feels pain in the hip joints.
Pain due to intense fetal movements. The increased activity of the fetus makes the woman feel sudden pains in the right and left hypochondrium. It changes its position in the uterus and its movements cause slight pain.
It is worth alerting if the pain is severe, cramping, accompanied by spotting. With such symptoms, you should immediately seek medical help.
Vaginal discharge
Hormones affect the nature of vaginal discharge in the second trimester. Whites increase their volume, acquire a milky white color. They are not accompanied by itching or burning.
If the vaginal discharge has acquired an atypical appearance, the woman has a pathology of the reproductive system:
Green or yellow tint, foamy structure – infection with a sexual infection (trichomoniasis, chlamydia, gonorrhea);
Scanty spotting is a sign of cervical erosion, pregnancy fading;
Curdled discharge accompanied by itching, burning is a sign of vaginal candidiasis.
Abundant clear discharge – leakage of amniotic fluid, the condition requires hospitalization;
A clear, foul-smelling discharge is a sign of bacterial vaginosis.
Any abnormal vaginal discharge should be diagnosed by testing for urogenital infections. If a pathology is detected, it is immediately treated, blocking the spread of pathogenic microorganisms, some of which can penetrate the placental barrier.
To avoid the appearance of thrush, or vaginal candidiasis, you should wear cotton underwear, refuse carbohydrate foods, and practice condom-protected sexual contacts. Treatment of thrush is carried out under the guidance of a gynecologist.
Hypertonus of the uterus
Most often, the uterus in the second trimester is in a relaxed state. If it is often reduced, and this is not associated with training contractions, it is believed that the pregnant woman has uterine hypertonicity.
Its possible causes:
Conducting intravaginal ultrasound;
Exercise stress;
The state of chronic stress;
Lack of progesterone – the main “hormone of pregnancy”;
Uterine fibroids, history of endometriosis.
Constant pressure on the fetus can lead to its hypoxia and the resulting complications, so the treatment of uterine hypertonicity is carried out in bed rest. The doctor prescribes antispasmodics, drugs that relax the tone, vitamins.
Second trimester screening
In order to timely diagnose pathologies of fetal development and provide medical and preventive care to the mother and child, screening studies are carried out every trimester. In the second trimester it is:
Triple test, or biochemical screening for the study of special markers (hCG, estriol and ?-fetoprotein);
Ultrasound examination to detect genetic and chromosomal pathologies of a child’s development.
A biochemical blood test allows you to determine the likelihood of the presence or absence of Down syndrome and Edwards syndrome – irreversible genetic disorders. The high degree of risk identified by the results of the analyzes cannot serve as a basis for making a diagnosis. To clarify it, a complete examination of the woman and her child is carried out.
Ultrasound, performed at a period of 20-24 weeks, allows you to evaluate the following indicators of the course of pregnancy:
The exact date of the gestational period;
Correspondence of the size of the fetus to the gestational age;
Possible malformations (heart disease);
The volume of amniotic fluid;
Assessment of the state of the placenta, uterine myometrium, the risk of possible presentation;
The gender of the unborn child.
With favorable screening results, a woman can be sure of a successful pregnancy.
The obstetrician-gynecologist will answer the questions: what changes should we expect in the second trimester of pregnancy? Video about prenatal screening and other tests: