PREGNANCY CALENDAR - PREGNANCY SECOND TRIMESTER

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PREGNANCY CALENDAR

2. Second Trimester: (Week 14 – Week 26)

Week 14
This week mark the beginning of the second trimester. Your baby measures about 3.2 to 4.1” from crown to rump now and weighs almost an ounce. Curious about the sex of the baby? Well may be it is time now to have a look on your baby’s sex. At this stage, it is possible to determine your baby's sex via ultrasound. Although it is not always foolproof. Your baby is beginning to respond to outside stimuli. If your abdomen is poked, the fetus will try to wriggle away.

Week 15
Fetus now measures about 4.1 to 4.5” from crown to rump and weighs about 2 ounces. Its body is covered with very fine white hair called, called lanugo, which is usually shed by birth. The skin at this point is transparent so tiny blood vessels are visible. Eyebrows and hair on the top of the head are beginning to grow. He may even be sucking his thumb by now. Bones are getting harder. Since you are now into the 2nd trimester and may be feeling better after experiencing morning sickness in the first trimester.

Week 16
Your baby now measures about 4.3 to 4.6” from crown to rump and weighs about 2.8 ounces. Fingernails are well-formed. Legs are well-developed now and tiny toes are growing toenails. The nervous system is functioning and muscles are responding to stimulation from your baby's brain. Mom-to-be, your uterus and placenta are growing along with your baby, by the end of your pregnancy your uterus will have expanded to 30 times its pre-pregnancy size.

Week 17
At this level, the baby is around three and a half ounces and almost five” in length; the placenta is growing to accommodate the baby's growth. Your baby will start to develop fat which help heat production and metabolism. Hair on head, eyebrows and eyelashes are filling in. You may be noticing an increase in appetite and five to ten pounds of weight gain is typical by now. So, stretchy clothes or maternity clothes are becoming more necessary for you.

Week 18
By now, your baby measures 5 to 5.6” and weighs about 5.25 ounces. Your baby has been moving for weeks, but possible in this week you will be able to feel little whispery touches, referred to as quickening. The baby will be able to show some expressions like yawning, stretching and make facial expressions. Your uterus gets heavier with baby, placenta, and amniotic fluid, can probably be felt just below your navel. A mid-pregnancy ultrasound may be performed between now and week 22 to assess fetal growth and development and to verify the due date.

Week 19
Your baby is nearing 6” this week and weighs between 7 and 9 ounces. Vernix, a creamy white protective coating begins to develop. Besides helping in protecting the baby from scrapes, it keeps the baby skin soft. if you have an ultrasound during this time you may see the miracle movement of your baby roll over, suck its thumb and swallow amniotic fluid . As the baby continued to grow, you may be feeling some mid-pregnancy aches and pains by now -- lower abdominal achiness, dizziness, heartburn, constipation, leg cramps, mild swelling of ankles and feet, and a backache.

Week 20
You've reached the half-way point! The fetus measures about 5.6 to 6.4” from crown to rump and weighs about 9 ounces. You may be able to feel those little feet pushing off as the baby does its water aerobics. The baby is moving often, too -- twisting, turning, wiggling, punching and kicking. It sleeps and wakes as much as a newborn. At this moment, your uterus is probably right up to your belly button. The increasing weight of your uterus may cause varicose veins in your legs.

Week 21
Your baby measures about 7.2 and weighs about 10.5 ounces. The fetus is steadily gaining fat to keep warm. Growth rate is slowing down but organ systems, like digestion, are continuing to mature. Buds for permanent teeth are beginning to form. You may notice that your sense of balance is changing, listen to your body and modify your activities if necessary. Do ask your doctor or an exercise instructor certified in prenatal fitness.

Week 22
Baby's length is around 7.5” and the weighs between 12.00 and 15 ounces The baby can feel touch, and taste buds are forming on the tongue. Your baby's acrobatics are pretty constant, and since he responds to sound, rhythm and melody, you can try singing and talking to him. Mom-to-be, your uterus is continuing to grow, but you're probably feeling pretty good -- no more morning sickness, and your abdomen isn't so large that it's getting in the way very much. You may still be getting leg and foot cramps, as well as mild swelling of ankles and feet. Keep taking those prenatal vitamins!

Week 23
This week your baby is about 8” and weights nearest to one pound. The body is becoming proportioned more like a newborn, but skin is still wrinkled because your baby still has more weight to gain. Around this time your little one will begin to have rapid eye movement (REM), just like adults do during sleep. Your round belly is definitely noticeable by now. Vaginal secretions that are typically clear-to-yellowish with a faint smell increase during pregnancy. Check with your practitioner if the color or odor changes significantly since it could signal an infection.

Week 24
Your baby is now about 8.4” in length and weighs around 1.2 pounds. White blood cells are produced at this stage to combat diseases and infections, and may respond to your touch or sounds. It's never too early for you to start talking to your little one. Your uterus is about 1.5 to 2” above your navel. Expect to gain about a pound per week this month. Glucose screens for detecting gestational diabetes are given between this week.

Week 25
Your developing baby now measures about 8.8” from crown to rump and weighs 1.5 pounds. Skin now becomes opaque instead of transparent. Heartbeat can be heard through a stethoscope. Some people say a heartbeat at the upper end of the range indicates a girl, while a slower beat means you'll have a boy, but don't paint the nursery based on a heart rate. Your uterus growing upward, it may be getting bigger on the sides of your abdomen. You may be experiencing hemorrhoids, which are dilated blood vessels in the rectal area caused by increased blood flow, constipation, indigestion and heartburn.

Week 26
Your baby measures about 9.2” from crown to rump and weighs almost 2 pounds now. The hearing of the baby is now fully develop and as the fetus reacts to sounds, its pulse increases. Lungs are still growing but are not yet mature. Patterns of your baby's brain waves appear like a full-term newborn. It also has patterns of sleeping and waking. You can probably feel your uterus about 2.5” above your belly button now. You'll be gaining on weight at the rate of about 1 pound per week now. You may be feeling some rib pain as your baby grows and pushes upward on your rib cage. The pressure may also be causing indigestion and heartburn. You may even be feeling stitch-like pains down the sides of your abdomen as your uterine muscle stretches. This week mark the end of the second trimester.