Pregnancy Second Trimester

During the second trimester, visits to the doctor must be regularized. The physician may check certain things depending on your medical condition and the state of the fetus. These tests would generally include current symptoms and discomforts if any, the weight of the mother, blood pressure, urine,growth and development of the fetus, size of the uterus since by now it is supposed to be felt through the abdominal wall, height of the fundus, and the heartbeat of the fetus. The second trimester is like a turning point for both the mother and

The mother has by now gotten used to the symptoms of pregnancy and can handle it better; she also begins to show the symptoms more evidently on the exterior. The fetus too has developed organs by now but now they will start growing in size and work towards becoming a system.

The umbilical cord keeps growing thicker in this period as it will be the connecting cord between the mother and the baby. Just like food everything that the mother consumes is carried to the fetus via the umbilical cord so if the mother is a smoker or an alcoholic or drug abuser it is time she has given them up for the best development of her child. It is now that the fetus becomes heavier at least up to another 7 times to ensure that it is healthy and can survive alone outside the uterus. By the end of the second trimester, on an average a fetus is 14 inches long and weighs around two and a half pounds.

The things that the expecting mother will experience are the fetus’ kicking and moving. The fetus will also have developed eyes ears by now and can hear the mother. A white layer appears on the skin to protect the tender baby skin which will gradually disappear as the time approaches for the baby to be delivered. The baby will be able to respond to certain stimulus and also it can suck and swallow now. The placenta has developed completely and the brain will begin to go through massive formation changes from the fifth month. Each finger and toe is clearly distinguishable from the other and nails have also begun to appear on the tips. The unborn baby has already started being awake and asleep for a certain number of hours. The 20th week of pregnancy is only half way through the pregnancy and a baby born this early might survive in a neonatal intensive care unit but that is barely true.

This is the physically most comfortable period for the mother in the duration of pregnancy. Morning sickness, fatigue and tenderness of the breast become far more tolerable now. This is basically because the levels of progesteron and estrogen are getting adjusted in the human body. The mother’s appetite however is increased, can feel movements of the baby, the mother will want to urinate more frequently, nosebleeds also occur in some cases, there is a white coloured discharge from the vagina, pigmentations might develop and there might be slight body aches but all in all this is a relatively comfortable stage as compared to the first and third trimesters.

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