The Second Trimester of Pregnancy
During your second trimester of pregnancy, your baby is undergoing massive changes. The baby, however, is not the only one that is changing. Now that the morning sickness and fatigue associated with the first trimester have passed, you can begin to notice the changes in your own body. The following are some of the changes that occur to the mother during the second trimester.
Weight Gain
Now that morning sickness has passed, your growing fetus is placing more and more nutritional demands on your body. The result is that you may gain weight in addition to pregnancy weight. This extra weight gain can cause a variety of issues such as backache. Backache is very common in the second trimester as sudden weight gain puts pressure on your lower back. Try to limit your calorie increase to only 300 to 500 extra calories per day.
Breast Enlargement
What may be fascinating to a pregnant woman’s partner is not so fascinating to her. The breast tenderness felt in the first trimester should have worn off by now and you may notice that your breasts are growing. They are growing in preparation to feed your baby. Wear a support bra and increase your bra by one size if you’re feeling uncomfortable.
Hormone Induced Changes
Pregnancy hormones can cause your body to run amok. One of the most common results of pregnancy hormones is hair growth. The hair on your head may become thicker and even curly, but you may find hair growing where it never did before. Face, arms and your back may be prone to hair growth. Shaving is the safest method to remove this unwanted hair while you’re pregnant. Most women lose this hair when their hormones return to normal.
Your skin may also change as a result of the pregnancy hormones. A flushed look to your face, or that “glowing” look is a result of changing hormone levels. Brown marks may appear on your face (pregnancy mask) or a dark line (linea nigra) may appear down the center of your abdomen. These fade after you give birth.
Quickening
One of the most exciting times during the second trimester, is feeling your baby move for the first time; this is called quickening. By the beginning of the second trimester, your baby only weighs about 10 ounces, but by the end of this trimester she can weigh up to two pounds. Most women feel their baby move around the 20 week mark.