The second trimester of pregnancy is the least concerning of all, in my opinion. This article tends to look at the differences that you will see and feel during this time and will also give you a snippet of what my pregnancy journey in the second trimester looked like.
What Is the Second Trimester of Pregnancy?
The second trimester of pregnancy is the 4th to 6th month, or the 13th – 26th week of your pregnancy journey. The second trimester, in my opinion, is the easiest trimester that you go through (people could differ as everyone’s situation is different) because you’ve gotten through the morning sickness phase and things are relatively slow during this time.
Also, your baby bump starts to ‘show’ and it is a motivational time because all the strenuous efforts you are showing show some result in the form of a baby bump. You know the baby is snug in there and that kind of boosts your morale.
The heartbeat of the baby must have been detected by now and you are out of the critical ‘miscarriage’ zone as well. The chances of a miscarriage greatly diminish when you are in your second trimester.
What Happens during the Second Trimester?
As the second trimester begins, things start looking better because your nausea lessens, you don’t vomit much unless you have hyperemesis gravidarum, and you don’t feel as lethargic as you used probably because you get used to the changes in your body.
The second trimester is also the time when you see most changes in your body. Many things happen during this time. Some of the more common ones are:
Baby Bump
Your bump starts becoming evident although this can differ from person to person. Some people start showing early on in the 4th month and some don’t show till the 7th month. Usually, your bump becomes evident by the 5th month of your pregnancy and people will start to notice.
If you haven’t told your friends and family by this time, now would be a good time to disclose and surprise everyone with the good news.
It will also be helpful to invest in some nice and comfortable maternity clothes because you will start outgrowing your usual clothes and your pre-pregnancy size will change considerably.
Food Cravings
Quite the contrary to food aversions that you may have faced in the first trimester now will be the opposite. You will start having food cravings; you will have a sudden urge to eat or drink things and you will want them instantly.
Sometimes, it gets difficult to control your cravings and it can also make you super cranky if you don’t get what you want.
Cravings can be weird. They can be of something readily available like potatoes, or something insane like a pizza you might have had in another country 5 years ago. You could also crave things that you’ve never eaten before or things that you detested before pregnancy.
Needless to say, cravings are something you have no control over. If you get what you want, that is great, and in some cases when it is not possible to fulfill the craving, well let’s just say people should stay clear of you till the time the craving dies down.
The Baby Glow
Have you ever heard the term ‘baby glow’? Almost every pregnant lady gets this as a compliment ‘Oh look you have the baby glow’. Most certainly, most women do get it.
Baby glow, as the term suggests, is when you have a distinct glow in your skin and hair when you are pregnant. Your skin becomes supple, clear, soft, and glowy, and your hair becomes thick and healthy. This is because of the increased levels of blood volume, high estrogen and progesterone levels.
The second trimester is when you start getting the baby glow and you can bask in the beauty of it till the end of your pregnancy, or for some people, it fades as the time of delivery comes closer.
Enjoy it while it lasts because once you have your baby, that baby glow will fade as quickly as it came.
Heartburn & Acidity
Along with so many positives, of course, there will be a few negatives as well. Once you are in your second trimester, you will meet with another nuisance of pregnancy: heartburn.
Heartburn and acidity are caused in the second trimester because of the size of your growing baby. When the baby grows inside the uterus, all of your organs are sort of squished with each other which causes heartburn. It gets annoying because, at times, you can’t even digest water without feeling like your insides are on fire.
There are many at-home remedies for mitigating heartburn, you can have peppermint tea, you can have yogurt, and many others but if you feel like it is getting out of control, just talk to your ob-gyn and they might suggest some over-the-counter antacids or any other remedy.
The Significance of The Second Trimester
The second trimester, although less concerning, is no less significant. This is the time when your bump becomes prominent, so you start having mommy-like feelings and rubbing your belly every so often becomes a norm.
You will also start feeling your baby’s kicks and the feeling is just surreal. It is as if your baby is communicating with you. The baby is steadily growing at this point and you might have gotten your ultrasounds done.
One of the best parts about this trimester is that it is in this trimester that you find out your baby’s gender! Something that all moms-to-be want to do the day they find out they are having a baby.
People say that you can find out the gender in the first trimester too, but it is always better to wait till the second so you can have fewer chances of a false gender prediction.
What Happened During My Second Trimester
My second trimester in both my pregnancies was as described above. Nothing unusual or weird happened in it. I was one of those who had horrible bouts of heartburn and because of that, I started hating meal times. I knew the moment I would eat something, it would cause heartburn.
But I figured I couldn’t go hungry as well because that would hurt the baby so I started with different remedies, started having organic pregnancy teas, and spoke to my ob-gyn who was ever so helpful and helped ease the discomfort.
Something that happened to me was when the kicking started during my first pregnancy, I couldn’t figure out that this was kicking. It was like little bubbles inside my tummy. Only when they got stronger, I realized this is my kid having a soccer game inside.
I was eager to find out the gender in both my pregnancies, and when I did, I couldn’t have been happier. My firstborn is a boy and my second is a girl, so I’m a happy momma of two little munchkins.
I was keen on starting my baby’s shopping early but then I decided to wait and leave that for the third trimester, and rightly so because the third trimester feels never-ending and it was helpful that I left chores for that phase because otherwise, the never-ending time would’ve gotten on my nerves.
Conclusion
All in all, the second trimester seems like a breeze for most ladies and passes by relatively quickly. This is the time that you should sleep double shifts and rest all you want because as the third trimester comes close, you will probably be saying bye to your sleep regimens.
