The second trimester: What to expect during months four, five, and six

The second trimester is also a challenging stage of pregnancy. This is because at this period, the mother-to-be begins to notice drastic changes in her body especially her increasing bulging tummy. Here are what to expect in the different months of this trimester:

What to expect in the Fourth month (16th week):

Your body -

·         Constipation, heartburn, indigestion, bloating, flatulence

·         Fatigue

·         Headaches occasionally

·         Breast continued to increase

·         Frequency of urination decreases

·         Decrease in nausea, or nausea still normal

·         Occasional dizziness

·         At the end of the month you might feel your baby move, but that is if you are slender or this is not your first pregnancy

·         Hemorrhoids

·         Varicose veins on legs

·         Nasal congestion, and occasional nose bleeds

·         Bleeding gums when you brush

·         Leucorrhea (whitish vaginal discharge)

·         Mild swelling of hands and face, an occasionally of ankles and feet

·         Increase in appetite

Your baby -

By the end of the 4th month the limbs of your baby are properly formed and all the joints are moving. The fingers and toes are normal and fingernails and toenails are present. The head is still large for the body. Primary sex characteristics continue to develop and the baby’s sex is now very obvious.

A fine downy hair, lanugos, forms over the whole body of your baby including the face. The eyebrows and eyelashes have started growing too.

The baby now weighs about 135gm (0.135kg) and the length of the baby is approximately 16cm.

What to expect in the Fifth month (20th week):

Your body -

·         Backache

·         Skin pigmentation, changes on face and abdomen

·         Changes in orgasm

·         Increased heart rate

·         Baby’s movement is well felt

·         Hemorrhoids

·         Varicose veins on legs

·         Nasal congestion, and occasional nose bleeds

·         Bleeding gums when you brush

·         Increased Leucorrhea (whitish vaginal discharge)

·         Mild swelling of hands and face, an occasionally of ankles and feet

·         Increase in appetite

·         Occasional pain in the lower abdomen

·         Constipation, heartburn, indigestion, bloating, flatulence

·         Fatigue

·         Headaches occasionally

·         Breast might produce colostrum (a creamy discharge that comes before the milk)

·         Occasional dizziness

·         Leg cramps

·         Occasional absentmindedness

Your baby -

At this stage your baby is now growing rapidly in length and weight increases too. Muscle is rapidly increasing in the limbs and you can now feel some active movement within you and also observe its movement outside.

Your baby’s weight is about 340gm (0.340kg) and has a length of approximately 25.5cm.

What to expect in the sixth month (24th week):

Your body -

·         More defined fetal movements

·         Hemorrhoids

·         Varicose veins on legs

·         Nasal congestion, and occasional nose bleeds

·         Bleeding gums when you brush

·         Increased Leucorrhea (whitish vaginal discharge)

·         Mild swelling of hands and face, an occasionally of ankles and feet

·         Increase in appetite

·         Occasional pain in the lower abdomen

·         Constipation, heartburn, indigestion, bloating, flatulence

·         Fatigue

·         Occasional Headaches

·         Occasional dizziness

·         Leg cramps

·         Backache

·         Skin pigmentation, changes on face and abdomen

·         Changes in orgasm

·         Increased heart rate

·         Itchy abdomen

Your baby-

Your baby continues to grow and its vital organs are now sufficiently mature for it to survive for a short time if delivered prematurely. But as the lungs are inadequately matured, it is unlikely to maintain an independent life for any length of time.

At this stage your baby’s weight should be around 570gm (0.570kg) and have a length of 34cm.

The second trimester is the stage for the main physiological growth of the fetus as well as the development of its enzyme systems and other highly complex endocrinological processes. It should be noted that abnormalities in the development of these processes would not be obvious immediately at birth, but hidden damage to the baby by overdose of insulin and discoloration of teeth due to administration of tetracycline can only occur at this stage.