Welcome to week thirteen!
You are in your second trimester now and are a third of the way through your pregnancy!
This is usually the easiest trimester because you may be feeling as if you have more energy now and hopefully the nausea and/or vomiting is better. Enjoy this time! The baby is definitely growing, but not so much that you can’t see your feet or reach the steering wheel of your car when driving. That will come later. Your breasts are enlarging, and fullness may cause you to purchase new bras if you have not done this already.
The second trimester is usually the easiest because you may be feeling as if you have more energy now and hopefully the nausea and/or vomiting is better.
How my Baby Grows
- Your baby now has fingerprints, isn’t that amazing
- He or she is about the size of a peach
- Veins are still very visible through the translucent skin
- If you are having a girl, her ovaries have formed 2 million eggs at this stage of your pregnancy, incredible isn’t it
Symptoms Mama may Feel or Experience
- There is a lot more blood volume pumping through your body and especially your pelvic organs, this may cause your sex drive to be stronger than ever
- The uterus is now shifting from the pelvic cavity and will become an abdominal organ over the coming weeks
- This means that it is getting off your bladder which is great news and means that you should not have to pee as often, nice
- It also means that there is less pelvic pressure, for now, this will return near the end of your pregnancy
- With the uterus moving up and away from the pelvic cavity it will take supporting ligaments with it, this discomfort is greater of course if you are carrying twins as the uterus is enlarging faster and to a greater degree
- Your round ligaments will be stretched and may cause a sharp pulling sensation or a dull ache on the right or left side of your lower abdomen if you cough, sneeze or the baby moves dramatically
- It is good to know that this discomfort is normal and will subside as your ligaments get comfortable in a new position
- You may use Tylenol, a warm bath or a heating pad on low if this is bothersome
- You also have a broad and a utero-sacral ligament that may cause discomfort across your belly or lower back as the pregnancy moves into the abdominal cavity
- Although these are common and considered a normal part of pregnancy, if you are having pain it is always best to check with your provider to see if the discomfort is ligament pain or something else
Thoughts to Consider
- It is not too early to start thinking about labor support
- Who do you believe will do the best job of encouraging you during labor?
- It may take more than one person, if you are thinking about this you should check with the hospital or birth center to see if there is a limit on the number of people you can have as visitors
- Hopefully your partner is able to be there but for some, especially in the military community, you may need to find someone else
- Many women have their partner and their mother, and for some having their own mother would make the situation stressful
- Doulas are a great source of labor support
- They know a lot about pregnancy, birth and postpartum through their training and can be the cheerleader you need by advocating for the birth experience you desire
- They will meet with you for months prior to the birth and help you with a birth plan, then be there with you through the labor and birth
- You can interview several and see which one you feel the closet to
- You can search for doulas or get more information through DONA International online
- Check out the articles on doulas in the Go-to-Topics section of StorkAdvisor if you are interested
- Bottom line, it is your choice and deserves careful thought and discussion with those who it may involve
Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy
Your prenatal visits are an important part of sustaining a healthy pregnancy
- From the beginning of your pregnancy until 28 weeks you will have visits that are 4-6 weeks apart
- The focus is on lab work that tells your provider about your health and sometimes identifies areas that need to be addressed
- The first visit will likely include time to talk to your provider about your medical and genetic, personal and family history and you may be asked to undress for an exam, a pap smear if you are over 21 and/or a vaginal ultrasound depending on where you are in the pregnancy
- After the first visit you will meet to have vital signs and fetal heart tones checked and to discuss information pertinent to each week of your pregnancy based on where you are during that visit
- Starting in your third trimester at 28 weeks the visits will increase to every 2 weeks
- Your provider will continue to monitor your vital signs, the baby’s fetal heart tones and discuss any warning signs based on gestational age
- You will also have an important blood test to screen you for gestational diabetes and to make sure you are not anemic as this is very common during pregnancy
- As you finish off your third trimester you will have weekly visit from 36 weeks until the birth of your baby
- You will learn about the signs and symptoms of labor
- It is a great time to discuss your birth plan with your doctor or midwife
- You will have one more screening test, a culture of the vagina and rectum for group B strep (GBS) a common organism for adult women but dangerous for baby if it is present and left untreated
- The final visit during your pregnancy is in what we call the 4th trimester, it is your postpartum visit 4-6 weeks after the birth of your baby
