The second trimester is arguably the most exciting trimester of pregnancy! You’re finally starting to balance out after riding the first trimester rollercoaster, and have all the fun baby things to look forward to. Whether you’re looking for what to expect, tips on creating your baby registry, or how to prepare for the next trimester… Here is everything you can expect during your second trimester of pregnancy!
Now that the morning sickness and emotional whirlwinds are behind you, lets get down to all of the exciting things you have to look forward to! Try to see everything to come as a reward for those never-ending days you had to endure your first trimester. We all know it wasn’t easy, but there are a ton of good things about to come your way!
Here’s a second trimester checklist for your viewing pleasure:
Find Out the Gender of Your Baby
After I tipped the scale into the second trimester, waiting to find out what we were having was torture! With ever-advancing technology these days, however, gender revelation might be available as early as 7 weeks. However, for most of us, you have to wait until weeks 19-21 for an anatomy scan to determine your baby’s gender. I promise you, though – it’s worth it!
Create a Baby Registry
Once you find out the gender of your baby, if you choose to do so, you can finally start shopping all things baby! Creating a baby registry is an exciting time, but it can also become overwhelming fast. There are so many products on the market these days, and they all claim to be the best. You can find a complete list of everything you’ll need here!
Decorate the Nursery
Designing a nursery was the best part about my pregnancy! I love home décor, so being able to decorate a room for my daughter from scratch was a blast. They say nesting peaks in your third trimester, but I personally began nesting much sooner.
Plan a Baby Shower
Just as a precursor, there is no “right time” to have a baby shower. When I was first pregnant, I kept trying to plan things around when they were traditionally done. There is no right or wrong time to have a baby shower. However, overall, it’s at least held within the last three months of your pregnancy. Keep in mind, you will want to have a few weeks to unpack your gifts, prepare the home for post-birth, and finish setting up the nursery!
Shop for Maternity Clothes
Your second trimester is where you will finally begin to feel (and look) pregnant! For the longest time, I felt like I was stuck in an awkward in-between. However, the more you grow, you may find that your non-pregnancy clothes begin to become increasingly uncomfortable. I was lucky to be able to wear my regular clothes up to a certain point, but both my jeans and bras specifically really started cutting into me! As far as comfort goes, I highly recommend maxi dresses, tunics, or things that have a lot of flow and movement. I found a lot of my favorites at Pink Blush Maternity!
What to Expect During Your Second Trimester of Pregnancy
You may notice that, when it comes to your prenatal appointments, this trimester is one of the more relaxed. Aside from your genetic testing and anatomy scan, there isn’t a lot to do aside from let your baby bake. Every 4 week appointment, they will analyze the babies heartrate to make sure it’s strong, and simply do a general check-in to make sure you’re doing okay.
Symptoms to Expect & Testing to Come
Constipation
One of the more frustrating parts about your first trimester is the constipation you can face. An increase in your hormones causes food and waste to move slower through your body, therefore causing some “backup” as a result… For this reason, and many others, it’s important to stay hydrated and keep your fluid intake high!
Usually during my pregnancies, I try to limit as many products and additional supplements as I can. Although I wish I had discovered this sooner, after a few pregnancies I finally decided to branch out for some relief. I recently invested in this Prenatal Probiotic from Pinkstork and trust me when I tell you it will be your new BFF!
Frequent Urination
With your hormone levels on the rise, you’re about to become a lot better acquainted with your bathroom. Due to the increase in blood production and your kidney’s need to flush the added fluids, the excess generally ends up in your bladder.
Heartburn & Indigestion
Heartburn is a very common symptom of pregnancy. It’s primarily caused by a combination of hormonal changes and the added pressure your growing babe is putting on your stomach! In an effort to avoid indigestion, try to avoid acidic foods and always carry antacids with you as a precautionary measure. My favorite go-to’s are Tums! They’re pregnancy safe and come in a variety of flavors, textures, and convenient sizes.
Weeks 13-17 of Pregnancy
NIPT (Noninvasive Prenatal Testing)
At some point during this time frame, you will be given the option for NIPT (Noninvasive Prenatal Testing). These are usually offered to women who are carrying a baby that has a higher probability of having either Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome, or Patau’s syndrome. However, they’re also offered to women who want to know the gender sooner! So, if you have entered your thirties and are on your way out in terms of birthing age, you will likely be encouraged to take this. While this screening is generally highly accurate, you should keep in mind that no screening test is 100%. If for whatever reason you happen to test positive, if you decide to participate at all, your healthcare provider will likely order more tests to seek further clarification.
I chose to do this during my second and third pregnancy and loved finding out the gender early! They say your test results will return between 7-10 days, but mine personally came back much sooner.
Weeks 18-22 of Pregnancy
Anatomy Scan (AKA Gender Reveal)
Between week 19-21 is the traditional time you find out the gender of your baby if you opt out of the genetic testing. At this appointment, your babies overall well being will be reviewed. They will be measured for growth, development, and an examination of the placenta will be done.
Weeks 23-26 of Pregnancy
Gestational Diabetes Screening
Everyone has to go through a Gestational Diabetes Screening between week 23-26. This is normally a one-hour screening, depending on your circumstance, but plan to be there a few hours overall.
What does this entail?
You fast overnight, drink the glucose beverage, wait one hour, have blood drawn and determine what your A1 ratio is. Not every provider makes you fast, but they do advise you not to eat or drink anything sweet beforehand to prevent compromising your results.
In closing, as you can see, the second trimester isn’t as eventful in terms of pregnancy. However, it is filled with all of the long-anticipated pregnancy events you’ve been waiting for! Are you currently expecting, or do you have anything to report from a previous pregnancy on what to expect from the second trimester? Let me know in the comments!
