Healthy pregnancy: your second trimester guide
Understand the key milestones of prenatal development, as well as how to develop a regular schedule of visits to see your healthcare provider during pregnancy.
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During your first trimester (the first three months of pregnancy), nausea and fatigue are common. These symptoms often improve during the second trimester (the middle three months of pregnancy).
Here’s what you can expect during the second trimester, including when your abdomen may start showing your pregnancy and more.
Remember that if you have what’s considered a high-risk pregnancy you may need to see a maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialist in addition to your regular healthcare provider (HCP). This may be because you are older than 35, have a history of preeclampsia (a pregnancy complication that causes high blood pressure, fluid retention, and protein in the urine, and can harm to the parent or fetus), or have conditions such as diabetes, obesity, or high blood pressure.
Sources: National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus. Fetal development. Review date July 13 + 15
- National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus. Fetal development. Review date July 13, 2021.
- Mayo Clinic. Pregnancy week by week. High-risk pregnancy: Know what to expect. January 18, 2022.
- Cleveland Clinic. Fetal Development: Stages of Growth. Last reviewed April 16, 2020.
- Public Health England. Week-by-week guide to pregnancy. Accessed November 16, 2022.
- Mayo Clinic. Pregnancy week by week. Fetal development: The 2nd trimester. June 3, 2022.
- BabyCenter. Pregnancy Week by Week. Accessed November 16, 2022.
- Parents. How Big Is My Baby This Week? Here’s a Baby Fruit Size Chart. Updated on May 17, 2022.
- UT Southwestern Medical Center. Fetal hiccups won’t harm your baby – they’re totally normal! June 8, 2021.
- Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP. Question: When can my unborn baby hear me? I'd love to be able to read and sing to them. HealthyChildren.org. Last Updated April 28, 2021.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Weight Gain During Pregnancy. Page last reviewed: June 13, 2022.
- National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus. Managing your weight gain during pregnancy. Review date October 5, 2020.
- Mayo Clinic. Amniocentesis. October 7, 2022.
- American Pregnancy Association. Best Sleeping Positions During Pregnancy. Accessed November 16, 2022.
- American Heart Association. How Much Sodium Should I Eat Per Day? July 15, 2025.
- BabyCenter. Glucose screening and glucose tolerance tests. November 14, 2020.
- Mount Sinai. Preeclampsia. Accessed November 16, 2022.
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