Second Trimester End

Second trimester end marks many changes in the baby and also changes in your body. Know about the changes that you might expect at the end of your second trimester. By the end of your second trimester, you are twenty-six weeks pregnant. You will notice that the foetus has grown quite busy now. He has begun to suck, swallow, yawn and even do some cute little hiccups! He will be moving a lot to get into the correct position, that is, a position that he is most comfortable in. You will note that you are consistently piling on weight and the baby also doubles its weight pretty fast. Your middle will expand visibly and you will be carrying a baby weight about two pounds in your womb. Here are some of the changes that you might expect at this stage: In this articleThe Changes in the BabyThe Changes in Your BodyThe RecommendationsThe Changes in the Baby By the end of the second trimester, the foetus has grown about fourteen inches in length.The hands of the foetus have become very active along with the feet. The feet are now about 5 cm long.There is a marked progress in the hand and feet muscle coordination and the foetus has begun to suck his thumb into his mouth too! The sucking of the thumb is basically a calming action for the foetus and this simultaneously strengthens his cheek and jaw muscles.In the ultrasounds, you will see that the foetus has begun to open and close his eyes too.A significant development of the foetus is the commencement of the breathing movements, although he has not yet developed his lungs fully and there is no air in the lungs too.The foetus has become extremely responsive to touch by the end of the second trimester. As you touch your belly, he can actually feel your touch through the belly wall. You can in fact touch and play with the baby now.At this stage the growth of the auditory and visual system progresses as does the status of the brain.Another point to note is that the foetus at this stage has already formed its own routine of sleep and waking up, which is interestingly quite predictable. The Changes in Your Body By the time you reach the end of your second trimester, you will find a dramatic change: you will experience your belly tightening and relaxing all of a sudden and at odd moments as well. This phenomenon is clinically termed as Braxton Hicks contraction. These are painless muscular contractions that are in fact indicative of the fact that the body is preparing itself for the imminent delivery. In some cases, it is found that the pregnant woman experiences some of the early pregnancy symptoms at the end of the second trimester too, like constipation and heartburn. Apart from these, you will begin to develop varicose veins and the instability of your emotional state may continue. The Recommendations At the end of the second trimester, you would have gained a fair amount of weight. As your belly grows in size, you tend to feel the weight more and more on your back. Doctors suggest that the mothers should practice some pelvic exercises regularly under the guidance of your doctor or a certified pregnancy exercise guide in order to relax the spine. For this you need to stand with your back against a wall and bend your knees very slightly. Now inhale your breath as you gently press your back against the wall. Then slowly relax your back as you exhale. It is probable that this exercise makes you feel a shortage of breath as your uterus is pretty close to your rib cage at this stage. But you can be assured that this will not harm the developing foetus in any way.

Second trimester end marks many changes in the baby and also changes in your body. Know about the changes that you might expect at the end of your second trimester.

By the end of your second trimester, you are twenty-six weeks pregnant. You will notice that the foetus has grown quite busy now. He has begun to suck, swallow, yawn and even do some cute little hiccups! He will be moving a lot to get into the correct position, that is, a position that he is most comfortable in. You will note that you are consistently piling on weight and the baby also doubles its weight pretty fast. Your middle will expand visibly and you will be carrying a baby weight about two pounds in your womb.

Here are some of the changes that you might expect at this stage:

The Changes in the Baby

By the end of the second trimester, the foetus has grown about fourteen inches in length.

• The hands of the foetus have become very active along with the feet. The feet are now about 5 cm long.
• There is a marked progress in the hand and feet muscle coordination and the foetus has begun to suck his thumb into his mouth too! The sucking of the thumb is basically a calming action for the foetus and this simultaneously strengthens his cheek and jaw muscles.
• In the ultrasounds, you will see that the foetus has begun to open and close his eyes too.
• A significant development of the foetus is the commencement of the breathing movements, although he has not yet developed his lungs fully and there is no air in the lungs too.
• The foetus has become extremely responsive to touch by the end of the second trimester. As you touch your belly, he can actually feel your touch through the belly wall. You can in fact touch and play with the baby now.
• At this stage the growth of the auditory and visual system progresses as does the status of the brain.
• Another point to note is that the foetus at this stage has already formed its own routine of sleep and waking up, which is interestingly quite predictable.

The Changes in Your Body

By the time you reach the end of your second trimester, you will find a dramatic change: you will experience your belly tightening and relaxing all of a sudden and at odd moments as well. This phenomenon is clinically termed as Braxton Hicks contraction. These are painless muscular contractions that are in fact indicative of the fact that the body is preparing itself for the imminent delivery.

In some cases, it is found that the pregnant woman experiences some of the early pregnancy symptoms at the end of the second trimester too, like constipation and heartburn. Apart from these, you will begin to develop varicose veins and the instability of your emotional state may continue.

The Recommendations

At the end of the second trimester, you would have gained a fair amount of weight. As your belly grows in size, you tend to feel the weight more and more on your back. Doctors suggest that the mothers should practice some pelvic exercises regularly under the guidance of your doctor or a certified pregnancy exercise guide in order to relax the spine. For this you need to stand with your back against a wall and bend your knees very slightly. Now inhale your breath as you gently press your back against the wall. Then slowly relax your back as you exhale. It is probable that this exercise makes you feel a shortage of breath as your uterus is pretty close to your rib cage at this stage. But you can be assured that this will not harm the developing foetus in any way.