All About the Second Trimester

Everything you need to know to sail through most women's favorite time of pregnancy

BY Laurie Tarkan

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Calming pregnancy fears
Although many women feel upbeat in the second trimester, some are bothered by underlying fears about everything from what might happen during their labor and delivery, to their baby’s health, to whether they’ll be good mothers. Women who are undergoing prenatal tests may feel anxious until they learn their results. And it’s not unusual to feel panic with every new ache or pain, spotting episode or Braxton Hicks “practice” contraction. Talking with your doctor or midwife, childbirth educator and other new moms during this time can help ease these anxieties.

“The more you understand that the way you feel is common, the more you can relax about it,” Dunnewold says. But if you find yourself worrying more often than not, you may want to seek professional help: Anxiety and stress may be linked to low birth weight and preterm delivery and may have other negative effects on the baby’s health as well. That’s true on the job, too, so do your best to cut back on both psychological and physical stress at work.


Diary Of A Second Trimester
Writer Lu Hanessian continues her pregnancy journal.
Week 14 Morning sickness lifts. Want to dance naked in living room without drawing the blinds. Dust off 5-pound weights, do 15 bicep curls. Speak in full sentences. Re-acquaint self with broccoli sautéed in garlic.
Week 16 Morning of my amniocentesis. See baby on monitor for first time. Tears tumble into my ears as I lie on table. “Hi, baby,” I whisper.
Week 18 It’s a … boy! Our toddler son, Nicholas, is going to have a brother. Call family, tell friends.
Week 20 Halfway mark! Fly to Boston for girlfriend’s wedding. Wear a long black beaded dress. Feel like a gestating mermaid. Shake my booty.
Week 22 Second ultrasound. Husband Dave and Nicholas stand in front of monitor while doctor points out face, feet, hands. Suddenly Nicholas yells, “Hi, little brother! I’m yer big brother!” Dave and I bawl like newborns.
Week 27 In full-throttle waddle. A penguin mama. Baby is doing Riverdance in my belly. I’m feeling fit and fertile. Eartha Kitt meets Mother Earth.


Your Body

Now that you’ve got your energy and appetite back, start to focus on healthful lifestyle habits.

Eat right for two. Expect to gain about 12 pounds in the second trimester, though this can vary, depending on your prepregnancy weight, says New York OB-GYN Joanne Stone, M.D. Get an extra 300 calories a day from nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and protein sources; drink at least eight glasses of water daily; consume at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily; and continue taking prenatal vitamins and avoiding potentially harmful substances.

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