The Second Trimester

• You are noticing your tummy is growing and a “baby bump “ appears at around week 15 – 16.
• You will have gained around 4-7 kg by now.
• At 15 weeks the baby is about 10cm long (CRL – crown rump length), and is as big as a navel orange.
• The nausea of the first 12 weeks is generally much improved, but it can still take more time.
• You may notice headaches.
• Vaccination against influenza is important in pregnancy and should be planned now.
• If this is your first pregnancy occasional fetal movements are felt at around week 20, sometimes a week or two earlier.
• If you had a baby before, you will notice movements even earlier.
• The movements are often like flutters or bubbles to start, and become more like strong kicks at around 24 weeks.
• An ultrasound is done at around 19 – 20 weeks to examine the baby’s organs in detail. This is called the morphology scan. It looks at the baby from head to toe and can take from 30 minutes to one and a half hours. A vaginal scan is normally also done to measure the cervix and the distance of the placenta from the cervix.

20 weeks – halfway!

• Fetal movements are now felt, at first occasionally, and gradually becoming a few times per day by 26 weeks.
• At 20 weeks the baby is 25 cm approx. from crown to heel (foot), and weighs around 300g. The baby’s skin is not yet mature and is transparent and not yet watertight. All the organs are present and growing.
• At around 24 – 27 weeks you will have a blood test and a diabetes screen. You may have needed one earlier if you are at increased risk of diabetes.
• Your blood pressure is monitored to look for early signs of hypertension in pregnancy.
• Tell Dr O’Shea if you have heartburn, abdominal pain or headaches, which may or may not be significant.
• Backache and muscular aches are common.
• Restless legs and leg cramps can occur for a few reasons, one of which is a low iron level.
• Your iron reserves are measured by your ferritin level.

Below are some useful links.