Pregnancy Help & Info

The period from week 13 to week 28 is the second trimester. This is the period that’s most physically comfortable for the expecting mom. The nausea in most cases subsides by this time and the pregnancy has begun to be visible. The risk of miscarriage drops during this phase and the fatigue and tiredness of the first trimester decreases. Heartburn and constipation are common second trimester problems. Make sure your diet includes plenty of fiber to counter these. The heart expands in order to be able to pump the increased amount of blood your pregnancy requires, as much as 20 per cent higher than before. You might also notice swelling of the feet and some amount of breathlessness, a result of the growing of the uterus and the pushing of the baby upwards that squeezes your lungs.

The second trimester is also the time you’ll begin to feel the baby kick. Little fluttery movements can be observed although this isn’t a hard and fast rule. Some women might not notice movements till much later in the pregnancy.

The second trimester is also the earliest time to have an amniocentesis test, which detects fetal abnormalities. A host of other tests will need to be conducted during this period.

A Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) monitors for the presence of gestational diabetes and is conducted between the 24 and 28h week of pregnancy.

In some states all pregnant women are eligible for the Maternal Serum Triple or Quadruple Screen, while some states allow the test for higher risk women only. This test checks for the presence of Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) that’s produced by the fetal liver.

Electronic fetal heart monitoring and a fetal ultrasound will also help your care provider determine the expected date of delivery and identify fetal problems if any.

For a more detailed list of the tests that you can expect to take during your second trimester, visit Web MD.

Filed under: Pregnancy Tests & Symptoms