There are pregnant women who do not notice the onset of the second trimester - their pregnancy proceeds easily, naturally, without any special discomfort. But, according to statistics, 8 out of 10 women still have toxicosis, and therefore most still expect the onset of the second trimester, as salvation. The second third of carrying a baby usually brings relief.
When does it start and end?
In order to make it convenient to keep track of the gestational age, the concept of "trimester" was introduced in obstetrics in the last century. There are three of them, each of them is equal to three months. The second trimester starts at 14 weeks of pregnancy and ends at 27 weeks inclusive... If you count by weeks, then it has 14 weeks, if a woman is more used to counting as months, then the second trimester covers the fourth, fifth and sixth months of pregnancy and slightly captures the seventh.
From the point of view of doctors, this is the period of systemic genesis, when all the systems of the body are actively tuned in to the full work of a child. Obstetricians call the second trimester the middle fetal (fetal).
Women almost unanimously call this period "golden time" - the torment, troubles and worries of the first third of the gestation period have already been left behind, the main dangers and risks for the fetus have also passed, but at the same time there is still quite a lot of time left before the birth. It is not difficult to carry a pregnancy yet, it is not difficult - the baby is not so large that the mother could experience physical discomfort. On the other hand, the crumb is no longer so small, and it is during this period that the woman makes the first contact with him - she catches his movements and learns to guess his mood and state.
The baby is no longer so susceptible to negative influences from the outside, now he is under the reliable protection of the formed and functioning placenta, this opens up new opportunities for the expectant mother - some drugs that were prohibited in the first trimester are becoming allowed.
Baby development
From the 14th week, the fetus does not grow as intensively as it was at the beginning of pregnancy, and the changes in its body are no longer so large-scale. Weight gain comes first - this is very important for its vitality. The accumulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue will not only allow the child to look like a cute baby and gain weight, but also make it possible to independently retain the heat of his own body so that systemic hypothermia does not occur.
The heart of the crumbs beats rhythmically, clearly, pumping up to 24 liters of blood per day, but the load on its departments is still uneven: the right side works more actively than the left. The left departments will become equal to the right ones only by the end of the period of intrauterine development, when the placenta is old and the blood flow will not be so intense. Up to 50% of the baby's total blood volume goes to the brain, the rest goes through the aorta to the baby's lower body.
Lung development continues. The baby receives oxygen from the mother's blood, but the tiny lungs are already making their first respiratory movements... Some experts believe that in this way the respiratory reflex is established, while others are sure that the strange movements of the lungs are needed by the child to promote the processes of cellular metabolism. By 22-23 weeks, alveoli are formed, and soon the most important process starts - the formation of a special surfactant substance - a phospholipid, which will envelop the alveoli, preventing them from sticking together after the baby takes his first independent breath.
The longer the baby stays in the womb, the higher the likelihood that enough surfactant will accumulate. In premature birth, respiratory failure is a great danger.
The baby in the second trimester acquires its own immunity, which is still weak, but already capable of repelling some threats and dangers. The development of kidney structures continues throughout the trimester. The amount of brain matter is constantly growing and the cerebral cortex is forming.
If you consider the main stages of your baby's development in the second trimester, then a number of events are worth noting.
14 week
The baby enters the second trimester while still small - its weight does not exceed 50 grams. Hair grows, and many babies already have quite a lot of them. All children, regardless of the genetic program laid down by their parents, are still natural blondes. The pigment that dyes the eyelashes and hair will appear later. The formation of fingers has ended, and now the baby has its own, unique, incomparable fingerprints. The kid is rehearsing facial movements - he grimaces and smiles.
15 week
The baby's body is thickly covered with original cheese-like lubricant. The skin is too thin and defenseless. The brain acquires the first convolutions. Intestinal peristalsis is formed, and dark green feces - meconium - are already beginning to be deposited in it. The baby will use them to go to the toilet after birth for the first day. Male fetuses begin to be sexually supported by their own hormone testosterone.
16 week
In just a couple of weeks, the baby almost tripled his weight - the fetus weighs about 120-140 grams at this time... The oculomotor muscles develop, the eyeballs begin to move. There are eyelashes. A primary hearing is formed: while only the middle ear is developed, the inner one does not yet function as needed, so the baby hears only vibrations from sound waves.
The child's body produces all the blood cells, and at this time he has his own hemoglobin. The external genitals are clearly visible - it is possible to establish with great accuracy the gender of the child on an ultrasound examination.
17 week
The baby all the time until this moment was smaller than the placenta, and now he has overtaken her in size. From this time on, weight gain will be a priority for the baby. Hearing improves, it becomes possible to pick up high-frequency sounds... The child's movements become more complex, the brain gradually begins to control them, but in general they remain chaotic.
18 week
The fetus reaches a weight of more than 210 grams with a growth of 22 centimeters, the proportions of the body begin to come in order - the large head now grows more slowly than the rest of the body, which will allow the baby to look proportional at birth. The legs grow faster than the arms, and now for the first time in their intrauterine existence they have become longer than the upper limbs.
19 week
This week, a woman who already has experience of motherhood begins to feel perturbations, and primiparas may still not feel anything unusual - until 22 weeks this is completely normal. Fetal hearing is improved and the inner ear structures are fully formed and functioning.
20 week
By the middle of pregnancy, the baby comes with weighing almost 350 grams and growing about 24-26 centimeters... The skin becomes more durable, and a gradual process of getting rid of lanugo and cheese-like lubricant begins.
The blink reflex is being trained, although the child still does not know how to fully open and close his eyes. Up to 90% of pregnant women feel movements during this period for the first time.
21 week
The nervous system is actively forming - neural connections extend from all organs to the brain, impulses are still inaccurate, uneven, but can already be registered. The movements of the fetus are active, the crumbs already have something like their own regime.
22 week
From this week, the fetus acquires a new status - the perinatal period of its development begins. If the baby is born now, it will not be considered a miscarriage. Delivery will be premature, the degree of prematurity is severe, but there will still be chances of survival. Intensive processes take place in the lungs, where surfactant production has begun.
23 week
Weight gain continues, but now it is difficult to compare the size of a particular fetus with the standards - from that moment on, all children will be more and more different from each other. According to the genetic program laid down in them by the parents, some are already larger, others are more miniature. There is a systemic genesis of the endocrine glands, in particular, the sweat and sebaceous glands begin to work.
24 week
The tremors in the womb become stronger, but for now there is no need to count the movements. Toddlers reach an average of 600 grams... The brain continues to gain mass.
25 week
Adaptive processes start in the child's body - at a very different level, the baby learns the difficult science of survival. Numerous wrinkles on the baby's skin were smoothed out. In case of birth at this time, the chances of survival, according to WHO, are estimated at 16%. The kid sees dreams.
26 week
The child begins to tumble and spin less often on its axis. There is less space in the uterus, and now it is most convenient to be in a natural position - with the head down. If the fetus hasn't rolled over, chances are still there for a reversal.
Auricles begin to harden, which are still represented by rather soft cartilaginous tissue. The baby's pituitary gland begins to produce growth hormones. If there are few of them, then the production of surfactant will also slow down - this is the main reason for the immaturity of the lungs in full-term babies (this also happens).
Boys' testicles descend into the scrotum. The ovaries of girls from the first trimester are located in the small pelvis.
If the baby is born at this time, the chances of survival are estimated at 35%, the risk of disability is also reduced.
27 week
With a weight of 1 kilogram, a 37-centimeter fetus can hardly fit into the uterus at full height. He begins to take a bent position, in which he will stay until the very birth. From this moment it becomes quite difficult to determine the sex of the child by ultrasound, especially if he places the handles between the bent legs, or the umbilical cord will pass there. The optic nerve is improving. Up to 75% of babies born this week survive. The disability risks do not exceed 7-9%.
Woman's well-being
With the beginning of the second trimester, the active growth of the abdomen begins. If at 12 weeks the uterus barely begins to leave the pelvis and rise into the abdominal cavity, then by the end of the trimester it occupies up to 70% of the space inside the abdominal cavity, and the internal organs begin to experience certain inconveniences. But this is only at the end of the period. It always starts quite easily: toxicosis passes, it doesn’t often feel sick, and by 16 weeks the nausea usually disappears completely.
If a woman eats properly, then diarrhea, heartburn and constipation in the second trimester of pregnancy are rare.... If in the early stages such unpleasant symptoms were caused by a high level of progesterone in the body of the expectant mother, and in the third trimester mechanical compression of the digestive organs by a large and heavy uterus will lead to such symptoms, then so far there is no reason for unpleasant symptoms.
Frequent urination occurs due to progesterone exposure, and if now a woman begins to constantly feel the urge to empty the bladder, with a high degree of probability, we are talking about cystitis. Nasal congestion, which is not associated with a runny nose as such, is also receding - it was a "side" effect of progesterone, which accumulated fluid in the body, making the mucous membranes looser and swollen.
In the second trimester, due to the increased amount of circulating blood in women, blood pressure decreases slightly, and this is normal. But already by the end of the period, the low pressure returns to normal, returns to the state that was characteristic of a woman before pregnancy.
The fetus is still small, but the growth of the uterus can still be felt. From 16-17 weeks, a woman feels the uterus in a sitting position, when trying to change the position of the body from 20 weeks of pregnancy, there may be sipping weak pains in the lower back, right and left in the lower abdomen - this is how they stretch the ligaments that hold the growing uterus in the middle position. The shape of the uterus also changes.
The discharge is normally slightly more abundant than it was in the first trimester - to maintain the balance of the vaginal microflora, the cervix produces more secretions.
It is important to know that normal discharge is light, white or yellowish, odorless and uniform in consistency.
If the discharge becomes bloody, brown, it can be an alarming sign of late miscarriage or premature birth, a sign of problems with the placenta. With greenish or gray discharge, purulent inflammation and intrauterine infection must be excluded. If the discharge is white and cheesy, accompanied by severe itching, thrush has worsened, appropriate treatment is needed.
Headaches are usually unusual in the second trimester, and only at the very end of it can a woman pay attention to the fact that she has a headache in the evenings. In this case, it is important to control the level of blood pressure - its increase may be one of the signs of gestosis.
Insomnia can be caused by the need to sleep in only one position on your side. You can no longer sleep on your stomach or on your back in this trimester. A special pillow for pregnant women will help to facilitate falling asleep. You can buy it or sew it yourself.
Breasts in mid-pregnancy usually no longer hurt. The initial stage of preparing the mammary glands for breastfeeding ended in the first trimester, and the final stage will occur only at a later date. Large breasts only cause physical discomfort - the back can ache, because the center of gravity changes not only because the belly is growing, but also because you need to hold the breast, which has grown by almost 2 sizes.
In the second half of the second trimester, a woman may start training contractions. - short-term tension of the uterine muscles, which in no way brings childbirth. They are not systematic, are not regular, and their origin is still not entirely clear to science. It is believed that this is how the woman's nervous system prepares for childbirth - a reflex act.
And also at the end of the second trimester, some women note that they have pain in the pubis and tailbone. From this time on, a special hormone, relaxin, begins to be produced in the body, which softens the ligaments and bones in order to prepare the pelvis for physiological expansion and divergence in the labor act.
You need to see a doctor only when the pain is very severe and interferes with sitting, walking and standing.
Potential problems and complications
Although the second trimester is considered safe, a woman should know what difficulties can be, and how to recognize them.
Placental insufficiency
The placenta is a vital organ for a baby. Problems with the placenta usually do not occur during normal pregnancy. Placental insufficiency is a dangerous condition associated with impaired blood supply to the "child's place". If it is chronic, then this leads to a delay in the intrauterine development of the fetus. Low water gradually develops. Against the background of a lack of oxygen, the baby develops hypoxia, his motor activity gradually decreases.
Most often, the complication develops in women with tumors in the uterus and ovaries, patients with endometritis, in women with chronic hypertension, kidney disease, with low placentation and presentation of a "child's seat". The most dangerous is placental insufficiency in the period from 22 to 27 weeks, when the child's cerebral cortex is actively forming. The consequences can be different - from the death of the fetus to its mental and mental disability.
Given this, the best time for diagnosis is 22-24 weeks of pregnancy - it is at this time that it is recommended to do an ultrasound scan with a Doppler. In small doses, aspirin, which was banned in the first trimester, is used for treatment, Curantil, Actovegin, Trental and other drugs, including vitamins.
Gestosis
From the second half of the second trimester, a woman should be especially attentive to her health - signs of preeclampsia are not excluded. This is a dangerous complication that occupies one of the leading places in the causes of mortality in women in labor and stillbirth in children. If early toxicosis was painful with its vomiting and dangerous dehydration, then late (which is gestosis) is a triad of symptoms: edema (external and internal), high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine.
Gestosis is more insidious than toxicosis. Often women do not even pay attention to the fact that the ring on their hand has become too small, and the usual worn-out shoes are a little tight. But the most dangerous are internal edema, which is not visible to the naked eye. With gestosis, the work of internal organs is disrupted, most often - the liver, kidneys, brain, lungs.
Severe preeclampsia at the end of the second trimester may require early delivery, which is dangerous for the baby.
Late miscarriage
As a rule, in the second trimester, the risk of miscarriage is significantly reduced, but this possibility is not completely excluded. The reasons why this can happen are numerous - from fetal malformations that the baby was able to survive in the first trimester, but which disrupted the work of his body at the stage of systemogenesis, to violations of the state of the placenta, isthmic-cervical insufficiency.
Signs are severe pain in the lower abdomen, lower back, unusual (usually bloody) discharge... Usually this is preceded by an increased tone of the uterus. The examination shows a change in the frequency or absence of a fetal heartbeat. The woman feels weak, dizzy, pale, her blood pressure is low. The sooner a woman calls an ambulance, the more likely the pregnancy can be saved., if we are not talking about intrauterine fetal death. If the baby is alive, then expectant tactics are taken as a basis.
If water leaks, they try to keep the pregnancy. The woman is in a sterile ward, she is injected with tocolytic solutions, and strict bed rest is shown. It is considered successful to maintain pregnancy up to 34 weeks. The damaged membranes have every chance of sticking together on their own, and then the leakage will stop.
If it is no longer possible or impractical to maintain the pregnancy (the baby has severe defects), labor is stimulated through natural means. Then the uterine cavity is additionally scraped out with a curette. If the gestational age is above 22 weeks, a pediatrician will be present at the birth in case the baby survives - then he will be provided with all the necessary resuscitation assistance.
Isthmico-cervical insufficiency
ICI - cervical dysfunction. Instead of serving as a reliable constipation for the reproductive organ throughout the entire gestation of the child, the cervix, due to its weakness, begins to flatten, soften and open ahead of time. It is possible to identify pathology from the first weeks of the second trimester. ICI is most often diagnosed before 22 weeks of gestation.
It is possible and necessary to treat the condition, and modern medicine has learned to do this quite efficiently - the neck is fixed in a static position either by suturing at 18-22 weeks, but if necessary, the operation is performed earlier, or by the imposition of an obstetric pessary. The stitches and pessary are removed at 37-38 weeks of pregnancy or with the onset of labor, if it starts earlier.
Viral ailments
Viral infections no longer pose a great danger to a woman and a fetus, if they are not accompanied by a high fever. If a woman has herpes on her lip and a temperature of 37.0 degrees, no treatment is required. The mother's body will completely cope with the problem. But with flu and acute respiratory viral infections with a high temperature, antipyretic drugs are required - high fever can disrupt uteroplacental blood flow and lead to placental insufficiency. You can use Paracetamol in acceptable doses, but aspirin should be avoided.
In the complex therapy of viral infections, pregnant women are prescribed adsorbent drugs, but expectant mothers can not take all enterosorbents.
Not all sorbents are recommended for pregnant women: for example, lead was found in the composition of the previously popular Smecta, which can cause deviations in the development of a child (in particular, dementia). This was announced in the spring of 2019 by the French regulator ANSM. ROAG (Russian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) issued a recommendation not to use the drug Smecta in pregnant and lactating women, but to use a safe (does not enter the bloodstream, works only in the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract) Enterosgel or similar drugs.
The water-saturated gel form, unlike fine sorbents, minimizes the risk of constipation. This fact gives a pronounced advantage in the use of Enterosgel in pregnant women. In addition to removing toxic substances, pathogenic bacteria and rotaviruses, Enterosgel helps to restore intestinal microflora and heal the epithelium of the gastrointestinal mucous membranes, enhances the body's resistance to viruses and bacteria.
The baby is reliably protected by the placenta, he has a basic immune system of his own, and therefore there is no need to take antiviral drugs, especially since such drugs cannot boast of proven effectiveness.
Pain relievers are also possible, but not all - the doctor will select the appropriate remedy depending on the type, intensity and nature of the pain. Many women use the No-shpu antispasmodic as an anesthetic.
FAQ
Let's analyze the most common questions of pregnant women in the middle of gestation.
Antibiotics
In the first trimester, doctors strongly advised avoiding antibacterial drugs, since during the formation of the baby's organs, these medicines could lead to serious defects. Now the baby's body is fully formed. Antibiotics are acceptable, but not harmless - they will no longer cause gross defects, but can cause disorders in the functioning of organs and systems.
Local antibiotics are not prohibited - nose drops for purulent sinusitis, for example, an antibiotic ointment on a wound with signs of infection, and so on. The systemic intake of such a group of medicines still needs to be taken very seriously. The doctor may prescribe antibiotics of the penicillin group or macrolides for angina, pneumonia, pyelonephritis, tuberculosis, chlamydia and other diseases that threaten systemic bacterial infection... But always the risk of exposure to an antibiotic on the fetus is assessed in terms of the benefits that antibiotic therapy can bring to the mother. If her illness threatens the child more than an antibiotic, treatment will be prescribed.
Ototoxic antibiotics (gentamicin), which cause deafness and hearing impairment in children, are still banned, as well as quinolones, synthetic antibacterial agents.
Self-administration of antibiotics without the knowledge of a doctor is strictly prohibited.
Sex
In the second trimester, women usually have an increase in libido, and there are no prohibitions on intimate life, but only on the condition that the doctor has no objections. Doctors will object if a woman has uterine hypertonicity, the threat of late miscarriage, premature birth, if a pessary or stitches are placed on the cervix. A healthy and safe pregnant woman can enjoy a fulfilling sex life.
Considering that with the beginning of the second trimester, the active growth of the abdomen begins, the couple needs to choose positions more carefully - to avoid those in which the penetration is as deep as possible, as well as those in which the partner can squeeze the uterus with his weight.
If your stomach hurts after sex, abnormal discharge appears, you should immediately seek medical help.
Travels
Travel to the sea or to the mountains in the second trimester is not prohibited, just as air travel is not prohibited. Only from 27-28 weeks, some airlines begin to ask the expectant mother for a certificate from the attending physician that the flight is safe for a woman. If you are a happy owner of a large belly, then such a certificate should be taken at an earlier date in order to avoid misunderstandings when boarding your flight.
It is not recommended to fly for women who have complications during pregnancydescribed above. Even if you have one of them, the doctor will not agree to give a certificate-permission to fly.
According to women's reviews, gynecologists, in general, are very reluctant to give such certificates even to healthy pregnant women, because it is often not the flight itself that is dangerous, but acclimatization after changing time and climatic zones.
Examinations and analyzes
From the middle of the second trimester (from about 20 weeks), you will need to visit the doctor more often - once every two weeks. At each appointment, weighing is required, the woman's wrists and ankles are examined for edema, and blood pressure is measured... This is a way to identify signs of gestosis, if it appears, as early as possible. In addition, a woman, before each visit to the doctor, takes a general urine test, so as not to miss the moment when protein appears in her.
Control the length and position of the cervix. Blood tests are repeated for HIV and syphilis. Doppler ultrasound examination can be carried out not only at the established dates of the second prenatal screening (from 16 to 21 weeks), but also at any other time, if this information is needed for the doctor to make sure that everything is in order with the child and his mother.
Women who have previously been diagnosed with problems with hemostasis can be assigned a coagulogram with the obligatory determination of fibrinogen factor. Women are recommended to do an analysis for thyroid-stimulating hormones right now. The norm of TSH means that the child does not have problems with growth hormones, and he develops according to the timing.
If signs of gestosis are found, treatment is prescribed at any time. If at the beginning of the second trimester prerequisites for the development of gestosis are found (a woman is prone to suffer from hypertension, protein is found in the urine, and so on), then preventive therapy is carried out at 15 and 20-22 weeks of pregnancy.
Recommendations
In general, carrying a baby in the second trimester is a fairly easy and enjoyable activity. To make it even more enjoyable, simple and effective advice from specialists will help, which you should listen to during this period.
Nutrition
In the first half of the second trimester, the process of mineralization of the baby's bones is actively going on. It takes a lot of calcium from the mother's body. Women try to diversify their diet with foods high in calcium and think that they are doing it for the baby. In fact, they do it exclusively for themselves - in any case, the baby will take as much calcium as he needs, even at the cost of osteoporosis from the mother. Therefore, calcium is needed, but needed for a woman. As much as required. If your nails become brittle, your teeth ache and break, your hair splits, increase the amount of calcium in your diet. If there are no visible signs of hypocalcemia, it is enough to include dairy products in the diet, cottage cheese, fresh herbs and sea fish.
From the second half of the second trimester, the amount of fat is reduced, but the amount of healthy light carbohydrates is added. The baby begins to actively gain weight, the mother's appetite increases, and when going over with fats, pathological weight gain, obesity are not excluded, and this can significantly complicate the upcoming third trimester and childbirth.
A woman has a high need for fast-digesting carbohydrates (cereals, cereals), animal and vegetable protein. It is imperative to include fresh vegetables and fruits in your diet every day.
Meals should be 5-6 times a day, portions are small. A woman should not starve, but she should not overeat, trying to eat "for two" either.
Prohibited completely: fried and smoked, salted and pickled, coffee, beer and other alcoholic drinks, shop sweets and juices in packs, carbonated drinks... You can not eat canned food, fast food. Dishes are best consumed homemade, steamed, boiled, baked, stewed. The presence of vegetable oil and fresh vegetables will effectively prevent constipation and exacerbation of hemorrhoids. Lack of spices and a lot of salt will prevent the formation of gestational edema.
Vitamins
Many people think that prenatal multivitamins are especially beneficial in the first trimester. This is a big and sometimes total delusion. During the formation of fetal organs and systems, an excess of certain vitamins can cause malformations, and therefore in the first trimester, such drugs are indicated only for women in whom biochemical blood tests reveal hypovitaminosis, women with malnutrition.
Everything changes in the second trimester. A woman's immunity has been diligently suppressed at the hormonal level for several months now, and even a healthy woman who has good nutrition begins to experience a certain deficiency of nutrients and minerals. The active weight gain of the baby is accompanied by his increased need for vitamins, and therefore, from the second trimester, taking multivitamins is highly desirable.
Your obstetrician-gynecologist will help you choose the right drug... Existing funds are different in composition, dosage, components.
It is necessary to select a remedy taking into account the individual need for certain substances, as well as taking into account the possible individual intolerance of certain components. There is still a high need for a woman's body for folic acid, vitamins of group B, vitamins E, D, K.
Physical activity
There is no need to reduce your physical activity yet, unless otherwise recommended by your doctor. If a woman went in for sports before pregnancy, you should stop lifting weights, jumping into water, falling. The rest adequate physical activity will not only help maintain mood and overall tone of the body, but will also help to effectively prepare all muscle groups for the upcoming birth.
For an easier third trimester and timely preparation of the muscles for labor, it is important to pay attention to all muscle groups, but especially to the pelvic muscles. A set of Kegel exercises, yoga for pregnant women will help in this task. Even if a woman has never been involved in fitness or sports before, it is worth now to master exercises for pregnant women.
During exercise, a woman should additionally support her abdomen with a bandage. Exercising does not involve jumping or abdominal exercises. But stretching, bending, rotation of the body with a stationary pelvis, exercises using a fitball are allowed.
Regardless of how athletic the expectant mother is, you need to walk in the fresh air every day.In this trimester, homework is easy, it is quite possible to arrange a shopping trip in search of a dowry for the baby, you can start arranging a children's room.
Personal care
While a woman can still take a bath, it is not dangerous if there is no leakage of water or premature discharge of the mucous plug from the cervix. Itching caused by stretching of the skin on the lateral surface of the mammary glands, abdomen, does not need treatment, but needs to be moisturized with baby cream or special remedies for stretch marks. They increase the elasticity of the skin.
You can dye your hair, but it is recommended to avoid using cosmetics with a large amount of harmful impurities.... It is better to use natural dyes. If this is not possible, it is better to refrain from staining now.
The breast will look much better after childbirth if the woman now starts wearing a special bra with wide straps and reliable support cups. If colostrum is secreted (which is not uncommon among multiparous), then you can immediately choose a bust for nursing mothers - it has convenient pockets for replaceable liners so that colostrum does not stain clothes.
Nipples should be gradually prepared for breastfeeding - wash your breasts and dry them with a hard towel, but try not to stimulate the nipples too much - this can lead to the release of oxytocin, which can provoke premature birth.
More abundant vaginal discharge requires increased personal hygiene measures. You need to wash yourself 2-3 times a day, trying to avoid using soap with a lot of perfume additives. During the day, you need to use sanitary pads - vaginal tampons at any stage of pregnancy are prohibited. The pad will help you notice even the slightest changes in the color, consistency and odor of your vaginal secretions.
A visit to the solarium is contraindicated for pregnant women, you should also not visit the bathhouse and sauna now - overheating can provoke premature birth or placental abruption and the death of the baby.
Clothing from the second trimester should be comfortable, loose, not restricting movement. It should be sewn from natural fabrics - do not forget that from the 14th week of pregnancy, sweat glands begin to work more actively, sweating increases. Breathable clothing can help prevent overheating and body odor. Try not to wear trousers and skirts with elastic bands and tight belts that can squeeze your stomach. If you have a tendency to varicose veins, now you need to pick up two pairs of compression (hospital) stockings.
A woman should monitor her weight, weighing is recommended weekly. This is important not only in order to track the increase, but also in order to notice in time the pathological excess body weight, which may be a sign of internal edema and gestosis.
Rules of behavior
From the second trimester, a woman needs more sleep. Average experts recommend to bring the duration of a night's sleep to 9-10 hours, or sleep at night 8 hours and add 2 hours of daytime rest, if possible. In a dream, a woman produces more various hormones, which are now important for two. Lack of sleep can have dire consequences.
Despite the fact that the most dangerous period has passed, it is still worth staying away from crowded places, especially during the cold season, especially in confined spaces. The risk of contracting chickenpox, influenza and other viral infections in them is very high.
You should not self-medicate problems that are not even directly related to pregnancy. Folk remedies can be dangerous. Therefore, advice to take "Papaverine", if the stomach pulls or to drip onion juice into the nose, if he is not breathing, can turn into a tragedy.
For the second trimester of pregnancy, see the next video.
