Second Trimester

Pregnancy Week By Week - Week 24

Your toes are starting to disappear, and it`s really hard to tie your shoes. What`s the solution? New shoes of course! Go pick yourself up a pair (or three) of comfortable, slip on shoes. Make sure they have a bit of room, because likely your feet are going to swell a bit before the end. Isn`t pregnancy fun?

Baby is going to pack on an incredible ½ pound during this week alone, so don’t feel bad if you’ve downed a few more biscuits than normal. She is also starting to feel a bit cramped, as she starts to take up more and more of your uterus. Be prepared for a kick in the ribs, or an elbow on the bladder, it’s all par for the course. By the end of the week baby will weigh 1 1/3 pounds and be 12 inches long!

Tip

Start preparing yourself for the fact that labour is going to be occurring sooner than you think. Get what you need to feel comfortable during labour, like a birthing ball or some calming music.

Pregnancy Week By Week - Week 25

It would appear that your body is swelling – all over. Feet, stomach, ankles, even hands seem to be poofy, because you’re retaining water. You also may have restless legs in the middle of the night. Usually these can be alleviated by increasing the calcium in your diet, with dairy products, almonds, fish, tofu and broccoli. If you have leg cramps try a gin and tonic, without the gin, as quinine which it contains can ease those leg cramps.

And baby? Doing just fine, thank you! Nerves are rapidly developing, so don’t poke her too much! She can now ‘breathe’ through her nostrils, and the spine has completely developed. Neat!

Baby weighs around 1 ½ pounds and is 13 ½ inches long.

Tip

Even if you are planning on exclusively breastfeeding your baby, it’s good to have a decent breast pump around. This lets you stock up some milk, so you and your partner can go out for a few hours, or you can let somebody else do a few feedings.

Pregnancy Week By Week - Week 26

Congratulations on making through the second trimester! Now the fun really begins. Itchy? Rashy? Just plain uncomfortable? Welcome to the world of being pregnant, where all sorts of weird things happen. Hey – have you accidently peed yourself while coughing or sneezing yet? That’s the best.

All joking aside, unfortunately this may just be the status quo for the next 14 weeks, where you will get increasingly uncomfortable. However, if you at any time feel that something is not normal by all means see your doctor.

Baby is developing air sacks in the lungs, which actually will keep growing for nine more years. They eyes are completing development, and baby can even recognize your voice! Now baby is 1 2/3 pounds and 14 inches long, and she’s really going to start packing on the pounds now!

Tip

Before you start to feel really uncomfortably, why not plan one more weekend away with your partner? Sleep in, order room service and have a few bubble baths. This may be the last quite time you have together for a while.