A full–term pregnancy — naturally conceived, IUI’ed or IVF’ed — has three trimesters and lasts around 40 weeks (though it can range from 37 for multifetal pregnancies to 42 weeks for singleton pregnancies).
Typically, pregnancy is dated from the first day of the last period in natural and IUI pregnancies as conception occurs in the fallopian tube after fertilization (once the sperm cell penetrates the released oocyte). In IVF pregnancies, the starting point is the date of embryo transfer. This period is divided into three trimesters, each lasting approximately 13 weeks or three months.
The first trimester of pregnancy starts after conception and ends on week 13 of pregnancy, or months 1 to 3.
Once you moved to the end of week 13 of pregnancy, — congratulations — you have completed the first trimester and the next week you will be officially in the second trimester, which lasts from week 14 to week 28 of pregnancy.
The second trimester of pregnancy starts around week 14 (some sources state, that the end of week 13 is the transition to the 2 trimester) and lasts through the end of week 27, or months 4 to 6 of pregnancy.
The third trimester of pregnancy starts at week 28 (welcome to your third trimester) and ends at week 40 (welcome to holding your newborn), which includes the timeframe of months seven, eight and nine. While this timeframe is a general guideline, the third trimester ultimately ends with the birth of your baby or babies.
In fact, the third trimester is shorter for the multifetal pregnancies. Around 69% of all multiple pregnancies occur before 37 weeks of gestation. Most twin pregnancies are delivered at 36 weeks (range 32–37 weeks depending on the type of twin pregnancy). And almost all triplet pregnancies are ended before week 36, specifically, triplet birth generally occurs around 32 weeks, and some pregnancies last until week 35.
Now that we understand the general timeline of pregnancy, let’s delve deeper into each trimester. Let’s dive into the second trimester, often considered the “honeymoon phase” of pregnancy. For many expectant mothers, the next three months bring a welcome relief from early pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness and fatigue, nausea, tender breasts, tiredness, and lack of energy. You may find you have your energy back and feel more like yourself as your body adjusts to the changes of pregnancy and the growing fetus or fetuses. While the second trimester often brings relief from early pregnancy woes, new symptoms may emerge and they will be doubled if you conceived twins and triple if you are carrying the triplets. As your baby grows, you might experience:
It is essential to note, that every pregnancy is unique, and not every woman will experience all these symptoms. Some symptoms may disappear entirely in the second trimester, while others may become more intensive. Most common second–trimester symptoms (like mild backaches, occasional dizziness, skin changes, etc.) are usually manageable with self–care measures like rest, hydration, body care, regular exercise, and comfortable clothing without requiring special care.
For expectant mothers who are concerned about not feeling their baby kick throughout the day or night, it is vital to say that fetuses have their own sleep–wake cycles. Most of the time (from 90% to 94% of the day), fetuses are sleeping in the womb, with sleep cycles lasting about 40–50 minutes. While it is scientifically proven that fetuses spend most of their time asleep, the specific patterns of fetal sleep remain somewhat of a mystery to researchers.
You enter your second trimester by hosting a fragile, close–eyed, emotional yellow pitahaya: just 3 1/2 inches long from crown to rump and 1 1/2 ounces of weight and transmit to the third trimester by hosting a large neural papaya 14.25 to 14.5 inches long and 2–2.25 pounds of weight. This incredible period lasts 14 weeks: week 14 is the beginning of the second trimester, and week 27 is the end of the second trimester, or three months (fourth, fifth, and sixth); filled with profound changes for both you and your baby.
For many mothers, the second trimester is a time of renewed energy and joy as they connect with their growing baby. Your baby is constantly developing and transforming themselves, redefining what is possible. They are working on their five senses, developing neural pathways, strengthening muscles, practicing movement, and refining their breathing. Their major organ systems are starting to function more and more sophisticatedly, preparing the little one for life beyond the uterus. They are learning to hear your voice (which they will recognize after birth), other voices, and the sounds outside. They are learning to move, touch, and change their positions. They are establishing their unique sleep–wake patterns, which may sometimes disrupt yours in the later weeks of this trimester. They are connecting with you via kicking and you will start to feel your baby between weeks 16 and 25 of your pregnancy. And most of all, they anticipate the time to be with you.
Second trimester pregnancy often brings relief from many first–trimester symptoms you experienced during 0-13 weeks. However, while you may enjoy this “honeymoon” (“babymoon”) phase and feel less affected by the undesirable symptoms, some discomforts may arise. These may include swollen ankles and feet, leg cramps, backaches, and headaches. Linea nigra, a dark line that appears in the center of your belly, may also develop. This darkening is influenced by pregnancy hormones and usually fades within a few weeks to a few months after birth.
Now, let’s delve deeper into the fascinating and mysterious journey of your baby’s development and changes during pregnancy, starting with week 14.
By now you are hosting a close–eyed yellow pitahaya — your baby is around 3 1/2 inches (8.89 cm) long from crown to rump and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces (42.5 grams). Some fetuses may reach 9 cm long and up to 50 grams of weight. And a few ‘pitahayas’ are nearly 5.79 inches (14.7cm) long from crown to rump and weigh around 3.2 ounces (91 grams).
And regardless of hosting a bigger or smaller pitahaya, your tiny one has a longer neck, and fully developed eyes closed by the eyelids.
Being so tiny and possibly being unable to control the body temperature, your fetus at 14 weeks is growing “lanugo”, a thin, fuzz–like hair all over, which will help keep their body warm. What’s more, the baby’s skin is starting to thicken and become less translucent, and the baby’s fingerprints are beginning to form more visible.
Furthermore, the baby becomes increasingly active, spending their days turning their little head from side to side, touching with those cute little fingers everything around, grimacing — showing their emotions through facial expressions (they may curl their tiny lips into an amused smile, may press the lips together, may frown), and loads of twisting, turning, tossing when they are awakened.
In addition, your baby’s reflexes (a vital part of early neurological development) have also started working — if you were to touch their hands or feet, they would curl or close. Their little fingers and toes are also beginning to grow tiny nails to cover their tips.
The last and the most surprising thing worth saying here is that a 14–week fetus’s kidneys are making urine, which is then swallowed and recycled.
At 15 weeks pregnant, you are hosting a navel orange inside if a singleton baby is conceived, two navel oranges if you got pregnant with twins, and three noisy oranges in case of triplets bouncing around.
If this is your first pregnancy, you may have a tiny visible bump, but if you are expecting multiples, your bump will be bigger and more visible. If it is your second or third pregnancy, you may be showing off a more noticeable curve.
Your little one, now about 2.5 ounces (71 grams) and 4 inches long (10.1 cm), is growing rapidly. Larger fetuses reach 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) long from their crown to rump and weigh 4 ounces (113 grams). Their body proportions are becoming even more normal, as their legs now are longer than their arms, making them look more like miniature newborns.
Week 15 is a time of significant development. Some organs and body parts are starting to move into their place in or on the baby’s body, like ears (which are positioned properly on the sides of the head and are beginning to hear) and eyes are moving toward the nose — and away from the sides of the head. Their eyebrows and eyelashes are also starting to develop. Your baby’s eyelids will stay fused shut for several months, but they can sense light and may turn away, hiding from it. If you shine your mobile’s flashlight on your tummy, your baby may shy away from it or even shield their eyes with their hands.
The baby’s lungs are also beginning to develop at week 15, but they will still be safely breathing in amniotic fluid until birth. As their lungs develop, the baby might even be hiccupping inside your belly (but, most likely, you won’t feel it yet).
Perhaps most excitingly, your baby is becoming increasingly active! They are moving their limbs, touching their face, and even making facial expressions, such as smiling and frowning. You may not feel these movements yet, but your baby is certainly busy exploring the world within you.
Speaking of rest and night sleep, a 15–week–old baby is big enough to put pressure on your inferior vena cava blood vessel when you lie flat on your back. To prevent blood flow issues as pregnancy progresses, you should change your sleeping position, preferably on the left or right side for better blood circulation. Some mothers start using a pregnancy pillow to help them find the perfect and comfy position to sleep.
At 16 weeks of pregnancy, your little one is the size of an avocado, measuring between 4.7 to 5.5 inches long (9.4 cm to 14 cm) from head to bottom and weighing between 2.5 to 3.5 ounces (71 to 100 grams). Some ‘avocadoes’ are larger and heavier, reaching 7.3 inches long from crown to rump (18.5 cm) and 5 ounces (142 grams) of weight.
One of the most exciting things happening with baby this week is their physical coordination. They can finally hold their head up straight, and even though you can’t feel them moving inside you just yet, they’re actively trying their legs and arms.
What else is the baby doing at 16 weeks? Growing and developing their organs. Though baby started making blood and urine weeks ago, both are beginning to flow more steadily and intensively into their bodies as their urinary and circulatory systems become more sophisticated and their functions greatly improve. Their tiny bones are forming in their ears and they are listening to your voice, their taste buds are forming, their liver and pancreas are producing secretions, their fragile bones are beginning to harden, their lungs continue to develop, and their toenails appear on their tiny toes. Your 16–week fetus is growing hair, lashes, and eyebrows. In short, it’s a big–debut week for the baby!
At 17 weeks pregnant, you are hosting a baby sized as a pomegranate in your growing belly. Your 17–week fetus is from 5.1 to 8 inches long (13 to 20 cm) and weighs about 5.9 to 6.4 ounces (167 to 182 grams).
Your small bundle of joy is continuing to grow, putting on some fat, which will help their body do important things like regulate their temperature and metabolism. Their skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, their heart is pumping actively more blood, and their placenta is working extra–hard, expanding to accommodate the blood vessels needed to supply the baby with nutrients and oxygen and removing the waste from their blood. Their umbilical cord is also getting thicker, longer, and stronger to suit their needs.
Around this week, the baby develops the vernix, a waxy whitish substance that forms a barrier for their skin to protect it from the amniotic fluid.
What is going on in the womb this week? Your baby is moving around your uterus. They are bouncing, flipping, tossing, turning, stretching, and twisting around in the amniotic sac trying to position themselves more comfortably. They are knocking by their small palms and feet a lot of that right out from under you. If this isn’t your first pregnancy, you may already notice some of these movements and even a pattern of when your baby moves the most but don’t worry if you are not. At 17 weeks, many expectant moms haven’t felt the baby move yet, and it is normal.
At 18 weeks pregnant, the baby is nearly the size of an artichoke — about 6 inches long (15 cm) from head to bottom and about 5.5 ounces (156 grams) now and keeps growing quickly. Some ‘artichokes’ reaching this week 8.7 inches (22.1 cm) in length and 7.7 ounces (218 grams) in weight.
What does the baby doing inside? A lot! Your 18–week fetus is working their muscles and moving. The baby is yawning, hiccupping, swallowing, twisting, rolling, and kicking too — and you may feel them doing it.
For the past few weeks, the baby’s hearing has been rapidly developing: the ears are now in their final position, and the sophisticated structures of the middle and inner ear, including the tiny bones and nerves responsible for sound transmission are becoming more and more mature making it possible for them to hear the sounds. Now your fetus may listen to your heartbeat, the sound of your voice, and some hushed noises from the outside, like the voices of the others, the music, or the sound of your car. Hearing the sounds for the first time could shock your little ‘artichoke’, but sooner, your baby will begin to recognize and respond to familiar sounds by kicking.
If you are planning a gender reveal party, you can determine the sex of your baby during one of your prenatal care checkups through an ultrasound scan starting around week 18 of pregnancy. By this stage, the baby’s external genitalia are fully formed and visible on ultrasound. However, there’s no guarantee you will be able to definitively determine the sex during the ultrasound, as some babies may not cooperate and keep their private parts hidden from you.
Already 19 weeks pregnant? Then, you are hosting a baby roughly the size of a mango: 6–7 inches (15.24 cm — 17.78 cm) long and around 7.0–8.5 ounces (198–241 grams) of weight. If you are expecting multiples, each fetus will have their size and weight: one fetus may be larger and heavier and the rest smaller and lighter. Some singleton ‘mangos’ are longer (nearly 9 inches or 22.86 cm) from crown to rump and heavier in weight — 9.6 ounces (272 grams). And whichever mango you are hosting right now, you should know that they are working hard on their 5 senses (touching, hearing, sighting, smelling, and tasting). The nerve cells in their brain are developing, allowing them to experience the world around them more fully.
A 19–week fetus begins developing brown fat (brown adipose tissue) to keep their body warm after birth. Brown fat contains a unique uncoupling protein, UCP1, which allows it to rapidly generate large amounts of heat. This heat production helps regulate the fetus’s temperature in cold conditions. Additionally, brown fat plays a vital role in energy storage and metabolism, influencing fetal glucose homeostasis.
Your baby is also becoming more active, moving their limbs more frequently. You may start to feel these movements more noticeably and stronger than they were a few weeks ago.
Congratulations and cheers! Reaching 20 weeks in the second trimester of pregnancy marks a significant milestone — you have officially completed the first half of your journey to motherhood. This is a time of many exciting changes for both you and your baby living inside you.
At 20 weeks pregnant, your little one is the size of a papaya. They measure between 6.5 to 8 inches (16.5 cm — 20.32 cm) and weigh between 9 and 10.25 ounces (255–290.6 grams). Some huge ‘papayas’ reach 10 inches (25.4 cm) and up to 11.5 ounces (326 grams) from crown to rump. Starting from the next week, the baby will be measured from head to toe.
Around 20 weeks, the baby’s development is becoming more and more sophisticated: the five senses (which the little one started to practice earlier, 18 to 20 weeks for the first time), are becoming more refined. Neural cells (neurons) are forming a neural network, creating complex connections that will ultimately allow your baby to learn and interact with the world inside the womb first, and then after birth.
Your baby’s muscles are growing at a blazing–fast mode, preparing them for increased movement. As these muscles work with their developing nervous system, including the brain, they will become increasingly capable of making coordinated and intentional movements. You may notice this increased activity as stronger kicks and flutters.
Around 20 weeks of the baby’s development, regular sleep–wake cycles begin to emerge. When your baby is awake, you will likely notice increased activity. This period of heightened movement, often described as ‘quickening,’ is your baby’s way of saying hello. Baby can also begin to suck their thumb, yawn, and stretch, further demonstrating their growing independence and coordination.
By 20 weeks, your baby’s senses are becoming more refined. Their taste buds are developing, and they may even be able to taste the amniotic fluid. They are sipping several ounces of amniotic fluid each day — that is much more than ever before.
Once you are in week 21, you are hosting a medium–sized coconut inside your womb. The small coconuts are 8.5–9 inches (21.59 cm — 22.86 cm) long and the large ones are longer — 9.5–10.79 (24.13 cm — 22.86 cm) inches and about 12 to 14 ounces (340–397 grams), and now, you may feel their fetal movements stronger than before.
This week, your baby starts pumping out red blood cells (also known as erythrocytes) as their bone marrow is now developed. Erythrocytes contain a protein called hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to the baby via the umbilical cord. After birth, hemoglobin will be an essential element in transporting oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
Simultaneously, your baby’s lungs continue to develop, preparing them for their vital role in breathing once the little one is born. While still submerged in amniotic fluid, the lungs are undergoing multiple changes, preparing them to efficiently exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.
One more surprising fact to know about the baby’s development: if you are hosting a girl, she has already got a lifetime supply of oocytes (reproductive cells) in her tiny ovaries — about six million of them. Having a boy? Then, his testes are still located in his abdomen but will relocate soon — and will drop in the coming weeks once the scrotum finishes its development.
Your baby is also becoming increasingly active inside. They are moving their limbs, stretching, twisting, turning, and even practicing breathing movements. You may start to feel these movements more noticeably and stronger than they were a few weeks ago.
At 22 weeks, you are still in what many moms–to–be–soon consider the “honeymoon phase” of the second trimester. Those hormonal–induced first–trimester symptoms like morning nausea and vomiting are typically long gone away. However, you may experience some new discomforts as your body adjusts to the growing baby, such as backaches or round ligament pain.
Your baby is now the size of a large coconut, measuring around 10.9 to 11.42 inches (27.69 cm to 29 cm) in length and weighing between 14 and 16 ounces (397–454 grams).
Probably, you had your screening scan, also termed as an anatomy scan on week 20 or 21. But if you could see your soon–to–be little one inside you, you would notice some cool developments this week.
Now your small bundle of joy is starting to look like a miniature newborn: their eyes are fully formed but their color will remain a mystery though as the colored part of the eyes still lack pigment. Their eyebrows, eyelashes, lips, and fingernails are fully formed and shaped. They continue sleeping in cycles — about 12 to 14 hours per day (just a tiny hint: probably, they are sleeping those times you are not feeling any kicks inside).
Once awake, your baby is working on coordination and experimenting with the sensation of touch by moving their hands over their own face, making fists, touching their face with fingertips, wrapping and grabbing the wrists, hugging themselves, touching their shoulders or toes, or grabbing their umbilical cord.
At 23 weeks of pregnancy, your baby is about the size of a grapefruit, measuring around 11.75 to 12.5 inches (29.85 cm — 31.75 cm) from head to toe and weighing approximately 1.1–1.25 pounds (499–567 grams). They are not only growing larger but also beginning to resemble a newborn more closely.
As your baby continues to grow, you may also experience some changes. You might feel increasing pressure on your pelvic area as your baby grows and moves lower in your pelvis. Expect to experience more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions, which are painless tightening of the uterus that help prepare your body for labor. These contractions may feel like mild cramps or a tightening sensation in your abdomen, may continue for several seconds and up to two minutes, and should go away once you change positions. Other symptoms you may experience and they may be in full effect are swollen ankles and feet, backaches, and bleeding gums.
In addition to these physical changes, your baby is becoming increasingly active. You may also feel stronger, more frequent, and more prolonged fetal movement as a response to external triggers, such as hearing your voice, the voices of others, the music, or the other sounds, or when you are touching your belly, or when somebody is hugging you.
At 23 weeks, your baby’s development continues at a rapid pace. Their face is starting to resemble that of a newborn, although they will still gain some weight and fill out. The baby’s eyes are still fused shut, but their eyes begin to move behind eyelids, and their tear ducts are developing. With ridges forming on their tiny palms and their feet, your fetus’s fingerprints and footprints are still taking their unique shape. Your unborn baby may start to grow eyebrows, eyelashes, and first hair. Some babies will even be born with full heads of hair. They are also working hard on brain development, building muscle by kicking and punching and gaining more fat, and preparing for life outside the womb. They are continuing learning their developing lungs to breathe by swallowing small amounts of amniotic fluid.
A warm welcome to the 24th week of pregnancy (sixth month). Your baby is getting longer and heavier, measuring around 12.75 to 13.5 inches (32.4 cm — 34.29 cm) from head to toe and weighing approximately 1.3–1.5 pounds (567–680 grams), reaching the size of a medium–sized cantaloupe. They are continuing to grow fast, and though their wrinkly skin is still a bit translucent and it is possible to see some vessels with flowing blood inside them, they are quickly putting on baby fat, looking more adorable each day. By the end of this week, their skin will have a fresh, pale or pastel pink glow as small capillaries have formed inside it. Their eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair are still filling in, but the hair remains whitish as it has not yet developed any pigment.
In addition to these physical changes, your baby is becoming more responsive to external stimuli or triggers. Your baby’s startle reflex is now more sophisticated, so loud voices, noises, and music may cause them to become startled and kick actively inside.
At 24 weeks, your baby may already look like a newborn, but they still have significant growth ahead. They need to gain more weight and fat, and their lungs are not yet fully developed. While your baby is developing taste buds and already has unique fingerprints and footprints, their brain is still developing, and if preterm labor happens, there might be brain bleeds as blood vessels in their brain are very fragile. Additionally, preemies may suffer respiratory problems because the premature lungs may not be fully developed.
Around week 24, your obstetrician will schedule a prenatal test known as the Glucose Challenge Screening Test to see if you are at risk for gestational diabetes. This test shows how your body processes sugar, so you will be asked to drink a sweet liquid and then wait for an hour before a blood draw. Then, your blood sample will be tested to see how your body has processed the sugar. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that all pregnant women undergo a glucose screening test between weeks 24 to 28 to screen for gestational diabetes.
If the initial screening test results indicate a potential risk of gestational diabetes, you will undergo further testing. You will have a follow–up glucose tolerance test to measure how your body processes sugar over a three–hour period to check if you have gestational diabetes. If both tests (one–hour and three–hour) confirm a diagnosis of gestational diabetes, your healthcare provider will book extra visits, tests and ultrasounds. Regular checkups, a healthy diet, and close monitoring by your obstetrician will help you manage gestational diabetes effectively. And extra ultrasound scans mean that you will be invited for extra “meetups” with your unborn baby.
Nearing the end of your second trimester, your baby is getting closer and closer to making their debut in the world and meeting you. However, they still have some essential things to complete before birth, such as lung development, brain development, and weight gain.
Your 25–gestational–week–old little one is the size of a large pomelo, measuring about 13.5 inches (34.29 cm) in length and weighing between 1.5 and 1.75 pounds (680–794 grams). Still, they should add more baby fat to resemble the newborn, refine their tiny features, and prepare for the challenges of life outside the womb, such as temperature regulation, breathing, seeing, hearing, and much more.
Your baby at week 25 becomes more and more active. Their movements have become more noticeable — you have likely already noticed some patterns. When you are feeling lots of kicks inside your bump, your baby is awake, and when you’re not, they are likely cuddled up and sleeping. Moreover, your baby has established a regular sleep–wake pattern while staying in the womb. If you are worried about limited activity, try sipping some juice to see the response. Sipping some juice or eating some dry fruit may motivate your baby to kick you.
Your baby may also respond to your voice by moving inside the womb (they are now learning which way is up and which is down), or by getting the hiccups. This week, their eyelids may even open for the first time. Embrace this special time of bonding talk to your little one, touch your bump, listen to music, read aloud, and simply enjoy the feeling of your baby growing within you.
26 weeks pregnant? Congrats, you are hosting a fetus as big as a spaghetti squash. They measure about 14 inches (35.6 cm) and weigh about 1.75–2.00 pounds (794–907 grams), and they respond more and more to bright lights, to your voice, to the other voices they hear, and to the other sounds by moving, twisting, turning and kicking. So, if you love to spend some time with your bump, you will likely begin to notice the unique patterns of connection in your baby’s movements in response to your touch, voice, and the sounds around you.
While your baby is fourteen weeks away from taking their first breath of air, your small bundle of joy premature lungs are starting to produce surfactant —a substance that lets the air sacs in the baby’s lungs inflate and prevents them from collapsing and sticking together during exhalation. Moreover, your baby’s lungs are also undergoing other important changes during this time. The alveoli, which are the tiny air sacs in the lungs, are continuing to develop and increase in number. The blood vessels in the lungs are also growing and branching out, preparing to carry oxygen–rich blood throughout your baby’s body after birth.
While your baby’s lungs are still developing, they are already capable of some basic functions. Signals from the developing brain and spinal cord are starting to regulate breathing movements. Your baby can practice these movements by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid. This helps to strengthen the muscles involved in breathing and prepares them for their first breath of air after birth. Beyond lung development, other significant milestones are being achieved. Your baby’s immune system is strengthening, and their eyes are rapidly developing. They may even start to open their eyes soon if they haven’t done it yet.
Congratulations! It is the last week of your second trimester. Although you may be anticipating the start of your third trimester, remember that this week you’re in your second trimester, as it continues until week 28. The third trimester starts at week 28, when you are 7 months pregnant, and usually brings back intense exhaustion when no amount of sleep may help you and discomfort with that big baby bump. So, enjoy this week as much as possible.
Wondering how big is your baby this week? Your little one measures between 14.25 to 14.5 inches (36.2 cm — 37.5 cm) and weighs around 2–2.25 pounds (907–1021 grams). But the baby isn’t just getting bigger, they’re also getting smarter. They are adding more baby fat and now are showing brain activity. Their brain is becoming more complex, with the neural system developing more sophisticated neural pathways. The entire nervous system — brain, spinal cord, and nerves — continues to mature. As your baby’s brain and nervous system continue to develop, you can’t help but anticipate the day when you will be holding them in your arms.
Once you reach the end of the first trimester, congratulations, you are stepping into the second one. The beginning of week 13 to week 14 marks the transition between these stages of pregnancy. Officially, the second trimester lasts 14 weeks, from week 14 to week 27. While the entire trimester is significant and breakthrough, the most sophisticated phase of the baby’s development occurs during 14-26 weeks.
The second trimester of pregnancy is often described as the “honeymoon” or “babymoon” period as most pregnant women feel more themselves during these months (months four, five, and six). Their energy comes back, the first–trimester symptoms like morning sickness, nausea, vomiting, and tiredness, may subside.
The trimester begins with a baby as small as a pitahaya (8.89 cm long from crown to rump and weighing 42.5 grams). This tiny being undergoes multiple transformations, growing into a noisy navel orange, then a tossing pomegranate, and ultimately, neural papaya (up to 37.5 cm long from head to toe and weighing up to 1021 grams). During these weeks, the baby in the second trimester develops all vital systems, preparing for their grand debut into the world. And surely, your baby is growing every minute throughout your pregnancy, more and more resembling a newborn.
You will experience several pregnancy milestones during this time. You will start feeling your baby move, with the first kicks often occurring between weeks 16 and 25. These movements will become more frequent and intensive as the baby grows. Your growing bump will become increasingly visible (as it grows during pregnancy), making your pregnancy feel very real. You will start to feel uncomfortable when sleeping on your belly, sometimes your feet and ankles will be swollen, you may experience headaches from time to time, and Braxton Hicks contractions may become more noticeable towards the end of the sixth month, making you feel anxious sometimes. But all discomforts, issues, and nuances will be left in the past once you hold your baby for the first time.
If you are reading this article in the last days of your week 27 or being 28 weeks pregnant, before transitioning into the last trimester of your pre–motherhood journey, dedicate this time to connect and bond with your unborn little one. The upcoming third trimester will present new challenges. Expect your baby bump to grow significantly during 27-40 weeks, leading to increased stretch marks, backaches, and fatigue. You will also experience more frequent prenatal care and blood tests. Find out what to expect in your last trimester in our next article.
