Second Trimester 13 to 27 weeks Physical Symptoms for You This time is sometimes referred to as the "golden period".  Typically this is the time you will feel the best.  The uncomfortable side effects of the first trimester diminish and you are not yet so big that you are uncomfortable.  The risk of miscarriage dramatically decreases after the first trimester.  You will probaly be sleeping better, have more energy and if your baby has not seemed "real" yet, he/she will probaly begin to now. Weight Gain and Physical Changes At 12 weeks you uterus has enlarged to the point that fills your pelvic caviy and will now begin to rise into the abdomen.  You will begin to look pregnant and the world will know of your pregnancy.  Maternity clothes may become necessary for staying comfortable now.   Your body has produced extra blood to support your growing baby and all organs systems have made adaptions to support your pregnancy.  As your uterus enlarges you may begin to feel aches and pain in you back, abdomen, hips and legs.  Leg cramps and heartburn may become a reality for you as well.  Some women experience darkening of the skin, this will usually diminish after delivery.  And those dreaded stretch marks may begin to appear.  These to will lighten after delivery.  The average weight gain during the second trimester is about a pound a week, the most important thing is that weight gain is steady. Your Baby The most magical moment of the second trimester could be feeling your baby move.  You will typically begin feeling baby move between 18 and 22 weeks, although some women feel movement sooner, especially if they have been pregnant before and some women still will not have felt those flutters at 22 weeks.  The first flutters are often described as gas bubbles or feeling like a butterfly in your stomach.   Fat is being laid down under the baby's skin and lanugo is covering your baby's skin.  Fingerprints, eyelashes and eyebrows are forming and your baby sleeps in regular intervals.  Hearing is well established by 24 weeks and baby can now hear your voice.  At 16 weeks baby is sensitive to light alothough his/her eyes will remain closed until 28 weeks.  At 26 weeks the average baby is about 9 inches long and 1 1/2 pounds. Because of advances in medicine a baby born at 24 weeks has a chance of making it and each week the chances increase a bit. Home Fetal Pictures