Key Pointers for the Second Trimester

pregnant woman sitting on exercise ball

At 3 to 6 months’ gestation, you are now at the second portion of your pregnancy, the second trimester. The second trimester can be a time to start preparing for the arrival of your baby if you haven’t already. But while preparing, it is important to keep yourself at your best for the remainder of the pregnancy. Let’s go over key pointers for the second trimester.

Nutrition

You should try to maintain your good nutrition habits from your first trimester. You may be feeling fewer symptoms at this stage, but it is not uncommon for some women to continue having their symptoms.

Specifically, if loss of appetite is still an issue, here are some key takeaway tips for nutrition:

  • Continue to take your prenatal vitamins. Your baby will need the vitamins for the remainder of the pregnancy and will even continue to benefit from them when you are breastfeeding.
  • Continue to drink lots of water. Staying hydrated is essential throughout the whole pregnancy.
  • Continue to eat nutrient-dense food and high fiber foods. You still only need about 300 extra calories
  • Avoid caffeine (no more than one cup of coffee or tea per day)
  • Avoid smoking
  • Avoid illicit drugs
  • Avoid raw fish, smoked seafood, or any fish with moderate to high levels of mercury
  • Avoid raw sprouts
  • Avoid unpasteurized milk or other dairy products
  • Avoid deli meats or hot dogs due to the risk of listeria exposure.  

Exercise

You can continue to reap the same benefits of exercise throughout your whole pregnancy. Continue doing your first trimester exercises that are low-impact that result in a low-moderate rise in heart rate.

Check out this post on First Trimester Exercises to get a better idea about exercise during pregnancy. These exercises include:

  • Yoga
  • Pilates
  • Walking
  • Kegels
  • Swimming

Avoid strenuous exercise or strength training that could cause an injury to your uterus.

Doctors Visits

During the second trimester, you should see a doctor about every 2-4 weeks. Various tests will be done to monitor the health of you and your baby. These include:

  • Blood pressure readings
  • Weight checks
  • Scheduled ultrasounds
  • Blood work with gestational diabetes screening, birth defect, and other genetic screening tests

By around 20 weeks gestation, an ultrasound will be able to show the sex of the baby. This is something you can personally choose to find out, or not.

It is important to call your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms:

  • Extreme nausea or vomiting
  • Jaundice (yellowing of the whites of the eyes)
  • Extreme swelling
  • Rapid weight gain

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