Welcome to the second trimester! In the second part of our pregnancy calendar "Week by Week," you will find out what awaits you in the coming weeks. Your body has now completely adjusted to the pregnancy, and the hormonal transition is complete. For many, this phase is the most beautiful in the entire course of pregnancy. Therefore, our tip: Enjoy this time as much as you can.
In our three-part pregnancy calendar "Week by Week," we briefly introduce the most important events in each trimester in every episode. In the second trimester, you continue your journey. Here, too, many exciting and touching milestones await you.
The second trimester at a glance: Pregnancy weeks 14–27
Find out here week by week which developmental steps your unborn baby is making and what tip we can give you for the individual weeks of pregnancy.
The 14th week of pregnancy
In all likelihood, a small belly is now starting to show. Your unborn baby is getting bigger and heavier day by day. The uterus and placenta are also growing, and the amount of amniotic fluid is steadily increasing. If your last dentist visit was a while ago, it is recommended to make an appointment now. Dental care is particularly important during pregnancy. Due to the hormonal changes in the body, the gums become softer. The result could be swollen and slightly bleeding gums. It is essential to ensure thorough dental care because periodontitis bacteria can enter the bloodstream and trigger complications in pregnancy.
The size and weight of your baby are now comparable to a chicken egg. It is starting to move its eyes very slowly but does not open them yet. However, it can already distinguish between light and dark through the closed eyelids. Your baby already reacts to stress now. If you are in a stressful situation, the messenger substances also reach your baby via the blood. As long as it all stays within limits, there is no reason for concern. Unborn babies are very forgiving little beings.
The 15th week of pregnancy
A balanced diet is always good, but by now at the latest, you should pay special attention to it. When you consume healthy food, you provide your child with all the important building blocks for their growth. And they can really use them right now, as they are developing rapidly.
Your baby now measures approximately 10 cm. The proportions are becoming increasingly human. The head is no longer the largest part of the body. Your gynecologist can already recognize whether it is a boy or a girl. In a girl, smaller egg cells are now forming in the tiny ovaries, ensuring that she can one day become a mother herself.
If you haven't looked for a midwife yet, it's gradually time to do so. Although there are still a good 25 weeks until the birth of your child, you should already start informing yourself about clinics in your area.
The 16th week of pregnancy
In this week, your baby makes another significant growth spurt. Of course, this can also be noticeable for you. You might feel an uncomfortable pulling to the right and left of the navel down to your groin. These are the round ligaments stretching. In some women, colostrum (pre-milk) is already forming. Don't worry. This is not too early, but just a sign that milk production has begun in your breasts.
The baby's legs have become significantly longer, and the bones continue to harden. The nerve pathways are starting to network with each other so that the baby can properly kick, turn, and do somersaults in the amniotic fluid. But you still won't feel much of it because it only weighs about 100 grams and still has plenty of space in the uterus.
The 17th week of pregnancy
Movement is good for you and your child. Endurance sports such as dancing, water aerobics, yoga, or Pilates are ideally suited during pregnancy. Regular sport helps you achieve better posture and prevents complaints such as back pain, venous congestion, and leg cramps. In addition, your child is born particularly vital, and the rocking in the womb promotes the development of the sensory organs.
You can even use this effect specifically after birth. Our fully automatic swing2sleep helps with motor and cognitive development. Furthermore, it helps your little angel fall asleep without the need for constant and tedious manual pushing.
In this phase, your unborn baby receives a double layer of skin. In addition, the so-called lanugo hair grows. These are fine hairs that grow over your baby's entire body. Furthermore, a coating of sebum, water, and skin cells (vernix caseosa) forms on the skin. Both serve to protect the skin in the amniotic fluid. Only shortly before birth do the fine hairs fall out, and the vernix caseosa also largely disappears.
The 18th week of pregnancy
From the second trimester of pregnancy, many pregnant women suffer from heartburn. One reason for this can be the hormones. They ensure that the muscles in the body relax – unfortunately also the sphincter muscle that prevents the stomach contents from flowing back into the esophagus. Small, low-fat meals spread throughout the day can help against heartburn, or well-chewed hazelnuts or almonds. A real paste must be created in the mouth, which you then swallow. It binds excess stomach acid.
Hands and feet are now fully formed. They even have real nails. Your baby can already grasp the umbilical cord with its hands. It even purposefully brings its fingers to its mouth to possibly suck on its thumb. All these movements ensure that the brain is fed with sensory impressions that the baby needs for its development. By the way: Next week, the next ultrasound examination is due, and you can look forward to another ultrasound image.
The 19th week of pregnancy
In the 19th week of pregnancy, the next major check-up takes place. If your baby is in a favorable position, your gynecologist can now clearly determine the gender. In addition, your uterus and the placenta are growing steadily. The amount of amniotic fluid and the blood volume in your body are also increasing.
Your baby is now approx. 15 cm tall and weighs as much as a pack of butter. The first hairs are growing on your baby's head.
The 20th week of pregnancy
The time has come when you can really feel your child for the first time and perceive its movements. Of course, this depends on many different factors. For example, is it the first pregnancy or already the second or even third? Do you have an anterior placenta or is the placenta on the back wall? Are you of a slender or stronger build?
In the future, your gynecologist will no longer measure your baby's length from crown to rump, but from head to toe. However, your doctor will tend to orient themselves towards the following measured values, as these allow for better information about the tiny one's health development.
- FOD: fronto-occipital diameter = head diameter from the forehead to the back of the head
- AC: abdominal circumference
- BPD: biparietal diameter = head diameter from temple to temple
- HC: head circumference
- TAD: transverse abdominal diameter = distance from the left to the right side of the abdomen
- HL: humerus length = length of the upper arm bone
The 21st week of pregnancy
If you would like to take part in a antenatal class, then it is slowly time to look for one. You should consider what kind of course you would like to attend: one for couples or only for women? Should it be an evening course or rather a weekend course?
The baby's skin layer is getting thicker and thicker. It has long since ceased to be as transparent as it was two weeks ago. The alveoli, which your baby needs to breathe after birth, are also slowly forming. The spleen and liver start producing white blood cells. The dental ridges for the milk teeth are also being laid down. Sounds are perceived. Be it your voice, music, or the father's voice.
The 22nd week of pregnancy
Have you already thought about how you would like to give birth to your unborn baby? Should it be a perinatal center or rather the district hospital around the corner? A birth center or even a home birth would also be options. Discuss this with your partner and start informing yourself on the internet about the various possibilities.
In the past weeks of pregnancy, the olfactory cells of the nasal mucosa have developed and are now starting their work. In addition, your unborn baby develops a large number of taste buds on the tongue and in the palate, more than adults. It can already taste what you eat. Its weight reaches almost 500 grams this week.
The 23rd week of pregnancy
If you are plagued by back pain more frequently now, it's no wonder! Due to the pregnancy hormone progesterone, all ligaments, tendons, and muscles become softer, including those in your back. In addition, your belly is getting bigger and heavier. This changes your center of gravity and automatically makes you arch your back. Here it helps to relax more often or to do targeted back exercises. The pelvic floor can also be trained with simple exercises. This way you can prevent the risk of developing pelvic floor weakness after birth.
Your baby now measures about 30 cm. It is becoming more and more agile and kicks its legs vigorously. You will also feel this more and more clearly. It drinks more and more of the amniotic fluid and excretes it again via the kidneys and the urinary bladder.
The 24th week of pregnancy
Many things that were no problem at all before pregnancy are now slowly becoming a challenge. A clear example is the car seat and the belt, as the belt guide is not necessarily designed for spherical shapes. Small tip: Place the lap belt as low as possible between your thighs and your belly and pull the belt tight.
Your baby develops its sleep-wake rhythm. It spends about 16-20 hours a day sleeping. The rest of the time it listens to your voice, enjoys the bobbing up and down in the amniotic fluid, or does somersaults and kicks its legs and arms diligently. The growth of the skin is increasing significantly. That's why your baby looks a bit wrinkled now. The cushioning layer of fat, which only gradually forms under the skin, is still missing.
The 25th week of pregnancy
If the second major check-up has already taken place, you will have noticed that another antibody screening test was performed on you. This is a pure precautionary measure to ensure that you have not developed any intolerance. If your Rhesus factor is negative, your body could possibly develop antibodies against a positive Rhesus factor of your child, which could put your child in danger.
750 grams in weight have now been reached. The baby can open its eyes from now on, as the optic nerve is fully developed. Only about one percent of the outside light reaches through your abdominal wall. Nevertheless, it is not completely dark inside your body. If you shine a flashlight on your abdominal wall, your baby might react to it with movements.
The 26th week of pregnancy
During pregnancy, the Maternity Protection Act regulates which activities you are allowed to perform in your job and which you are not. If your employer does not take this so seriously, your treating gynecologist can issue an employment ban. There are two types: the total or the partial employment ban. In the case of the latter, restrictions are imposed for certain activities or times.
The lungs continue to mature, and the baby increasingly develops its own personality. Scientists have found out that it is already determined in the womb whether your baby will be left-handed or right-handed.
The 27th week of pregnancy
Is finding the right sleeping position becoming more and more difficult for you? Tip: Use a nursing pillow. If you are thinking about getting one for breastfeeding anyway, you should get it now. It helps you to support your belly in the side position and thus take a more comfortable sleeping position.
The baby weighs about 1000 grams and has a length of approx. 35 cm. These are all average values. So don't worry if your baby is a bit smaller or larger, lighter or heavier.
In the waking phases, your baby begins to really look around. A little light shines through the abdominal wall, and everything in the womb has a reddish shimmer. In addition, your baby is a real connoisseur when it sucks its thumb, for example.
Would you like to find out what development your unborn baby makes in the third trimester and what tips we have for you in the final spurt of your pregnancy? Then check out the blog article “Week by week: The third trimester – Your pregnancy calendar” now.
Have fun!
