elcome to your second trimester. If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to start spreading the good news. You’ll continue to see your health practitioner every four weeks (or more often in certain situations).

AT EACH VISIT
During your second trimester, your doctor will continue to:

• Check your weight.
  However, some doctors choose not to weigh you at each visit.

• Check your blood pressure.

• Take a urine screen/analysis, checking for sugar (glucose), protein, bacteria or signs of infection.
  (See also Tests & Procedures: First Trimester for more information on this screening.)

• Check your ankles and other extremities for swelling.

• Check the size and height of your uterus and baby by examining your abdomen (checking the fundal height, which is between the top of your uterus and your pubic bone) or via ultrasound.

• Watch the growth of the fetus.

• Possibly do additional blood tests, checking for anemia.

• Record fetal heart tones.

• Check for fetal movement around 18 weeks.
  If it’s your first pregnancy, you’ll usually be able to feel the baby move around 20 weeks; if you’ve been pregnant before, you may feel the baby as early as 16 weeks.

• Your doctor will be keeping an eye out for any signs of preterm labor.

• Your childbirth preparation options (Lamaze, Bradley Method, etc.).

• Choosing a place to give birth.
  If you do not already know where your doctor has privileges, you should review your options.

• Whether or not you need/want to have amniocentesis.

• Whether or not you want to take the triple screen testing.
  It’s usually recommended for women age 35 or older, although it will slowly be phasing out in favor of first trimester screening. Physicians are now recommending that if you do the nuchal fold in the first trimester, you do not need to do the triple marker screen.  However, they do recommend that you still do the AFP test (which tests for neural tube defects) and not the other components.

Click here for At the Doctor's Office: Third Trimester

This article was compiled using information from the following websites:

American Pregnancy Association
About.com
Pregnancy Weekly