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second trimester
 
 
Your Baby:
Second Trimester
Weeks 14 - 26
Compiled by The Cradle Staff

Every pregnancy is different...

our baby has had a busy first trimester and things aren’t slowing down in the second trimester. You’ll start to actually “look” pregnant this trimester and hopefully feel less of any nausea that you might have felt during the past few months.

HOW YOUR BABY IS GROWING: FOURTH MONTH
HOW YOUR BABY IS GROWING: FIFTH MONTH
HOW YOUR BABY IS GROWING: SIXTH MONTH

HOW YOUR BABY IS GROWING: FOURTH MONTH

Your baby is moving, sleeping, kicking, swallowing, and passing urine. If you want to find out your baby’s gender (and haven’t already found out via CVS), an ultrasound or amniocentesis this month can tell you if you’re having a boy or girl.

By the end of the fourth month, your little one will be between 8-10 inches long and weigh between 5-6 ounces.

What’s happening this month:

  • The placenta is fully formed.
  • You baby’s teeth have formed in his/her gums.
  • The eyebrows, eyelashes, scalp hair and fingernails start to appear.
  • The roof of the mouth is fully formed and your baby can now swallow.
  • The neck is formed.
  • The outer ear begins to develop as the ears continue to move to their final position.
  • Although you won’t be able to feel them, your baby’s arms will start to lengthen and move.
  • The sucking reflex develops and your baby may even begin sucking his/her thumb.
  • Meconium (your baby’s first solid waste) is developing in your baby’s intestinal tract.
  • The skeletal system continues to develop.
  • His/her eyes become sensitive to light.
  • If you’re having a girl, she is already forming her lifetime supply of eggs. (It’s unbelievable to think that your grandchildren are already in her ovaries!)

HOW YOUR BABY IS GROWING: FIFTH MONTH

This is another month of big growth for your baby. S/he’s growing muscle, putting on some fat and the internal organs are maturing - getting stronger and stronger each day.
By the end of this month, your baby should weigh about 1 pound and measure 10-12 inches in length.

What’s happening this month:

  • Your baby is more physically active – s/he is moving around, sleeping and waking regularly.
  • Tiny nails continue to grow.
  • The gall-bladder starts to function, creating bile, which is needed for digestion.
  • Fat starts to form under baby’s skin which will keep your baby warm after birth.
  • The ears start tuning into sound, such as your heartbeat and other “outside” noises.
  • Your baby’s kidneys are producing urine.
  • The taste buds are starting to form.
  • If you’re having a boy, the testes will begin to descend from the abdomen into the scrotum.
  • If you’re having a girl, the ovaries and uterus are developed, and the eggs have formed.
  • The skin is thickening and developing layers.
  • Your baby’s skin is covered in a fine, soft hair called lanugo.

HOW YOUR BABY IS GROWING: SIXTH MONTH

This month, your baby actually looks like a little person; he or she is almost fully formed!
By the end of this month, your baby will weigh between 1-1 ½ pounds, and measure between 11-14 inches.

What’s happening this month:

  • Your baby’s eyes are fully developed but may not be opening yet.
  • Real hair (eyebrows, eyelashes and hair on the scalp) have grown in a bit.
  • Lungs are fully formed - but not functioning - and continue to mature.
  • Fingerprints are formed (as well as “toe” prints).
  • The brain is developing at a rapid pace.
  • Your baby’s bones are becoming solid and his/her limbs are well developed.
  • The sensation of touch is developing.
  • The inner ear is developed, so the baby can sense when s/he’s upside down or right-side up.
  • A regular sleep cycle starts to occur.
  • His/her skin starts to become less transparent.


This article was compiled using information from the following websites:

Pregnancy Info

American Pregnancy Association
Kid's Heath
Pregnancy Weekly

This article was reviewed by Anthony Chin, MD. Dr. Chin is an OB/GYN in Beverly Hills, California, and a member of The Cradle’s Advisory Board.

 

 

 

 

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