You’ve made it through your first trimester of pregnancy, a critical time for your baby’s development. Your baby is fully formed. It has arms, hands, fingers, feet and toes, and it can open and close its fists and mouth. You are basking in this amazing time of growth.

At Plantation General Hospital, we are dedicated to providing the most caring maternity experience possible. Our Maternity Services include special childbirth preparation classes, pediatrician referrals, pre-registration and around the clock Level III Neonatal Intensive Care services.

Good prenatal care is important to a healthy pregnancy and baby. Make sure you visit your doctor (if you need a referral, contact our Consult-A-Nurse® Healthcare Referral service). It also helps to educate yourself about what is happening throughout the stages of your pregnancy.

In our last blog post, we surveyed the first trimester of pregnancy. Below, we take a brief review of the second trimester, week by week.

Week 13

Your baby measures about 3 inches from crown to rump and is growing rapidly. The face looks more human. Your uterus has grown a lot; it’s filling your pelvis. You’ll begin to put on weight as your nausea disappears during this trimester.

Week 14

Your skin and muscles are stretching to accommodate the growth. Your baby weighs almost an ounce, has unique fingerprints and can respond to your touch.

Week 15

Around this time, you may decide to take a quadruple marker screening test, which measures four chemicals in your blood and predicts Down syndrome: alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), inhibin A, and estrogen produced by the placenta. An amniocentesis test is also recommended for some women around now.

Your baby is more than 4 inches long from crown to rump. It’s growing hair and eyebrows. Bones are also growing denser. You can feel your uterus about 3 inches below your navel.

Week 16

You are able to hear your baby’s heartbeat with the help of a doctor. The nervous system is working; muscles respond to signals from the baby’s brain. Soon, you will feel your baby move (a subtle, fluttering movement at first). Your uterus is shifting, which means you won’t have to urinate as much.

Week 17

You’re showing more now. A five- to 10-pound weight gain is typical. Your baby weighs more than 3 ounces. The lungs are active and the baby exhales amniotic fluid.

Week 18

Your baby measures about 5 inches from crown to rump and weighs more than 5 ounces. It can make facial expressions as well as swallow and, thanks to new taste buds, taste sweet and bitter foods. A mid-pregnancy ultrasound is usually performed at this time; the sex can be determined. Your heart has to work up to 50 percent harder now to support your pregnancy.

Week 19

You may be feeling achiness (including backache), dizziness, heartburn, constipation, leg cramps and mild swelling of ankles and feet. Your baby measures about 6 inches from crown to rump and weighs about 7 ounces. The skin is developing; blood vessels are visible.

Week 20

Your uterus is even with your navel, and your waistline has disappeared. The risk of bladder infections increases. You may sweat more than you normally would. Your baby weighs about 9 ounces. It can hear sounds inside and outside your body. It will cover its ears with its hands if a loud sound is made near you. It is also wiggling, punching and kicking.

Week 21

Your baby measures about 7 inches from crown to rump and weighs more than 10 ounces. It is gaining fat to keep warm. Organ systems are maturing. Buds for permanent teeth are beginning to form. Your uterus is starting to extend above your navel.

Week 22

You can talk or even sing to your baby. It responds to sound and these same sounds from you will soothe your baby later after birth. Your baby weighs about 12 ounces.

Week 23

Your baby looks more and more like a newborn. It is about 8 inches from crown to rump and weighs almost 1 pound. The average weight gain at this point of pregnancy is 12 to 15 pounds. You may still have aches in the small of your back. As your skin continues to stretch, it may become dry and itchy.

Week 24

Women gain about a pound per week this month on average. You may receive a glucose screening for gestational diabetes at this time. Your baby is starting to produce white blood cells (for combating infection).

Week 25

If born prematurely at this time, your baby may survive with intensive care. Your baby now measures nearly 9 inches from crown to rump. The skin is opaque. The heartbeat can be heard when others put their ears up to your belly. You may be experiencing hemorrhoids, constipation, indigestion and heartburn.