It’s all glamour in the pregnancy department this week. Think back pain, varicose veins and weird and wonderful dreams. If that wasn’t enough, the second trimester is when you ‘blossom’, so make sure your maternity clothes are prepared to take the strain. If you’ve plonked yourself on the scales and started panicking, don’t worry, you are not about to have a monster baby. There’s an extra two pints of blood, fat stores for breast milk, the placenta and amniotic fluid to consider as well.
On the plus side, now is a good time to thinking about what you’ll need to buy for your baby. It’s better to think ahead, rather than leaving everything until the last minute, because you’re likely to feel tired walking around the shops in your last trimester. A good idea is to get a pen and paper and write down all the items you think you’ll need. Some items can be borrowed from friends, but always make sure you buy a new car seat, as you can’t tell whether an old or second hand one has been in an accident.
You may have noticed a dark line called the ‘linea nigra’ appearing vertically down the front of your tummy. This is translated as the ‘black line’. It is caused by hyperpigmentation during pregnancy, which in turn is caused by the excess hormones of pregnancy, which prompt the body to produce excess melanin. Generally, this line fades within a few months of giving birth.
From crown to rump this week, your baby measures 19 cm and weighs approximately 1 lb. Your baby’s eyelids and eyebrows have now completely formed and its fingernails will have started growing. Tooth buds are developing, the inner ear is has reached adult size and lips are starting to take shape. Lots of wriggling, somersaulting and Olympic acrobatics are to be expected from now on.