Congratulations—you’ve made it through the first trimester of your pregnancy! Pregnancy is about 38 weeks long, and the second trimester is weeks 13 through 28.

Changes for mom

In the second trimester, your body will undergo several changes to accommodate your baby’s rapid growth. Here’s what you can expect:

• Your abdomen will become noticeably larger.
• If you experienced nausea and fatigue during your first trimester, those symptoms should improve.
• You may feel pain and discomfort in your abdomen, back, hips and thighs.
• Stretch marks may form on your abdomen, breasts and thighs.
• Your face, fingers and ankles may swell.
• You may feel itchy on your abdomen, palms of your hands and soles of your feet.
• Patches of darker skin may appear on your cheeks, forehead, nose or above your lips.
• Your skin may become more sun-sensitive.
• Your teeth might feel loose. This is because certain hormones can affect bones and ligaments.

Every woman’s pregnancy is different, and you might not experience all these changes. Or you might notice different things.

Changes for baby

During these 16 weeks, your baby will develop significantly:

• Baby grows from about 3 inches to about 9 inches—possibly longer.
• Skin begins to form. Muscles and bones keep forming.
• Lungs form but do not yet function.
• Fingernails, toenails, fingerprints, footprints, eyelashes and eyebrows form.
• Baby starts a sucking reflex and can swallow and hear.
• Baby sleeps and wakes routinely.
• The sex of your baby becomes clear.

Prenatal care

Continue seeing your doctor as frequently as they suggest. At this stage, that’s often about once a month. You might need more frequent visits if you have a higher-risk pregnancy.

Regular prenatal care is important for the health of you and your baby. During each visit, the doctor will check that your baby is developing as expected and that you are healthy. The doctor may want you to take certain supplements, eat more or less of some foods, or restrict some activities.

Discuss any symptoms or discomfort with your doctor during these visits and ask any questions you may have.

Sources: American Academy of Family Physicians; Office on Women’s Health