Second Trimester

It's time for another routine prenatal appointment to ensure everything is progressing well with you and your baby.

Your baby's skin is still transparent and there is little fat lying beneath it at this stage of the pregnancy.

Your doctor may speak to you about writing a birth plan so she can get an idea of the type of labor and birth you want.

To help your baby's lungs expand and develop in preparation for breathing, the chest wall must be fully bathed in amniotic fluid.

It's natural that your partner will want to protect you and his baby, but you may need to help him get the balance right.

Since this is considered a safe stage of pregnancy, with no, or few, symptoms to contend with, it's a great time to go on vacation.

Your baby is at his most mobile about now, and he may even be doing somersaults in your uterus.

While you're pregnant, it's even more important to find ways to relieve stress and keep any worries in perspective.

Until you feel your baby move, hearing his heartbeat is the next best way for you to bond with him.

Ensuring you drink enough fluids is essential to good health in pregnancy, so carry your bottle of water everywhere.

At 16 weeks and 6 days, your baby is practicing his breathing movements, which are vital to develop his chest muscles and enable his lungs to grow.

While your energy levels are at a peak, make the most of eating out but choose your meals wisely.

Around this time, you may become aware of your baby moving, although for some women first movements are felt much later.

At 17 weeks and 2 days, your baby has now caught up and from now on will be larger than the placenta. Click here to find out more.

It's normal and healthy for you to gain more weight in the second trimester than in the early months of pregnancy.

Although changes are taking place, your baby's lungs are still fairly immature and won't be fully developed until week 35.

As your belly begins to grow and is more obvious, your pregnancy will become the main focus of people's attention.

You might want to think about signing up for prenatal classes now since in many areas they get filled up well in advance.