Question

What can I expect during the second trimester?

Answer

By now you should be feeling a lot better if you've been suffering with morning sickness and tiredness. The second part pregnancy is a time when many mums start to enjoy being pregnant! Here's what you can expect in this stage:

• Hair, skin and nails - increased levels of the hormone progesterone may mean your hair looks and feels thicker. Some women find their nails also grow faster too, while others find they break more easily. Your skin retains more moisture during pregnancy and your blood volume increases, so you may develop a healthy-looking glow
• Stretch marks - with your uterus moving upwards, your bump becomes more obvious. As your skin stretches, you may develop stretch marks. They can also appear on your thighs and breasts but generally fade after the birth
• Dark patches on your face - dark patches of pigmentation may appear on your face. They are caused by melanin, the natural pigment in your skin, darkening as a result of hormone changes and will fade after the birth. In the meantime avoid the sun and wear a high factor sunscreen
• The linea nigra - pigmentation changes can also mean you develop a dark line, the linea nigra that runs vertically down the middle of your bump. This will fade after the birth
• Baby's kicks - you can look forward to feeling your baby kick any time from around 20 weeks, possibly earlier if this not your first pregnancy

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