Week 15 – you’re in the 2nd Trimester! Read more about trimesters here.
This week….
Your baby
Is about the size of an orange or apple — approximately 8 or 9cm long.
Downy hair now covers the back, shoulders, ears, and forehead, helping to retain body heat. It falls off once your baby develops enough fat although some, especially premature babies, still have a fuzzy coating at birth.
As brain development continues, your baby tries out new facial expressions.
Required reading: 8 Weird Things No One Says About Early Pregnancy
“We hadn’t had any drunken dance parties in my kitchen in a month, she kept cancelling plans and then she ordered a steak well done. She was pregnant. Clearly.”
You
Most first-time mothers feel movements at about 18-20 weeks, but you may start to feel your baby “quickening”. That means fluttering movements like butterflies or bubbling.
Increased blood flow and oestrogen levels may make your complexion “glow” or “bloom”.
READ: Pregnancy Glow Is A Real Thing According To Science
Or, if you are unlucky, progesterone levels have triggered outbreaks of spots or other skin problems.
READ: Dermatologist Dr Naomi Mackle on how to handle skin issues before, during and after pregnancy.
Freckles may become darker and brownish patches appear on your forehead, cheeks, and chin — known as the “mask of pregnancy”. Be warned, sun exposure will make these darker.
Some mums-to-be experience sharp pain in their lower belly at this stage as the ligaments that support the uterus beings to stretch. Don’t be alarmed, this is a normal process and just part of the joys of pregnancy!
You may want to start thinking about planning ahead to a babymoon with your loved one! Enjoy all the quiet moments before baby makes three.
READ: 10 Things About Pregnancy The Books Don’t Tell You
Enjoy all the benefits that come from being ‘with child’; skipping the line for the bathroom, strangers smiling at you, getting to name a human, and best of all…naps!
