Antenatal Care During The Second Trimester

During your second trimester, which runs from about the 12th week of pregnancy until approximately the 28th week, your care will still be in the hands of a midwife and obstetrician. These are the specialist nurses and doctors respectively whose responsibility is every aspect of pregnancy and the care of pregnant women.

What does antenatal care during the second trimester involve?

Your antenatal care at this point of the pregnancy will involve appointments arranged earlier on in the pregnancy (usually when you first inform your doctor or a midwife about your pregnancy) which are meant to keep your care staff informed of your condition, and to give you more information about how to keep yourself as healthy as possible for the pregnancy.

You are likely to be asked a lot of questions during your appointments, and these will be geared towards understanding how the pregnancy is going.

An ultrasound scan designed to assess the growth of the foetus is scheduled between the first and second trimester, between 10 weeks and 14 weeks according to NICE guidelines. An ultrasound is a quick and safe test that uses a specially designed probe to produce an image of what is going on in your womb.

During your second trimester, usually around the 20-week point, you will find yourself booked in for many more antenatal appointments than before. This is normal, and although it depends on how busy your care team are at the time, it is an important part of your antenatal care as it helps keep a close eye on the pregnancy as it comes into the third trimester.

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