Changes during the second trimester of pregnancy

Changes in the chest

• From the fourth month, a thick and yellowish liquid may appear at the expression of the nipple called colostrum, which will be what is excreted until the rise of postpartum milk.
• The areolas increase more than size and pigmentation it gets deeper.
• Around the fifth month an area of ​​pigmentation may appear around the areola forming a secondary areola.
• By the sixth month you can see small elevations in the areola called Montgomery glands.

Changes in the abdomen

• With the growth of the abdomen, the stretch marks which are first of a vinous color and then white. To try to avoid them, cosmetic creams should be used for their prevention.
• You begin to notice the black line, called dawn line. It is a more pigmented line that appears in the maternal abdomen from the pubis to the thorax and that also disappears some time after delivery.
• The matrix is ​​growing and at the end of the second trimester it is already above the navel and the pregnancy becomes evident, the waist has already been lost.

Changes in the skin

• The Spots on the face dark in color, chloasma, are more frequent in the second trimester. They are usually distributed symmetrically on the forehead, cheeks and chin and disappear late, even one year after pregnancy.
• The palms of the hands become red, which is called palmar erythema.
• In the second half of pregnancy, the moluscum fibrosum: small fleshy warts, of a brown color, more frequent on the neck, décolleté, armpits and inner thighs and that tend to fall off after childbirth.
• The spider veins on the legs they are more evident and numerous, they are produced by the dilation of small subcutaneous red blood vessels and some will diminish postpartum but others will persist.

Digestive changes

• Digestive discomfort increases, there is a slow gastric emptying and in the gastrointestinal transit due to the pressure of the uterus and hormonal factors, this causes constipation and abdominal distension. The delay in the emptying of the stomach after meals and the compression of the uterus on the stomach produces the Reflux or burning sensation. The pressure of the uterus decreases the venous return in the rectum area, so they can appear hemorrhoids that constipation gets worse.

Incontinence

• Urinary incontinence episodes due to changes in the anatomy of the bladder and urethra.
• In addition there is an increase in frequency of urination by an increase in the formation of urine and by the pressure of the uterus on the bladder. Getting up at night to urinate is common.

Aches and pains

• The lumbar pain cAs a consequence of the rectification in the position of the column.
• The night cramps They are more frequent from the second half of pregnancy, due to compression of the nerves of the lower extremities and the decrease in calcium in the blood.

Other changes

• Anemia: it is more pronounced in the second trimester, and can sometimes cause palpitations or tachycardias. This anemia is due in part to the increase in blood volume, there is more plasma in the blood, and in another part it is due to the increase in iron requirements.
• Hypotension: decubitus hypotension appears, when lying on its back, the uterus compresses the vena cava, thus reducing the amount of blood that reaches the heart and a voltage drop. The pregnant woman should then be placed on the left side to promote venous return and avoid these dizziness.
• Gums and mouth: the gums bleed more easily, there is an increase in their size and the blood vessels they contain. This entails greater caries risk therefore, emphasis should be placed on oral hygiene.