Week 16:  Isn’t the Second Trimester AWESOME?!

MIND
If you haven’t found out your baby’s gender, an ultrasound is coming in a couple of weeks and it will reveal all! Now’s the time to decide whether or not you want the gender to be a surprise. Your doctor should know not to spill the beans as long as you’ve told him or her in advance. If you want to know the gender, get ready - you won’t have to rely on mythical old wives tales anymore (sorry, your boob size has nothing to do with gender, no matter what your mom says).

BODY
You’re at your most sane during this part of your pregnancy, but you also might be a little swollen. Drink plenty of fluids, which incidentally can also help alleviate that constipation you’re experiencing and improve any bulging leg veins! (Are we feeling pretty yet?!?)

It doesn’t matter, because in the next few weeks you’re going to feel your baby move (it’s often described as a fluttering, gas bubbles, or like a goldfish swimming around) and everything will be worth it. If you started your pregnancy very thin or you’ve had previous pregnancies you probably won’t have to wait as long, but rest assured that long-awaited moment is coming. And it’s worth the wait!

BABY
Your baby will squint and turn away if you shine a flashlight at your belly, and he or she is growing hair — both on top of the head and all over the body. The body hair is called lanugo, and keeps your baby warm until there are enough adorable fat rolls on his body to do the job instead. He’s about the size of a baseball, like the one he might throw through your window someday although it’s still way too early to imagine being mad about something like that.

NEST
You’ve probably devoted some time to doing things like picking out names (or hotly debating name choices with your partner, as the case may be) and thinking about nursery décor. If you’re enjoying it, more power to you! But remember there are plenty of things not to do, too — like feel guilty for one second if you feel like doing nothing at all — which are just as important at this point. Rest up, Mama. You need it!