Your Body's Changes
If you weren't showing last month, chances are you will have a definite pregnant profile by the end of this month. Your uterus is about the size of a head of cabbage, and its top lies just below your belly button.
Your appetite may start to pick up this month, especially if you've been too sick to enjoy a good meal until now. About 60 percent of your total pregnancy weight (about eleven to fifteen pounds) will be gained in this trimester.
Heartburn may start to become a persistent problem as your uterus crowds your stomach and the smooth muscles of your digestive tract remain relaxed from the hormone progesterone. Some tips for putting out the fire include:
Avoid greasy, fatty, and spicy foods.
Stay away from alcohol and caffeinated drinks (e.g., cola, tea, cof-fee); these may relax the valve between the stomach and the esophagus and exacerbate heartburn.
Eat smaller, more frequent meals instead of three large ones.
Drink plenty of water between meals to reduce stomach acid.
Don't eat just before you go to bed or lay down to rest.
Pile a few extra pillows on the bed to assist gravity in easing heartburn while you sleep.
Another option you have is to keep a food log to try to determine what your heartburn triggers are. On the following page is a food log page that you can photocopy to fill in each day.
Other symptoms of second-trimester pregnancy you may start or continue to experience this month include the following. Check off those that you are experiencing so that you may discuss relief with your doctor:
__ Hemorrhoids
__ Nausea
__ Fatigue
__ Frequent urination
