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Your Baby

• The baby moves, kicks and swallows.
• The skin is pink and transparent.
• The umbilical cord continues to carry nourishment from mother to baby—but it also can pass along hazards like alcohol, nicotine and other drugs.
• By the end of the fourth month, your baby is 6 to 7 inches long and weighs about 4 to 5 ounces.

Your Body

• Your appetite increases as morning sickness goes away. You should begin to feel more energetic.
• Toward the end of the fourth month (16 to 20 weeks), you might feel your baby move for the first time; tell your health care provider.
• Your belly begins to show—you probably will need maternity clothes and bigger bras now.

Prenatal Care Guide

• Visit your health care provider for one prenatal care checkup.
• Pregnant women need extra iron—more than even a good diet can supply. Your doctor may recommend iron supplements.
• You’ll probably gain about a pound a week, or 12 to 14 pounds, during the second trimester (months 4 to 6).
• If your health care provider recommends prenatal testing using amniocentesis or a blood test called a triple screen for Down syndrome and neural tube defects, you can have them at 15 to 18 weeks.

Article Courtesy of The March of Dimes