Your belly continues to grow and your body changes
The discomfort you might have felt during the first half of your pregnancy is probably over by now. Nevertheless, from time to time, you may feel tired, and regular tasks can seem difficult. This feeling of fatigue is primarily due to your rapidly growing belly.
Typical weight gain ranges between 0.6 lb and 1.1 lb (300-500 g) a week, depending on your body mass index before pregnancy.
Sudden and fast weight gain is a reason to see your doctor, especially if your face and hands are swollen, your blood pressure rises, and if your head hurts and you have pain in the upper right area of your abdomen or hypochondrium. These symptoms can be signs of preeclampsia. A condition in which the body accumulates an excess of fluid, urination becomes infrequent, and urine analysis shows increased protein [1].
At this stage of pregnancy, you will start to feel how your body is changing. You may even start to leak a yellowish-white fluid called colostrum, the precursor of breast milk. Colostrum usually appears in the first days after childbirth, but a small amount of discharge during pregnancy is normal.
Hormonal changes in your body can lead to the darkening of the nipples and the skin around them, and moles, freckles, and skin, in general, can also darken. Many will enjoy faster growth and thicker hair [2].
If you are expecting twins
If the babies share the same placenta, then at this time you need another doppler ultrasound [3]. Even if babies have the same height, doctors still carefully look at whether the amount of water in their amniotic sacs is the same, because it is at this point in the pregnancy that they might find that one twin is pulling all the resources. In most cases, with timely intervention, the situation can be corrected.
Discharge
You may experience discharge, which is caused by your hormones and the state of the vaginal microflora. Normal discharge is moderate in amount and white in color. A yellow or green discharge with an unpleasant odor may indicate an infection. In this case, you need to consult a doctor. It is imperative to seek medical help if spotting occurs [4, 5].
