This changing weather, protect your family with big discounts! Use code: FIRST10This changing weather, protect your family with big discounts! Use code: FIRST10

ADDED TO CART SUCCESSFULLY GO TO CART

Track your pregnancy journey

7 Things You Must Do in Your Second Trimester

Second Trimester

Written by - Mylo EditorLast updated: Sep 14, 2026

1.2K Likes|

13 min

AI-Generated Summary

Quick overview in 30 seconds

The second trimester (weeks 13-27) brings relief from nausea and fatigue, a visible baby bump, increased energy, and the joyful first feel of fetal movements.
Key dos include regular prenatal check-ups, a balanced nutritious diet, low-impact exercises like prenatal yoga or walking, pelvic floor exercises, and stress management techniques.
Important don'ts include avoiding smoking, alcohol, excessive caffeine, harmful chemicals, heavy lifting, lying flat on your back, and skipping scheduled prenatal appointments.
Which essentials can support your second trimester journey? Explore our Pregnancy Massage Oil + Coconut Oil - 200 ml each.

Stretch Marks Cream - 100 gm

4.9

Stretch Marks Cream - 100 gm - Pack of 2

4.2

Quick answer

The second trimester runs from week 14 to the end of week 27, and it is the most scheduled stage of pregnancy. Two appointments matter most: the anomaly scan at 18 to 22 weeks and gestational diabetes screening at 24 to 28 weeks. Iron and calcium usually begin around week 14. Everything else on this list is practical, and this is the easiest trimester to get it done.

Key takeaways

Book the anomaly scan for 18 to 22 weeks now. It cannot be done properly outside that window, and slots fill up.
Gestational diabetes screening happens at 24 to 28 weeks, and in India you should also have had a test at your first visit.
Iron and calcium usually start around week 14. Take them at different times of day, because calcium reduces iron absorption.
This is the best trimester for everything practical: dental work, travel, shopping, and planning your leave. Your energy will not be better than this.
From 24 weeks, learn your baby's movement pattern, because from then on a change in it is the single most important thing to report.

Your second trimester at a glance

Week	What to do
14 to 16	Start iron and calcium as prescribed. Book your anomaly scan
15 to 20	Quadruple marker blood test, if offered
18 to 22	Anomaly scan. The most important appointment of this trimester
20 onward	Blood pressure and urine checked at every visit for pre-eclampsia
20 to 24	Dental check. Plan travel. Sort maternity clothes and bras
24 to 28	Gestational diabetes screening. Repeat haemoglobin
24 onward	Learn your baby's movement pattern and report any change
As advised	Tetanus or Td vaccination
By 28	Discuss leave, delivery hospital, and who will help afterwards

1. Book the anomaly scan for 18 to 22 weeks

Do this first, because the window is fixed and slots fill up.

The anomaly scan, also called the TIFFA or level 2 scan, is a detailed check of your baby's brain, heart, spine, kidneys, limbs, face and abdominal organs, along with the placenta, umbilical cord and amniotic fluid.

What to know:

It takes longer than a routine scan, usually 30 to 45 minutes
Your baby's position may mean you are asked to walk around and come back, or return another day. This is routine, not a bad sign
Not everything can be seen on a scan, and a normal result does not exclude every condition
Determining or disclosing the sex of the baby is illegal in India under the PCPNDT Act. No scan centre will answer that question

If a quadruple marker test is offered, it is done between 15 and 20 weeks, usually if you did not have first trimester screening.

2. Do the gestational diabetes test at 24 to 28 weeks

Gestational diabetes is common, usually manageable, and usually resolves after delivery. It is only found by testing, because most women have no symptoms.

How it is done in India: national guidance uses a single-step test that does not require fasting. You are given a 75 gram glucose drink whenever you attend, and blood glucose is checked two hours later. A value of 140 mg/dL or above indicates gestational diabetes.

Some hospitals use fasting-based criteria with different thresholds, so ask which test you are having and what your result means.

You should also have been tested at your first antenatal visit. If that did not happen, mention it.

If you test positive, most cases are managed with diet, walking after meals and home glucose monitoring. Insulin is used when needed and is safe in pregnancy.

3. Start iron and calcium, and take them correctly

In India, these usually begin around week 14, after the first trimester.

Supplement	Typical guidance	What to know
Iron and folic acid	Usually daily from around 14 weeks	Commonly causes nausea and constipation. Do not stop it yourself. Ask about taking it at night, with food, or changing formulation
Calcium	Commonly recommended from around 14 weeks under Indian guidance	Take at a different time of day from iron, since calcium reduces iron absorption
Vitamin D	As advised	Deficiency is very common in India

Ask your doctor to confirm your doses and timing, since protocols vary between hospitals. Iron and folic acid tablets are provided free at government health facilities.

4. Get your haemoglobin rechecked

Anaemia is very common in Indian pregnancies, and it is far easier to correct now than in the third trimester or after delivery.

A repeat haemoglobin is usually done around 26 to 28 weeks. Ask for it if it is not offered, particularly if you are tired, breathless on mild exertion, or have restless legs at night.

Restless legs and craving non-food items such as mud, chalk or raw rice are both commonly linked to iron deficiency, and both are worth mentioning rather than ignoring.

5. Get your vaccinations done

Tetanus or Td vaccination is usually given in this trimester in India, and the schedule your hospital follows may include more than one dose.

Ask at your next visit what you are due and when. Bring your vaccination record if you have one.

6. Start pelvic floor exercises

Start now rather than after delivery. Pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy reduce the risk of urinary leakage both in pregnancy and afterwards.

How: squeeze the muscles you would use to stop passing urine, hold for a few seconds, then fully release. The release matters as much as the squeeze, because a pelvic floor that cannot relax is not an advantage in labour.

Aim for a few short sets through the day. If you are unsure whether you are doing it correctly, a women's health physiotherapist can check in one session, and many women are doing it wrong without knowing.

7. Use this trimester to sort the practical things

Your energy will not be better than it is now, and everything gets harder in the third trimester.

Dental check-up and cleaning. Dental care is safe in pregnancy, and bleeding gums are common from hormonal changes. Do not postpone it
Travel, if you want to. This is the best trimester for it. Check airline rules, move regularly on long journeys, carry your antenatal records, and discuss plans with your doctor
Maternity clothes and bras. Your band size usually increases before your cup size. Buy two or three at a time rather than stocking up
Discuss your maternity leave and any workplace adjustments, particularly if your work involves heavy lifting, long standing or night shifts
Decide where you will deliver, and check the route and travel time at different times of day
Talk about who will help at home in the first weeks after delivery
Ask whether lactation support is available at your hospital, because arranging it in advance is far more effective than seeking it after a difficult week

What to avoid

Avoid	Why
Alcohol and all forms of tobacco, including gutkha, khaini and second-hand smoke	Well-established risks
Caffeine above about 200 mg a day	Roughly two cups of coffee, or three to four cups of tea. Count cola and chocolate
NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and diclofenac from 20 weeks	Including pain balms and sprays, many of which contain them. Paracetamol is the usual first-line option
Any new medicine or supplement without your doctor	Including Ayurvedic, homeopathic and gym products
Heavy lifting and prolonged bending	Switch to a long-handled mop, and hand over the heaviest tasks
Hot tubs, saunas and very hot baths	Raising your core temperature is not advisable
Strong chemicals, pesticides and fresh paint fumes	Ventilate, or hand the task over
Unpasteurised dairy, raw or undercooked eggs, meat and fish, cut fruit left standing, raw sprouts and animal liver	Infection risk and vitamin A excess

On sleeping position, which causes unnecessary worry at this stage: any comfortable position is still fine in the second trimester. Side sleeping is advised from around 28 weeks. Use this trimester to get used to it rather than worrying about it now.

Warning signs: when to call a doctor

A "things to do" list is incomplete without this.

🚩 Seek care immediately if you have:

Any vaginal bleeding
Leaking of fluid, whether a gush or a trickle
Regular painful contractions or tightening, which before 37 weeks may indicate preterm labour
Reduced or changed baby movements, particularly from 24 weeks. Do not wait until morning
Severe headache with blurred vision, flashing lights or spots
Pain under the ribs or in the upper right abdomen
Sudden swelling of the face, around the eyes, or of the hands
Severe abdominal pain
Pain, swelling, warmth or redness in one calf
Fever
Fainting or collapse
Any fall or blow to the abdomen, even if you feel fine

The pre-eclampsia combination to memorise from 20 weeks onward: severe headache, visual changes, pain under the ribs, and sudden swelling of the face or hands.

Call the same day for: intense itching on the palms and soles without a rash, burning urination, foul-smelling discharge, persistent vomiting, or repeated dizziness.

Frequently asked questions

How many weeks is the second trimester?
Weeks 14 to 27, counted from the first day of your last menstrual period.

When is the anomaly scan done?
Between 18 and 22 weeks. Book it early, because the window is fixed and slots fill up.

When is the gestational diabetes test done?
At 24 to 28 weeks. In India you should also have had a test at your first antenatal visit.

When do iron and calcium tablets start?
Usually around 14 weeks. Take them at different times of day, since calcium reduces iron absorption.

My iron tablets make me feel sick. Can I stop them?
Do not stop them yourself. Ask your doctor about taking them at night, with food, or switching formulation.

Can I sleep on my back in the second trimester?
Any comfortable position is still fine now. Side sleeping is advised from around 28 weeks.

Is it safe to travel in the second trimester?
This is generally the best trimester for travel. Check airline rules, move regularly on long journeys, and discuss your plans with your doctor.

When will I feel the baby move?
Usually between 18 and 22 weeks in a first pregnancy, and often earlier in later pregnancies. From around 24 weeks, report any change in the pattern.

Can I get dental treatment while pregnant?
Yes. Dental care is safe and this trimester is usually the most comfortable time for planned work. Do not postpone it.

The bottom line

The second trimester is the easiest stage of pregnancy and the most scheduled, so use the energy while you have it. Book the anomaly scan for 18 to 22 weeks, do the diabetes test at 24 to 28 weeks, start your iron and calcium and take them at different times, and get the dental check, the travel and the practical planning out of the way. From 24 weeks, learn your baby's movement pattern, because from then on that is the one thing never worth waiting on.

Sources

World Health Organization, recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience, and diagnostic criteria for hyperglycaemia in pregnancy
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, second trimester care, exercise, travel and preeclampsia
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, reduced fetal movements
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, antenatal care and hypertension in pregnancy
NHS, your pregnancy week by week and the 20-week screening scan
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, national guidelines for gestational diabetes, Anemia Mukt Bharat, calcium supplementation in pregnancy, and the PCPNDT Act
Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India, antenatal care recommendations

This article is for general information and is not a substitute for medical advice. Seek care immediately for bleeding, fluid leakage, reduced baby movements, severe headache with visual changes, or sudden swelling of the face and hands.

“Shop protein Diskettes from Mylo”