2nd Trimester General Information

The second trimester of pregnancy begins around 14 weeks and lasts through 27 weeks. You will typically have 3-4 visits during this trimester. Around the 18 week visit, we perform an ultrasound to assess the fetal anatomy. The sex of the baby is also determined at this visit. Sometime between 24 and 28 weeks we perform a screening for gestational diabetes (See section: Gestational Diabetes Screening).

Second trimester milestones:

18 weeks—we can determine the sex of your baby! While it can be seen as early as 14-15 weeks, it is seen with less certainty at that point. We typically wait until 18 weeks so that we can also better assess the baby’s heart, kidneys, abdominal wall, and spine.

18-20 weeks—this is only a timing estimate, but usually by this point you can start to feel the baby move. Women who have been pregnant before typically feel movement earlier than this. However, early movements do not become routine and regular until closer to 24 weeks. If you do not feel the baby move every day this early in pregnancy, or if you cannot tell if the baby is moving yet, do not be alarmed.

24 weeks—This is typically the point most experts agree on that the baby is able to survive outside the mother’s body!