Second trimester prenatal care

small child with head on mom's belly

By now, you’re probably starting to show. There are many milestones that happen during this stage of your pregnancy, and we’ll continue to monitor your baby’s growth and make sure everything is on track.

Weeks 16 to 20

Around this time, we’ll give you a fetal ultrasound, which gives you a much more detailed picture of your baby than you saw at your first appointment. Your little one has grown so much since then! Most parents-to-be really enjoy this moment, because you really get to see your baby in motion!

You might be able to see your baby kick, wave, turn over, hiccup, or suck their thumb. We’ll point out where your baby’s heart, brain, and other organs are. The technician can usually tell you your baby’s reproductive anatomy around week 20, so tell us if you want to know.

At this visit, we’ll also go over the results of any genetic screening tests you had, and schedule any more tests you might need.

Your baby ultrasound: what you'll see

Weeks 21 to 27

At this visit, we’ll review results from any other tests you’ve had and discuss how to protect your newborn from whooping cough by getting your Tdap vaccine booster. You’ll also have blood tests to screen for anemia, gestational diabetes, and Rh factor antibodies.

Second trimester blood tests



Northern California members:
Visit Your Pregnancy to sign up for prenatal classes, get weekly emails, view and prepare for appointments, and more.

Learn about CenteringPregnancy®, a unique prenatal care program that includes group support with other new moms.