16-24 weeks of pregnancy

Bodily changes

- Skin changes (flushed appearance, stretch marks over abdomen & breasts, with pigmentation)
Treatment: usually goes away after some time.

- Heartburn
Treatment: avoid spicy, fried and oily food. Take small frequent meals.

- Shortness of breath
Treatment: Slow down your pace

- Leg cramps
Treatment: Drink enough water and take calcium supplements

- Constipation
Treatment: Drink enough water and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables

- Vaginal discharge
Treatment: Discharge with itching or foul smell is sign of infection. Discharge which is watery could mean that your water bag has burst


Health concerns

- Anomaly scan between weeks 19-22 will detect any major anomaly in the foetus
- 70% of the abnormalities can be picked up on the anomaly scan
- Common health problems are gestational diabetes mellitus and pre-eclampsia


- For pre-eclampsia, there's a rising blood pressure which is associated with the presence of protein in the urine and swollen legs
- Pre-eclampsia happens around 20 weeks of pregnancy


Keeping Fit

- exercise helps you prepare for labour by increasing your stamina and muscle strength
- being in good shape may even shorten your labour and speed your recovery
- Eg. walking, swimming, cycling, rowing
- avoid jumping or putting yourself at high risk of falling


Knowing your options

- decide your birthing options from 36-37 weeks of gestation
- natural birth should be the first choice as Caesarean section is associated with increased maternity morbidity compared to natural birth
- water birth is only possible in an uncomplicated term pregnancy