Second Trimester
Checklist

If the first trimester was survival mode, the second trimester is your reward. The nausea starts to lift. The energy returns. You can eat a full meal again without immediately regretting it. And you start to actually look pregnant, which makes the whole thing feel a lot more real in the best possible way.

Weeks 13 to 27 are also when the to-do list quietly becomes enormous. There are medical appointments to book, nursery decisions to make, a baby registry to build, a birth plan to start thinking about, and financial admin to sort. And somewhere in all of that you are also supposed to be enjoying being pregnant.

I remember feeling like I had suddenly fallen behind in a game nobody had explained the rules of. What was I supposed to have done already? What could wait? What actually mattered?

This checklist is the answer I wish I had had. Everything that actually needs to happen in the second trimester, organised by category, in plain language. No fluff. No overwhelm. Just a clear list you can work through at your own pace. 💚

The second trimester is your sweet spot. Use it well — future you in the third trimester will be very grateful.

Medical appointments and tests

The anatomy scan (weeks 18–22)

This is the big one. The anatomy scan is a detailed ultrasound that checks your baby's brain, heart, spine, limbs, kidneys, and other major organs. It also checks the position of the placenta and gives you a much more accurate due date. Most families find out the sex at this appointment too, if they want to know. Book it as early as possible — popular clinics fill fast.

Glucose screening test (weeks 24–28)

This test screens for gestational diabetes, which affects roughly one in seven pregnancies and usually has no obvious symptoms. Your provider will tell you how to prepare. If your result comes back elevated, you will be referred for a longer diagnostic test. Do not stress about it in advance. Just book it and show up.

• ☐ Book your anatomy scan (weeks 18–22) — do this now if you have not already
• ☐ Book glucose screening test (weeks 24–28)
• ☐ Continue regular OB or midwife visits — typically every four weeks in the second trimester
• ☐ Complete any recommended blood work — iron levels, thyroid, and other panels your provider orders
• ☐ Book a dental check-up — pregnancy hormones can significantly affect gum health
• ☐ Ask about the Tdap vaccine — most providers recommend it later in pregnancy, but good to plan ahead now
• ☐ Confirm any ongoing medications are still safe with your care team

Your changing body

Belly and skin care

Your bump grows fastest during the second trimester. Starting a daily moisturising routine now — before the skin feels tight or itchy — is much more effective than starting in the third trimester when the stretching is already well underway. A simple belly oil or butter applied morning and night after a shower is genuinely enough. You do not need anything fancy, just something clean and consistent.

Clothing and sleep

There are two things most mamas wait too long to get: a properly fitted maternity bra and a pregnancy pillow. Do not make that mistake. A wireless maternity bra fitted around week 16 prevents back pain for the rest of your pregnancy. A pregnancy pillow ordered by week 20 means you actually sleep through the second trimester instead of spending it rearranging regular pillows at 2am.

• ☐ Get fitted for a wireless maternity bra — your size is almost certainly already changing
• ☐ Build a simple maternity wardrobe — two or three pairs of stretchy leggings, a belly band, and a few tops is genuinely enough
• ☐ Order a pregnancy pillow before you need it — week 20 is the right time
• ☐ Do a skincare audit — remove products with retinol, high-dose salicylic acid, and oxybenzone
• ☐ Switch to mineral sunscreen for any time spent outdoors

Nutrition and supplements

What your body needs more of now

Your baby grows faster in the second trimester than at any other point in pregnancy. Nutritional needs increase significantly, particularly for iron as your blood volume expands, and omega-3 fatty acids for your baby's rapidly developing brain and eyes. If nausea was making your prenatal vitamin hard to keep down in the first trimester, now is the time to find a formula that actually works for you and take it every single day.

• ☐ Continue prenatal vitamins daily — if your current formula is not working well, ask your provider about alternatives
• ☐ Ask about adding a DHA supplement if your prenatal does not include it — important for brain and eye development
• ☐ Increase iron-rich foods — leafy greens, lentils, lean meat — always paired with vitamin C for better absorption
• ☐ Aim for eight to ten cups of water daily — dehydration can trigger Braxton Hicks and significant fatigue in the second trimester
• ☐ Add calcium-rich foods — dairy, leafy greens, fortified plant milks — your baby's bones are mineralising rapidly now
• ☐ Ask your provider about probiotics if gut health has been an issue throughout your pregnancy

Nursery planning and baby registry

Start earlier than feels necessary

The second trimester is the best window to tackle nursery planning. You have enough energy to make decisions, enough time before the third trimester to deal with shipping delays and assembly hiccups, and enough runway to change your mind at least twice. Mamas who wait until the third trimester routinely end up scrambling. Start now and you will arrive at week 28 with a nursery that is either done or very close to it.

• ☐ Decide on the nursery room and clear it out — this takes longer than expected when you are also pregnant
• ☐ Choose a non-toxic, zero-VOC paint — important for your lungs during application and your newborn's air quality after
• ☐ Research and order the crib or bassinet — large furniture needs two to three months lead time minimum
• ☐ Sketch your nursery layout before buying anything to make sure items will actually fit
• ☐ Research a baby monitor system and order it with enough time to set it up and troubleshoot before baby arrives

Building your baby registry

Create your registry by weeks 20 to 22, before anyone starts planning a baby shower. Most major retailers offer a completion discount in the weeks before your due date — but only if you registered early enough for it to activate. Include a wide range of price points so guests of all budgets can participate. And do not forget to add the eco-conscious alternatives you actually want — organic cotton swaddles, non-toxic teethers, and reusable wipes are all registry-friendly choices most guests would not have thought to buy otherwise.

• ☐ Create your baby registry by week 20-22
• ☐ Prioritise GOTS-certified organic cotton or OEKO-TEX certified fabrics for items that touch baby's skin
• ☐ Include a range of price points — this matters more than most mamas realise
• ☐ Add larger items like a pram and car seat even if you plan to buy them yourself — guests sometimes surprise you
• ☐ Check what completion discount your registry retailer offers and when it activates

Birth plan basics

You do not need a final plan yet — you need information

The second trimester is not the time to finalise your birth plan. It is the time to gather the information you need so that when you do sit down to write it — around week 32 — you are making actual decisions rather than anxious guesses. Read birth stories. Ask your provider questions. Research your options around pain relief, labour positions, and interventions. The more informed you are now, the calmer you will feel when it matters.

• ☐ Research your birth setting options — hospital, birth centre, or home birth — and discuss with your provider
• ☐ Look into pain relief options — epidural, nitrous oxide, hypnobirthing, water labour — and note what resonates with you
• ☐ Research doulas if you are interested — they book out three to five months in advance in many areas
• ☐ Enrol in a childbirth education class — book now for a class around weeks 32-36 as they fill quickly
• ☐ Start a notes document for your birth preferences — you do not need final decisions yet, just capture your thinking
• ☐ Ask your provider about their approach to delayed cord clamping and immediate skin-to-skin — good to know where they stand now

Mental health and emotional wellbeing

The second trimester may feel physically easier but the emotional weight of impending parenthood does not take a break. Relationship conversations get harder to avoid. The reality of what is coming starts to hit. And if anxiety or low mood have been present, they do not always lift just because the nausea does.

If anxiety is significantly affecting your daily life, please speak to your doctor or midwife. Perinatal anxiety and depression are extremely common — they affect one in five pregnant women — and very treatable. You do not have to white-knuckle your way through pregnancy alone.

• ☐ Have the real conversations with your partner — division of labour at home, finances, parenting approaches — before baby arrives when you have the time and energy to do it well
• ☐ Speak to your provider if persistent anxiety or low mood is affecting your daily life
• ☐ Start or continue gentle movement — prenatal yoga, walking, and swimming are all safe and genuinely helpful for mood and sleep
• ☐ Start a pregnancy journal — even a few sentences a week captures this time in a way you will want later
• ☐ Rest without guilt — the second trimester energy boost is real but your body is still doing extraordinary work

Practical and financial preparation

Do the boring admin now

This is the section nobody finds exciting and everybody regrets leaving until the third trimester. Financial admin, insurance reviews, childcare research, and workplace planning all take longer than expected and are significantly harder to do when you are 34 weeks pregnant and exhausted. Second trimester you has the energy. Use it.

• ☐ Call your health insurer and ask specifically what your out-of-pocket costs will be for labour, delivery, and newborn care — the numbers can genuinely surprise you
• ☐ Research and apply for maternity or parental leave entitlements — processing times vary so do not leave this late
• ☐ Build a basic baby budget covering one-time costs, monthly ongoing costs, and the income impact of your leave period
• ☐ Research childcare options if you plan to return to work — good centres and nanny shares often have six to twelve month waitlists
• ☐ Update your will and beneficiary arrangements — this is an act of love, not something to be avoided
• ☐ Notify your employer of your pregnancy if you have not already and begin planning your handover
• ☐ Look into any government parental payments or tax credits you may be entitled to claim