4 Tips for your second trimester of pregnancy

Your doctor will discuss important ways to keep you and the baby healthy, but here are some tips for your second trimester of pregnancy so you know what to expect.

• Pregnancy might make you feel a little tired and out of sorts. During your second trimester, it's important to introduce some moderate exercise into your daily routine.
• Exercise is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy body and normal insulin levels, since gestational diabetes can be a problem during pregnancy if you're not careful.
• Walking, swimming, yoga and other light exercises that aren't too jarring for your body are great workouts.

• You will start to notice some natural changes to your skin, such as a healthy glow due to increased levels of oestrogen and progesterone. But you could also develop dark spots that pop up on your cheeks and your forehead. These will usually fade after you give birth and are nothing to be alarmed about at this point.
• Just make sure to use skin protection when you're out in the sun.
• You might also see other temporary changes to your skin, such as slight spotting from acne.

• Since your stomach is starting to expand, you might see white or pink stretch marks on your skin. This is a natural part of pregnancy and is nothing to worry about or hide in shame. Stretch marks are just cosmetic blemishes.
• You can keep your stomach moisturized with lotions to relieve dry and itchy skin, and the stretch marks will usually fade after pregnancy.

• The extra weight you are carrying around, in combination with your uterus being pressed against your large blood vessels, can cause varicose and spider veins in your legs. To minimize these issues, don't stand in a stationary position for long periods of time, and exercise to promote better circulation and prevent yourself from gaining weight.
• Keeping your legs up helps to reduce the chance of varicose veins, and it also gives you time to relax and take a needed break.