You made it through 12 weeks, congratulations! Now the fun begins! If you haven’t already, it’s a great time to spill the beans to all your family and friends, start shopping for maternity wear, and begin plotting how to decorate your new nursery (who are we kidding, you’ve been doing this for weeks already!). You’ll also be kicking some of that nasty morning sickness and begin to feel a little more like yourself. And speaking of kicks, if you haven’t felt baby move yet, it shouldn’t be long before he or she begins to make their mark!
Along with all the excitement, you’ll also make a few visits to the doctor for routine testing of baby’s growth and development. Your doc should have already asked if you’d like to opt-in for the Nuchal Translucency Screening (NTS) and the Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS), optional tests that screen for Downs Syndrome and other chromosomal and genetic disorders.
Right around 20 weeks you’ll also be seen for a level-two ultrasound to check the growth of all baby’s parts (count those fingers and toes!) and have a chance to discover the sex of your baby-to-be. Exciting!
See BabyCenter.com’s full list of all the prenatal tests you can expect during your 2nd and 3rd trimesters.
