Month Five:  

Feeling good... 

The volume of blood is increasing dramatically during this second trimester, so light-headedness spells can arrive often.  You should try to help your partner when getting up or sitting down to avoid a rapid loss of blood in the brain.

Very often, the fifth month of pregnancy is the most enjoyable for both the mother and father.  The baby is moving a lot and the mother has enough energy to enjoy the day.

Month Six:

Starting to take over. 

The mother's digestive system and vital organs gets moved upwards as the baby grows.

The areolae (dark rings around the nipples) may begin to expand about now at the same time as becoming darker in color.  Sometimes this happens earlier in the pregnancy.   This is a normal process and they can stay like this until well after the birth.

Darkened Areola

The breasts have gradually grown larger throughout the pregnancy under the influence of several hormones in the body.  The progesterone hormone has increased the ducts within the breasts and from this point onwards, it is possible for a woman to leak 'colostrum' from the nipples.

The 'Montgomery' glands (the small pimples around the areola) will also enlarge.  These will later serve to lubricate the nipple during breastfeeding by secreting a light fatty substance.

Blood pressure may drop a little during the second trimester.  This should return to normal in the third trimester.