Nutrition for the Second Trimester of Pregnancy

In the second trimester, you can expect to gain from a half a pound to one pound per week. Additional breast tissue, an increase in the volume of amniotic fluid around the baby, placental growth, increased uterine muscle, and extra stores of fat and protein all contribute to the extra pounds. Morning sickness and food aversions may begin to wane, so during the second trimester nutrition should be your focus, to the tune of an extra 300 calories per day.

Both you and your baby need nutrient-dense foods to supply the vitamins, minerals, and calories you need for your baby’s optimal growth. Protein requirements increase during pregnancy; 35% of your daily calories should come from fat.

Healthy carbohydrates — from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables — will keep your energy stores high and provide the necessary fiber. Carbohydrates should make up about 50% of your diet unless you’ve been diagnosed with gestational diabetes or another condition that requires adjusting your diet.

“I don’t track my calories or my macros at all. I eat what I feel like, with mostly healthy foods for sure. Right now, being in my second trimester of pregnancy, I’m craving a lot of carbs,” mom and fitness instructor Ashley Pitt admitted on her blog. “You don’t have to follow my eats at all, because it may not work for you. Trial and error is ideal for your own body, and eating what you enjoy, of course, is the best thing you can do.”

Healthy fats like Omega-3 fatty lower your lipid levels. They also provide nutrients essential for your baby’s brain, eyes, and nervous system. Salmon, trout, herring, and sardines are excellent sources of Omega-3 fatty acids.

However, because some fish contains the toxin methylmercury, it’s important to limit your intake to 8-12 ounces (2-3 servings) per week. If you follow a plant-based diet, you can obtain Omega-3s from alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) found in soy and walnuts as well as avocados, olive oil, and nut butters.

If you are planning to make any significant changes to your diet, check with your doctor first to make sure it will provide adequate nutrition for you and your developing baby, and is appropriate for your current health status.

It’s important to stay on track with prenatal visits where you’ll undergo routine bloodwork to determine whether or not you have vitamin deficiencies. For individuals who have difficulty getting vitamins and minerals from the foods that they eat, second-trimester nutrition may also include supplementation.

Current guidance indicates prenatal vitamins include folic acid, iodine, calcium, and Omega-3 fatty acids. The micronutrient choline has also been linked positively to fetal cognitive and neural development, and the daily recommendation for choline is 450 milligrams per day. If you regularly eat eggs, fish, broccoli and cauliflower, you’re likely doing well on choline.

Vitamin D deficiency is also fairly common, especially if you’re not getting enough time outdoors in the sun, or live in an area where it’s very cold for a significant portion of the year. Look for a prenatal that includes this vitamin or take a separate supplement if you think you may be deficient; Vitamin D supplementation overall is safe during pregnancy.

Note: Make sure to check with your doctor first before taking any vitamins or supplements. Some, when taken incorrectly or in high doses, can be harmful to you and/or your baby.

Some may be surprised to learn that there are foods that cause miscarriage in the second semester. Raw or undercooked fish and eggs, as well as the aforementioned mercury-laden fish such as shark, king mackerel, and swordfish, should be avoided. These foods can potentially cause listeria, a disease-causing bacteria linked to miscarriage. Unpasteurized dairy products and soft cheeses like feta, Brie, and blue cheese, and organ meats like liver should also be avoided for similar reasons.

So, is it safe to have a glass of wine to go with the foods you can eat? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no known safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy; it too should be avoided at all costs. But, your doctor may be of a different opinion.

“In general, I tell people to abstain in the first trimester, which is when the organs are forming, but in the second and third trimester, one normal size glass of wine a week is not going to destroy the baby,” Keith Eddleman, MD told Elle.

While Eddleman says he understands why the CDC and The American Academy of Pediatrics caution pregnant people against drinking alcohol, he also acknowledges that there’s no data indicating one glass of alcohol per week is harmful.

“They don’t say that, because the safest thing is just not to drink, and some people can’t drink just one,” the director of obstetrics at Mount Sinai Health reasoned. “But when I’m sitting with a patient, and they say drinking is something they enjoy and they’re going to their niece’s Bar Mitzvah or confirmation and want to have a glass of champagne, you shouldn’t beat yourself up over that.”