Second trimester: weeks 14–27

The second trimester on Cloverlatch — every week page, in order.

• Week 14The second trimester begins. The fetus can make facial expressio…
• Week 15The fetus senses light through the abdominal wall, taste buds ar…
• Week 16Eyes and ears are nearly in their final positions. The fetus is …
• Week 17The skeleton is hardening from cartilage to bone, the umbilical …
• Week 18Ears move into final position and hearing structures mature. Man…
• Week 19A protective coating called vernix caseosa is forming on the ski…
• Week 20Halfway by the calendar. The fetus can swallow, produces meconiu…
• Week 21Movements become more coordinated — kicks and rolls replace flut…
• Week 22Lips and eyebrows are distinct, the eyes have formed (eyelids st…
• Week 23Lung blood vessels are developing in preparation for breathing, …
• Week 24The lungs continue branching and growing air sacs. Taste buds ca…
• Week 25The fetus responds to familiar voices with movement, nostrils ar…
• Week 26Lungs are developing surfactant, the substance that helps air sa…
• Week 27The second trimester ends. The fetus sleeps and wakes in regular…

Educational information only — not medical advice. Every pregnancy and every baby develops on their own timeline. If you have any concern, talk to your obstetric provider or your baby's pediatrician.