You will continue to see your health care provider on a monthly basis throughout your second trimester. Your appointments during the second trimester will focus on:

Fixing your due date more closely. The size of your uterus, measured from the top of your uterus to your pubic bone (fundal height), is an indicator of your baby's age. After you've emptied your bladder, your doctor will find the top of your uterus by gently tapping and pressing on your abdomen and measuring from that point down along the front of your abdomen to your pubic bone. In the middle months of pregnancy, the fundal height, in centimeters, often equals the number of weeks of pregnancy.

Tracking your and your baby's health and growth. Your blood pressure and weight are checked at every visit, and you'll be asked about any symptoms you may be experiencing. Your health care provider will also begin checking your baby's size, position and heart rate.

Listening to your baby's heartbeat and having your first ultrasound. If you haven't done so already, you may get to hear your baby's heartbeat using a special listening device called a Doppler. During the fifth month, you may have an ultrasound exam.

Assessing fetal movement. By 20 weeks, you will probably have felt the baby move for the first time. Make a note of this, and tell your doctor at your next visit. This date will help determine the age of your baby more accurately.

Checking the baby's position. During the seventh month, your health care provider may be able to tell you whether your baby is positioned headfirst or feet- or rump-first in your uterus. Babies in the feet- or rump-first position are in what's known as the breech position. In most cases, these babies need to be delivered by Caesarean birth. Your baby still has lots of time to change position, though, and probably will. So don't be worried if your baby is in the breech position at this time.

Prenatal testing. During the second trimester, you may be offered prenatal testing, which can detect genetic and congenital problems with your baby. Knowing about these problems before your baby is born may help your doctor better treat the condition and may help you and your partner better prepare yourselves for attending to your baby's special needs. If you haven't already decided about prenatal diagnostic testing, now is a good time to review these tests with your health care provider and make a plan.

Screening for pregnancy complications. At the end of your second trimester, your doctor will screen for:

• Gestational diabetes. The glucose challenge test is used to check for gestational diabetes, a temporary form of diabetes that develops in some women who didnt have the condition before they were pregnant.

• Rh antibodies. If your rhesus (Rh) factor, which refers to a protein sometimes found on the surface of red blood cells, is Rh negative, you'll probably be tested for Rh antibodies. If you have these antibodies, which are found only rarely, you'll need to get their levels monitored regularly as your pregnancy progresses. If you have no Rh antibodies, you may receive an injection of Rh immunoglobulin (RhIg) to keep these antibodies from forming. A blood test for anemia likely will be done as well.

A lot happens during the second trimester. For your sake and your baby's, your doctor will want to know how you are feeling and will want to explore the symptoms you are experiencing. At the end of your second trimester, you may want to start asking questions about your upcoming childbirth and the decision to breast-feed.