Pregnancy - 2nd Trimester

It should start getting better from now on.

The next few months should be the easiest part (it's all relative) of your partner's pregnancy. Mum-to-be should be feeling less queasy, the initial surge of pregnancy hormones should have settled down and though she's swelling slowly, she's not huge yet. Why not enjoy yourselves and make the most of it - dinner at your favourite restaurant, or a weekend break at a hotel that offers massage and spa facilities especially for pregnant women. If you decide to treat yourselves to an overseas holiday, check with the midwife or doctor first about travel.

Now that you've had time to think about the implications of starting a family, it's natural for some anxieties to creep in. How will you juggle your work and home life? What about the finances? Will a baby change your relationship with mum-to-be? These are all common concerns and are worth thinking about but try not to let them grow out of proportion to your family's real needs.

Was that baby on the move?

Sometime during the second trimester mum-to-be will feel your baby moving inside her. You, on the other hand, won't see any of the action until a while later. Depending on whether you're the laid-back or impatient type will determine how this makes you feel.

Lots of expectant dads are wary about putting any pressure on the bump from the outside, thinking they could hurt the baby. In fact, there's a huge amount of padding involved so don't be afraid to press your hand gently but firmly onto your partner's skin. A good way to make sure you're not doing any harm is to let her put a hand over yours and guide you.

There's no telling when your baby will start kicking hard enough for you to feel from the outside. But soon enough, those little kicks, jerks and even hiccups will be obvious, a physical sign that fatherhood, with its shocks, surprises and sleepless nights, is hurtling towards you at breakneck speed.

Take some pictures

Even though your partner may not want a permanent record of her ever increasing size right now, chances are she'll treasure any pregnancy photos later on. And thinking even further ahead, they're also a wonderful keepsake for your child.

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