You are 12 weeks and 1 day

This is a good time to start telling the important people in your life, before they guess for themselves.

195 days until your due date

Now that you're in the second trimester and have had your dating scan, you may want to tell a wider circle. You can feel confident doing so, knowing the risk of miscarriage is no more than 1 percent after week 12, and your belly will soon start to show anyway, making it hard to hide.

If you've kept the secret for three months, announcing it can be a huge relief and a lovely experience. But be ready for a flood of advice and other people's pregnancy and birth stories!

Telling some people can be hard. Be sensitive to friends who want children but are struggling to conceive; they may find it difficult to share your happiness straight away. It's better to tell them face to face than let them hear it secondhand. If they don't react positively or don't want to talk about your pregnancy all the time, give them time to adjust. They can be sad for themselves and happy for you at the same time.

Time to think about

Second trimester tests

If you haven't had a nuchal translucency scan, you'll be offered blood tests this trimester to screen for Down syndrome:

The triple test, at 16–18 weeks, measures hCG, AFP, and estriol.
The quadruple test, at 15–22 weeks, measures inhibin A as well as those three.

Focus on

Your body: Become a clothes cheat!

Your clothes may be feeling tight, but you're probably not ready for voluminous maternity wear, so get creative. Bridge the gap between button and buttonhole with a rubber band, or sew in an elastic panel. If your partner is bigger than you, raid his wardrobe: his T-shirts, shirts, and sweaters can be gathered in with a low-slung belt.

Check what you already have: empire-line dresses will last most of your pregnancy, loose smock tops can be layered over fitted T-shirts, and low-slung pants can sit under your belly with an oversized shirt on top. The one thing worth buying is a pair of stretchy maternity pants with an adjustable waist.

This is general information based on NHS guidance, not medical advice, and every pregnancy is different. Talk to your midwife or GP about anything that worries you. If your baby's movements slow down or change, or you have bleeding, severe pain or leaking fluid, call your maternity unit straight away. In an emergency, call 999.

Second trimester tests

Your body: Become a clothes cheat!

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