The first trimester is almost over, which is good news! The risk of a miscarriage has dropped significantly at 13 weeks pregnant.
Your placenta is now fully developed and if you haven’t already started to show, you should by now. You’ll also feel renewed energy and less mood swings. Here’s what to expect this week.
Your Growing Baby
At week 13, your baby has grown to about 7cm long which is about the size of a peach and weighs about ond ounce. Her nose and lips are completely formed, and she’ll begin to produce and excrete urine. She’ll spend her time in your womb flexing her developing muscles and joints. Her bone marrow is making white blood cells to help fight infection after she’s born. Another new development this week is your baby’s vocal cords, which she’ll start to use once she’s born!
13 WEEKS PREGNANT SYMPTOMS
Constipation: During pregnancy, your bowel muscles relax and fail to move things around as ineffectively as they used to and this can leave you feeling very uncomfortable. Add some high-fibre snacks to your diet – fruit, vegetables and whole grains are good options.
Leukorrhea: Having a thin, milky, mild-smelling or odourless discharge is a perfectly normal symptom and it is caused by the production of oestrogen during pregnancy. It keeps the birth canal healthy and prevents it from infection during pregnancy. This might be time to start wearing panty liners as this vaginal discharge can cause a mess.
More energy: Finally! Now the placenta is taking over, you should feel a small burst of energy. Consider using this energy to do something good like starting birth classes and try adding some exercise to your routine, not too much though!
Heartburn: As pregnancy progresses, the muscle at the top of the stomach relaxes and this allows digestive acid to rise and cause burning in the chest. Avoid spicy or fatty foods and keep those antacids handy!
Visible veins: They might be ugly to look out, but these are great importance during pregnancy and are a sign of the increased blood supply to your growing baby.
YOUR GROWING BELLY AND BODY
At 13 weeks pregnant, your placenta will be fully developed but will continue to grow in size as your pregnancy progresses. Your baby gets enough oxygen and nutrients from the placenta through the umbilical cord. The placenta also functions to get rid of waste products such as carbon dioxide and producing important hormones needed for your baby’s development. Depending on your body and your baby, you might also see the first signs of that baby bump as it usually shows up between 12 and 16 weeks. You can now get ready to announce to family and friends that you’re expecting. You might want to double check for twins if you find you’ve been showing for weeks amd your clothes barely fit. But don’t worry if your first ultrasound has confirmed there’s only one little bun in the oven, it could mean you’re further along than you thought or you’re just bloated.
13 WEEKS PREGNANT ULTRASOUND
YOUR baby’s skin is still see through which makes it possible to view the growing veins, internal organs and blood vessels. It’s still too difficult to determine the gender of an unborn child through an ultrasound at 13 WEEKS. You might also see your baby making jerky movements, kicking his legs and flexing those tiny arms, but it is still too early for you to feel him kick against your belly.
PREGNANCY TO-DO LIST
Start yoga exercises!
