Congratulations on crossing the first trimester. You are officially in the honeymoon period of your pregnancy: the second trimester and week 13 of your pregnancy.
Pregnancy Week 13: Baby
You have a long way to go before you meet your little one, but it’s important to remember that they’re still developing—and they’re already closer than you think.
The skeleton is starting to form, and the baby can move around in the womb. The lungs are also developing, and your baby can begin breathing amniotic fluid if he or she wants to.
Your doctor will check for signs of pregnancy complications at this appointment. Your doctor may also do an ultrasound at this time if desired.
Baby’s Growth
At 13 weeks, your baby is as big as a star apple. They are around 7.4 cm and weigh 22.9 gm.
You’re at week 13 of your pregnancy, and this week, your baby’s developing organs and tissues are starting to form—including its heart and lungs. It’s also starting to develop fingerprints and hair follicles.
In addition to developing organs and tissues, your baby has been growing fat stores for the past few weeks. These fat stores will help your baby grow. Your body has also been storing iron for the last few weeks, which will help its blood cells produce haemoglobin (the protein that carries oxygen).
Baby’s Development
In this week-by-week pregnancy guide, you’ll learn that:
- So far, the growth of your baby’s head has been outpacing its body. But now their body is growing faster. Their legs continue to lengthen, but this week, their arms will catch up to be proportionate with their body.
- They also have small fingerprints and a beautiful set of well-defined eyes and ears.
- You might even spot him sticking their thumb in their mouth and sucking away during the ultrasounds. This is probably the first few encounters when your baby discovers this motion, a survival skill he will need when he’s delivered in a few months.
- All of your baby’s essential organs and systems are formed and fully functioning.
- Your baby’s testes or ovaries are fully developed at pregnancy week 13. The genitals are forming outside their body, though it’s still early to be a hundred per cent sure about the gender unless the Harmony Prenatal test and Non-invasive Prenatal test are done.
- Your baby is already able to pee! They have begun swallowing amniotic fluid and excreting urine, recycling the full fluid volume every few hours. They also produce meconium, a black sticky substance that becomes your newborn’s first poop.
- Your little one can probably hear you speak to them from the outside. So whisper all those loving words!
- Their heartbeats are loud and clear.
- Here’s an interesting fact in this week-by-week pregnancy guide: If you’re bearing a female baby, she now has about two million eggs in her ovaries which will reduce to half that upon birth. By 17, the number of eggs would have dropped to an average of about 700,000!
Baby’s Hearing
At 13 weeks pregnant, your baby’s hearing is developing. It’s still too early for your baby to hear you, but his or her hearing is developing rapidly. The outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear are all forming now and will continue to grow until about week 20.
Your baby can recognise the sound of your voice and may even turn toward it when you’re talking!
When you talk or sing to your baby, your voice will be transmitted through the fluid and tissues in your uterus. This allows your baby to hear sounds familiar to you, such as your voice or music you play regularly.
Baby’s Teeth
The baby’s teeth and gums are developing inside the womb. The teeth will come in behind the baby’s gums, so they won’t be visible until they emerge. Their developing teeth are called “milk teeth” because they will be replaced by permanent teeth when your child is about six years old.
Baby’s Movement
Babies start moving around in their mother’s womb from about week 16.
As your baby becomes more active, you may begin to feel his or her movements. Early on, these movements may feel like gas bubbles or butterflies in your tummy. Later on, you might notice your baby’s movements as kicks and punches.
You’ll also notice that the sensation of movement gets stronger as your baby grows bigger and heavier. This is because your baby’s bones are becoming harder and more flexible as they grow. They may also be able to move more easily now that they have more room to stretch out!
Pregnancy Week 13: Your Body
Congratulations! You’ve made it to week 13 of your pregnancy. You’re probably starting to feel like you can’t move as fast or do as much as you used to. But you should feel proud of yourself for all your work so far—it’s pretty amazing that you’ve managed to carry a baby for this long!
Now, let’s talk about what’s going on in that bump of yours.
Your uterus is the size of a pear now, and your baby is about the size of a kiwi. The placenta is fully formed and attached to the uterus wall (you can feel it if you press on your belly). Your baby is getting ready for birth by moving around inside and practising breathing techniques with each contraction.
Your breasts are probably feeling more tender than ever before. This is called engorgement, which happens when they fill with milk in preparation for breastfeeding after birth. It can be uncomfortable but shouldn’t last more than a few days—keep drinking lots of water and massaging them gently with cool compresses until they return to normal size again!
Symptoms
- You are probably feeling better than before. Pregnancy discomfort such as nausea and fatigue should be greatly reduced by now, and you may even find that you have renewed energy. (These are the best news in this week-by-week pregnancy guide.)
- With morning sickness out of the list, you may be noticing your appetite coming back. Don’t be surprised if you have food cravings. As long as they’re safe for the baby, indulge in them.
- To make space for your growing baby, your uterus expands. This forces other internal organs to shift upward to accommodate the new being. You may experience some discomfort around your ribcage area, which, sorry to say, may worsen as your bump expands. You may also feel the occasional cramping brought about by gas or round ligament pain.
- You may also notice that your nose has become more stuffy lately. This is probably due to hormones and increased blood volume. However, if you have a fever, cough and sore throat, call your doctor, as you may have an infection.
Maternal Weight Gain
Congratulations! You’re in your second trimester!
This week, you’ll gain about 1 pound.
You might be feeling more energetic and ready to take on the world. But don’t get too excited—your body is still working hard to grow a baby, which takes up many calories. It’s normal to gain a little weight during pregnancy, but we want to ensure you’re not gaining too much.
We recommend gaining between 25 and 35 pounds during pregnancy. If you’ve already gained more than that and still have a couple of months left in your pregnancy, try not to panic! Gaining too much weight can lead to complications like gestational diabetes and high blood pressure, but losing the extra pounds is impossible once your baby is born. Keep track of what you eat and exercise regularly (if possible).
Nutrition
As your body changes, it will look for more calories than ever. In fact, between now and the end of your third trimester, you’ll need about 300 extra calories per day—and that’s on top of the 2,000 or so you’re already eating every day. That might seem like a lot in one sitting, but don’t worry: you can find all those calories in healthy foods like fruit and veggies.
So how do those 300 calories break down? Well…
- 100 to 150 extra calories from fat—you’ll want to choose healthy fats like nuts and avocado instead of cheese or fatty meats.
- 50 to 75 extra calories from protein-protein help build muscle mass for labour and breastfeeding later on, plus keeps you full longer than carbs do! Try adding fish or eggs to your diet instead of meat or cheese sometimes (or try an all-vegetable meal once in a while).
Image Source: iStock
Pregnancy Care: Your Checklist For Week 13 of Pregnancy
- Pregnancy gingivitis may strike, especially if oral care is not in place. If you’ve been throwing up quite a bit, keep cavities at bay by brushing and flossing regularly.
- Usually, Asian families hold this best-kept secret until the pregnancy reaches the second trimester. Now is when you may want to find a creative way to announce your pregnancy to family and friends.
- An important reminder in this week-by-week pregnancy guide is to schedule an OSCAR test if you wish to screen for fetal abnormalities. Tests can only be done till week 14.
- Since you have more energy now, you may be in the mood to exercise and do physical activities. Check this list of what sports and exercises are allowed for pregnant women.
- If you’ve been bitten by the travel bug but have been holding on because of morning sickness, you’ll be pleased to know that the second trimester is the safest time for pregnant women to travel. Plan your babymoon now.
Your next week: 14 weeks pregnant
Your previous week: 12 weeks pregnant
Updates from Pheona Ilagan
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