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.
How Big is Your Baby?
At 13 weeks, your baby is as big as a star apple. He/she is around 7.4 cm and weighs 22.9 gm.
Your 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 his/her body. But now his/her body is growing faster. His/her legs continue to lengthen, but this week, his/her arms will catch up to be proportionate with his/her body.
- He now also has small fingerprints and a beautiful set of well-defined eyes and ears.
- You might even spot him sticking his/her thumb in his/her mouth and start sucking away during the ultrasounds. This is probably the first few encounters when your baby is discovering this motion, a survival skill he will need when he’s delivered in a few months’ time.
- All of your baby’s essential organs and systems are formed and fully functioning.
- Your baby’s testes or ovaries are fully developed now at pregnancy week 13. The genitals are forming outside his/her 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! He has begun swallowing amniotic fluid and excreting urine, recycling the full volume of fluid every few hours. He also produces meconium, a black sticky substance that becomes your newborn’s first poop.
- Your little one can probably hear you speak to him from the outside. So whisper all those loving words!
- His/her 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 the age of 17, the number of eggs would have dropped to an average of about 700,000!
Pregnancy 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 a renewed sense of energy. (These are, indeed, 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’re having food cravings. As long as they’re safe for the baby, just indulge in them.
- To make space for your growing baby, your uterus expands. This forces other internal organs to shift their position 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 along with it you have a fever, cough and sore throat, call your doctor as you may have an infection.
ALSO READ:
Do Mood Swings Get Worse In The Second Trimester? Here’s The Truth!
What Are the 3 Trimesters of Pregnancy? A Guide for Pregnant Women
Baby on the Way? Here’s Your Ultimate Second Trimester Checklist!
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 on 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
Here at theAsianparent Singapore, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Singapore is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.
