How far along: 13weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Maintaining same weight (no weight gain, no weight loss)
Maternity clothes: Regular clothes – but a little tight.
Stretch marks: None!
Sleep: Evening out.
Best moments this week: NT scan and MFM appointment went AWESOME (will be in another post)
Belly button in or out?: Innie
Craving: none.
What I am looking forward to: a positive outcome!
belly pic: Soon to come.
PreEclampsia Watch: No signs.
Maternity clothes: Regular clothes – but a little tight.
Stretch marks: None!
Sleep: Evening out.
Best moments this week: NT scan and MFM appointment went AWESOME (will be in another post)
Belly button in or out?: Innie
Craving: none.
What I am looking forward to: a positive outcome!
belly pic: Soon to come.
PreEclampsia Watch: No signs.
Your Baby: M Is For Muscles, N Is For Nerves, O Is For Organs
Weighing approximately 0.5 to 0.7 ounces and measuring 3 inches (almost 8 cm) long, the fetus has plenty of room to grow inside your uterus. Initially, the eyes on the fetus are on the sides, but in this week they move to the front and appear closer together (to begin the makings of the face). Likewise in this week, the ears move to the proper position on the sides of the head.
What's up with your baby? Well, besides being as large as a peach now, that big old noggin of hers is now about half the size of her crown-to-rump length (that’s one reason why your little peach looks more like an alien from outer space at this point). By the time you give birth, her body will catch up, measuring three-quarters of her total size. What else is going on in there? Tiny bones are beginning to form in her arms and legs, the intestines are beginning to move from the umbilical cord to the abdomen, and the vocal cords are well under construction (the first step toward saying, "I love you, Mommy!"). And because she can move her arms and legs in a jerky fashion, she may be able to get her thumb into her mouth (a habit that may come in handy for self-soothing when she’s a newborn).
Your Body: Second Trimester Tales
For some women, this week begins what is sometimes referred to as the "golden period," when the risk of miscarriage has decreased -- though not disappeared entirely -- and you can feel comfortable sharing your extraordinary news. With that, the fatigue, nausea, and other first-trimester side effects may disappear, your sleeping should improve, and you might even enjoy a surge of energy. In general, you might feel more like the "old" you.
Around this time, you will also notice a few baby-related changes. Being pregnant will probably feel more real to you. Sometime around week 10 to 12, your doctor may have listened to the baby's heartbeat using Doppler ultrasound, and, in another few weeks, you will probably start feeling little flurries inside. Those butterfly-like sensations are the baby, making its presence felt for the first time!
You may also feel like there is a transition from feeling fat to looking pregnant. Total strangers in the grocery store might wish you well or inquire as to which month you're in. And if you take public transportation, something out of the ordinary may happen -- someone might actually offer you a seat!
Keep in mind that not all women at this point are without symptoms and sensations. There is, in fact, a whole new set of aches and pains, along with potential problems and complications that may set in. You might suffer from back, abdomen, or leg cramps, and you may experience heartburn. Your skin may act strangely (darken, grow more moles, or skin tags), and you might experience bouts of constipation. Look on the upside -- you're 1/3 of the way there!
