Pregnancy – Week 13

This week you’ll be able to see the first signs of a visible bump as your uterus enlarges at a noticeable rate. The blue veins in your breasts may be a lot more obvious and your nipples may have become darker.

Mum

Your uterus is filling your pelvis now and growing upward into your abdomen. Now that you’re starting to feel better, if you’ve been suffering morning sickness, you may start to gain more weight.

If you haven’t noticed already, this is the time you may see the linea nigra which is a dark line running from your belly button to your pelvic bone.

Colostrum is the fluid that will feed your baby during the first few days after birth before your milk comes in. Your breasts might begin to already make colostrum at this time.

Bub

The fetus is fully formed now and approximately 7-8cm (3 inches) long with unique fingerprints already. Baby weighs about 25 grams (close to 1 ounce), about the size of a peach. He can now turn his head from side to side.

The hormone that controls blood glucose, insulin, is now being produced by baby. Soon you will feel the first flutters within when he kicks and moves. Bub developed rapidly during the first three months. Now there will be another period of speedy growth for the next three months and baby’s weight will quadruple during this time.

Ankles and wrists have formed and external genitalia are becoming visible as well as the intestines shifting into their place.

Tips

You may start feeling ravenous once you stop feeling sick so snack on healthy vegetables or fruit salad.
Your partner may be feeling left out of the pregnancy so suggest he go to a check up with you to hear the baby’s heartbeat.