13 Weeks Pregnant : What to Expec
Reviewed by Dr. Shawn A. Tassone, OB/GYN.
You’ve made it through your first trimester, and now at 13 weeks pregnant, you’ve entered your second trimester! You’ve still got a long way to go, but the worst of it should be over as long as you stay healthy, continue to eat right, and exercise accordingly.
Symptoms and Body Changes at 13 Weeks
Finally, the pressure on your bladder begins to subside as the uterus grows up and out of your pelvic bones. Some women may start experiencing pregnancy pelvic pain at this time if they haven’t already. Your waistline thickens and there’s no denying you’re pregnant. As your waistline thickens and the pressure is relieved from your bladder, you might begin to experience abdominal pains. You may also begin to experience round ligament pain as the ligaments that support your uterus stretch and pull. This pain can be severe, and make you think that you need to seek medical attention. While this pain is common and normal, you should always call your provider with questions. If you’re experiencing blood, leakage, or any other type of fluid loss while these pains are occurring, you should definitely make an appointment with your healthcare provider immediately, as this could be a sign of something much more serious such as miscarriage. Heartburn could still be occurring in the chest and throat since the stomach acids from your stomach and food pipe are passing the acid back and forth with no intervention. This irritates the lining of the stomach and causes the heartburn. Your breasts are still growing and are probably extremely sensitive due to the colostrum they are producing. Your breasts are preparing for lactation and the mammary ducts are growing larger. Hang in there, Mom!
Baby’s Development
As the 13th week of pregnancy comes and goes, many significant changes are happening to your baby. It’s almost 3 inches long and weighs between 0.7 and 0.8 ounces at this point. There is still plenty of room to grow inside of the uterus, and your fetus now looks more like a baby, only extremely tiny. Its eyes are moving away from the sides of the head and are drawing closer to one another, and the fine hairs that make up the eyebrows are coming together. As your baby continues to grow, so does its abdomen, allowing the intestines to continue to move into that direction. The pancreas begins to produce insulin, which is critical for regulating sugar levels after childbirth and later in life. As the bones continue to harden, the placenta provides nutrients, vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oxygen. The placenta also allows the transfer of blood via the bloodstream from mom to baby. Your baby also hits another milestone as it has a functional intestinal system at this point.
Pregnancy Week 13 Tips
You may begin to see stretch marks around your abdomen, breasts, hips, and buttocks. Gaining weight slowly can help reduce the chances of getting stretch marks, so it’s important you stick to a well balanced diet. Talk with your healthcare provider before applying any lotions, creams, or topicals to try and stop the marks from forming. There are several brands of skin care products made specifically for pregnant moms including Bloom and Blossom and Belli Pregnancy. Next is pregnancy at 14 weeks.
