You’ve made it through your first trimester, and now, at thirteen weeks along, 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. As your waistline thickens and the pressure is relieved from your bladder, you may 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 it may cause you to think that you need to seek medical attention. While this pain is common and normal, you should always call your healthcare provider if you have questions.
If these pains are accompanied by blood leakage or any other type of fluid loss, 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.
You may still be experiencing heartburn in the chest and throat. 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 thirteenth week of pregnancy comes and goes, many significant changes are happening to your baby. It’s almost three inches long and weighs between 0.7 and 0.8 ounces at this point.
There is still plenty of room to grow inside 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 their proper place.
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 hits another milestone — 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 or creams to try to stop the stretch-marks from forming.
Baby oil is a great option many women use. Simply lather yourself up as soon as you’re done bathing; as you would with any other lotion. Make sure you hit all areas mentioned in the beginning of this section.
Next is pregnancy at 14 weeks.
Photo credit: Lara McCrary 13 weeks pregnant ultrasound