Week 13 of pregnancy: Are you starting to feel a little heavier?

week 13 pregnancy

In «Mothers Today» we continue our exciting journey, to finally arrive at week 13 of pregnancy. It seems almost incredible, but almost without realizing it we are already entering the beginning of the second quarter. Our body continues to change, and a lot, in fact it is at this time when we can start to take on more weight than is convenient, therefore, it is important that we always take care of our diet and lifestyle habits.

It is at this time that many women are free of nausea. However, as always happens when it comes to pregnancy, each of us will experience it in a different way. So, do not be guided by the pregnancy that your friends or other family members have gone through. Take care of your body and listen to it as if it were unique. Taking care of yourself and enjoying this process is your only obligation, and we explain everything that can happen inside you in this 13th week of pregnancy.

Week 13 of pregnancy, the fetus's organs are increasingly functional

week 13 pregnancy

At this moment, and even if you can't see it - or almost believe it - your baby may be yawning, turning his head, kicking, and may even have his first "fit" of hiccups. Its development is unstoppable and wonderful, so much so that cell proliferation follows its established patterns creating new structures, new possibilities and functionalities.

Let's look at some aspects in more detail.

A few more grams and a much more mature skeleton

The fetus measures just over 7 centimeters and weighs about 25 grams. The baby's skeleton is already developing the clavicle and femur area. All of this encourages it to "stretch out" and to acquire, more and more, an aspect "slightly" similar to ours. In fact, even his features are being modeled with softer, more profiled features.

  • Cartilage also continues with its slow process, and in this phase, despite the fact that our baby has a more human appearance, it can be said that his body grows faster than the head, hence it still seems somewhat disproportionate to us.
  • The arms already have a more balanced proportion with respect to the hands, and these are already more functional. In fact, as scientists explain, it is throughout this week when the baby can test his sense of touch by already touching the umbilical cord.

Fascinating, there is no doubt.

(Below we show you the partial video of an ultrasound in week 13, you can check the functionality of the baby's limbs)

Organs of the fetus

  • Along with the skeleton, the baby's organs continue to grow by leaps and bounds. So much so that the stomach and intestines already take a definitive shape, especially the latter, which have already migrated from the umbilical cord to the abdomen.

  • One aspect that undoubtedly catches our attention is that it is in the 13th week of pregnancy when your vocal cords have already matured. Something that we will notice when he comes into the world, something that will bind us to our children forever: the tone of his voice, speech, language, communication.
  • Along with the vocal cords, the salivary glands also mature, which begin to function.
  • The spleen and liver will eliminate the old red blood cells and also produce more antibodies.
  • The lungs, meanwhile, continue to form. In fact, one of the most decisive moments of the 13th week of pregnancy is when the baby begins to take its first breaths (oxygen is received in the umbilical cord blood).
  • Your baby's heartbeat can already be heard on ultrasound scans.
  • The pituitary gland of the fetus begins to manufacture hormones and release them in the body of the little one. A very exciting stage without a doubt. Now, despite the fact that in the ultrasounds that we do between the 11th and 14th weeks of pregnancy, the sex of the baby can already be seen, we will know it with greater security in the following weeks.

week 13 pregnancy

The 13th week of pregnancy in the mother: Should I do something special?

What we must do, as we have indicated at the beginning, is to take care of ourselves and enjoy the pregnancy insofar as possible. It is very likely that at this stage you no longer have nausea, that you notice your body a little more "integrated" and that already offers you more security.

  • Your pregnancy is already visible, and without a doubt, you will have bought maternity clothes with which, feel comfortable at all times. All of these are small rituals that are always carried out with enthusiasm. Now, not only will your pregnancy be more visible, but you will also notice it on your skin and in your hair, due to that increase in hormones in our body they will look brighter, more lustrous.
  • Another detail to take into account is undoubtedly "swelling", noticing the swollen legs or even experience how suddenly our nose can bleed. Do not worry, it is something normal, and it is due to that volume of blood that ascends through our body towards the chest and respiratory tract. It is something punctual.
  • One part of your body that you will also notice different is your breasts. They are growing, and this is because you are starting to make colostrum. Although we still have a few months to go until delivery, that fluid full of nutrients that will feed your baby is already beginning to be created little by little.

To end this, comment that almost all medical centers perform a combination of two or three medical tests during the first trimester (between the 11th to 14th week of pregnancy) to detect chromosomal abnormalities.

Thanks to these tests (ultrasound, analysis of the crease of the neck of the fetus, and blood tests) we will be able to know if we are at risk of suffering a spontaneous abortion or if the baby has a chromosomal abnormality, such as Down syndrome. It is something that each family can value, however, in some cases it can cause us unnecessary stress. It is something personal that we can take into account or not.

Hopefully these data regarding the 13th week of pregnancy have helped you. We will continue with the next stage shortly.


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