12 Weeks Pregnant

Baby’s Development

• At week 12 of pregnancy, your baby and yourself have reached an important milestone, as you’ve reached the end of the 1st Trimester! This week is a big turning point for your baby, as most of the systems are fully formed, but baby now goes through lots of maturing.
• The lungs have now taken shape with primitive breathing motions beginning. The swallowing reflex has been mastered as the baby sucks his/her thumb whilst floating blissfully in the amniotic fluid.
• Your baby’s reflexes are now active, so baby can open and close his/her fingers, curl the toes, squint, purse his/her lips, and respond to your movement or gentle patting and prodding with a kick with it’s feet (although you may not feel it). Your baby’s digestive system is starting to practice, white blood cells are being produced to be able to one day fight infection, and the pituitary gland at the base of the brain is now producing hormones. It’s all happening for your baby.
• The placenta has reached complete functional maturity, so now acts as your baby’s lungs, kidney’s, liver, digestive and immune system. It is really quite mind boggling, when you realise just how incredible your body is being able to make all this happen!

What’s Happening For You

• If you haven’t seen your doctor or a care provider by now, then it would be a good time to do that. Choosing your team early really is the key to getting what you really want. As a guide, most women will see their care provider about once a month until about 28 weeks pregnant, then once a fortnight until they are around 26 weeks pregnant, and then weekly checks up until birth.
• At 12 weeks pregnant, your care provider will be able to feel how your uterus has grown, by feeling the top of the uterus (the fundus), which will be sitting just above your pubic bone. You may have a bump now, and may be wearing maternity clothes, especially if this is a subsequent pregnancy. Be mindful not to compare yourself or your size with other women, as you are special and unique and everyone is different. You are the perfect size for you and for your baby!
• You may get to hear your baby’s fetal heart beat now at one of your check ups, which is such a beautiful sound for any pregnant couple!
• Now that your uterus is beginning to move up above your pelvis, you may have noticed that that constant urge to go to the toilet is settling down, and you are not needing to urinate quite so often!
• You may be noticing some of the discomforts (nausea, breast tenderness, food aversions and fatigue) that you had been experiencing previously are now settling down (or not). The release of the hormone progesterone, causes your blood vessels to relax and widen at around 12 weeks, so that baby gets increased blood flow. This increased flow, can slow the return of blood to yourself, causing you to feel slightly dizzy and experience low blood pressure. Dizziness and headaches can also be caused by low blood sugar levels, so remember to ensure you are eating regularly with lots of nutritious foods. Deep diaphragmatic breathing can also help with dizziness or that lightheaded feeling.
• Enjoy the return of your energy, and your skin really starting to glow now! You are beautiful in every way, so it’s time to really embrace your pregnant body and fall in love with what your incredible body is doing!

Read more about what to expect next week.