The thirteenth week of Pregnancy
Your changing body
You have officially entered the golden stage of pregnancy. You start looking pregnant as your baby is growing fast and occupying more room. Your Uterus has grown quite a bit and feels like a small soft ball. As your baby grows, you also start gaining weight.
In addition to the darkening of your areolas, the veins in your breasts become more prominent. As your Uterus continues to grow, you may start feeling some aching or discomfort in your abdomen, which is often referred to as Round ligament pain.
The Ligaments surrounding your Uterus will stretch in the following weeks to accommodate your baby and this stretching often results in this pain and usually presents as a brief but sharp or stabbing pain in your abdomen. If severe, analgesics can be taken.
You have sailed through the unpleasant first Trimester complaints of pregnancy like nausea, feelings of exhaustion and peeing frequently. As you step in the second trimester, you can now heave a sigh of relief for these will subside eventually.
Your growing baby
Though your baby is growing at a rapid pace, he/she is still tiny and is just around 7 cm in length and 23 g in weight at week 13 and is as big as a shrimp. While your baby’s head is still quite large, his/her body is starting to catch up.
Your little one’s fingerprints are formed on the tiny fingers. Your baby’s liver will start producing Insulin that helps your baby regulate his/her blood sugar later in life. If you are expecting a girl, her ovaries must have started producing eggs by around this week and these will be approximately around two million.
Tips for the thirteenth week of pregnancy
Nothing can be more annoying than the sight of the ugly stretch marks. With plenty of creams available in the market, there may be hardly some (medicated) that work to lessen it to some extent. Some natural oils like chamomile, neroli, wheat germ oil, vitamin E oil taken under the prescription of your doctor can also be of great help.
Apart from this, just try to maintain a healthy weight throughout your pregnancy. Eat a well balanced diet consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables. Restrict consumption of fatty foods, ready to eat convenience foods containing additives and preservatives thereby affecting your fluid retention.
Hydrate yourself well by drinking plenty of fluids (water, fresh fruit juices) which will not only keep your body temperature normal but also keep your skin supple. What if you are a working expecting mum? If you have a relatively easy pregnancy and your obstetrician has not raised any objections, you can continue working right till the end of your pregnancy.
It is not advisable to work in an environment where you are exposed to hazards such as radiation, tobacco smoke, toxic chemicals etc. It can also be physically pressurizing, if you have to stand for more than 3 hrs a day because of your job requirements.
To make yourself comfortable at your job, you can put your foot up on a stool to relieve pressure on your lower back. Make sure that you take small regular breaks and go for a short walk to escape from work stress.
Activities for the thirteenth week of pregnancy
Now that your early symptoms are gone and you are filled with renewed energy, get in touch (and share) with more women in your league−you can make new friends too!
Supplements to be taken during the thirteenth week of pregnancy
Folic acid supplements, iron and calcium supplements.
Common problems in the thirteenth week of pregnancy
In most cases simply relaxing can relieve Round ligament pain. If you have pain, be sure to rest comfortably and discontinue any activity that was the cause of your discomfort. If the pain around the tummy (round ligament pain) is accompanied by cramps, bleeding or vomiting you should call your doctor immediately.
If you have a pet, avoid too much contact with your pet to prevent toxoplasmosis, an infection that can pose a significant risk to your unborn baby.
Other problems experienced around this period are heartburn, leg cramps and back ache. You could help yourself ease the cramps by stretching the affected area.
Common tests in the thirteenth week of pregnancy
Your antenatal visit will include monitoring of your weight and blood pressure. Ultrasonography (also commonly know as Ultrasound) will also be scheduled by your obstetrician to track the progress of your growing foetus, detect multiple pregnancies as well as to confirm your due date.
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