What happens to mom and baby in the 12th week of pregnancy

Conventionally, this is the last week of the first trimester of pregnancy. At the 12th week of pregnancy, the period associated with a high risk of miscarriage ends.

Most unpleasant symptoms of pregnancy, such as nausea, frequent urination, or chronic fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance, are eliminated. At the end of week 12, the second, more pleasant trimester begins.

12 weeks of pregnancy - what happens to the baby?

The baby is growing by leaps and bounds - in the last 3 weeks he has doubled his size! The head and the rapidly developing brain are half the length of the body.

Counting from the top of the head to the buttocks, its height reached about 6.3 cm, and it weighs 14 grams. This volume is close to the size of a large plum.

1. In the twelfth week of pregnancy, the fingernails begin to grow, and the rudiments of hair follicles appear on the skin.
2. Heart beats from 120 to 160 times per minute. In the jaw bones appear the beginnings of permanent teeth.
3. The digestive system is “trained” by peristaltic movements to move food.
4. The bone marrow produces white blood cells - it is thanks to them that the baby will be able to fight germs after birth.
5. The baby's pituitary gland begins to produce hormones. It is necessary to check the level of hormones and pregnant.
6. A child learns to open his mouth and swallow the amniotic fluid.
7. The baby reacts to stimuli coming from the outside, for example, strong pressure, sudden body movements.
8. The amount of amniotic fluid increases, the fruit in them freely floats.
9. The formation of the lungs, pancreas and thyroid gland is ending.
10. At the 12th week of pregnancy, the skin and muscles of the fetus begin to get rough, and the cartilage tissue is replaced by bone.
11. The skin gets a pink tint, but it is still so thin that blood vessels are visible through it.
12. Although most of the child’s systems in the 12th week of pregnancy are already fully formed, many organs still need to grow.

The fetus has already formed external genitals, but on ultrasound they are not recognized in all cases. Very often, in such an early stage, the labia of the girls is highly hypertrophied and can be mistakenly interpreted as “something” between the legs. Therefore, it is better to believe sex assessment already at 15-16 weeks of pregnancy.

Changes in the body of the future mother

Complaints typical of the first trimester of pregnancy begin to gradually recede into the background.

Former fatigue and sleepiness remain, as a rule, they are replaced by energy and desire to act.

1. The future mother's heart is now beating a little faster. Do not worry if you have a high pulse during pregnancy, this organism adapts to work with an increased volume of blood that circulates in it.
2. Clothes start to push in the waist? Yes it is possible! In the 12th week of pregnancy, the uterus is larger than the grapefruit. Most women already feel that the baby has grown up, he needs more and more space for healthy development, so you should wear looser clothes.
3. A woman may notice that she began to sweat more than before pregnancy. The cause of excessive sweating are hormonal changes in the body. Sometimes excessive sweating is a consequence of disorders in the functioning of the thyroid gland. As a rule, it is accompanied by symptoms such as hand tremor, insomnia, irritability. Although problems with the thyroid gland rarely appear in women who did not have them before pregnancy.
4. Sometimes there are complaints of dizziness. These ailments are a consequence of the disproportion between the rapidly growing volume of blood vessels and the volume of blood. It should spend a lot of time in the fresh air, drink clean water.
5. Changes that occur in the first trimester of pregnancy in a woman's body, contribute to love. Increased blood supply and blood flow in the pelvic and perineal, so the genitals are better supplied with blood. Increased vaginal hydration and sensitivity increase the feeling of closeness between partners.

Discharge and pain in 12 obstetric week of pregnancy

The unpleasant ailments of the first trimester of pregnancy gradually disappear. The old feeling of fatigue and sleepiness is replaced by the injection of positive energy for work. But there are situations in which you can determine whether everything is fine with pregnancy.

The tingling of the lower abdomen at the 12th week of pregnancy is in most cases caused by an enlarging uterus and a stretching of the ligaments supporting it. A pregnant woman may experience only light tingling in the lower abdomen, and this is completely normal. Sometimes, it is also a sign that the expectant mother is too physically active.

If the discharge from the genital tract is abundant, but colorless / transparent and odorless, this is also a normal physiological state. To preserve the feeling of freshness, you should stock up on sanitary pads and regularly change them.

Be vigilant if itching or burning of the intimate areas appears and the discharge becomes whitish or yellowish and begins to emit an unpleasant odor. This may indicate an infection that occurs quite often during pregnancy.

A pregnant woman may experience pain in the ovaries during the initial weeks when they adapt to pregnancy. However, in the 12th week of pregnancy, the ovaries should no longer be felt. Therefore, if pain occurs in this area, and, moreover, when it is accompanied by bleeding and fever, you should contact your gynecologist as soon as possible.

Sometimes the pain that occurs after intercourse may indicate inflammation of the appendages. This is also a signal that you should immediately consult a doctor.

Analyzes and examinations, photo of the fetus

Planned ultrasound (US) falls on the 12-14 week of pregnancy. Often colloquially referred to as genetic ultrasound. At this time, the embryo is already taking the form of a formed person.

During the study, you can pre-assess the structure of the head, torso, limbs, internal organs. You can see and hear the work of the heart, clearly visible movement.

Genetic research, in addition to standard measurements performed with each planned ultrasound, is also based on the measurement of the so-called productive parameter that evaluates the edema of the subcutaneous tissue in the region of the collar space of the fetus.

This is the distance between the subcutaneous tissue and the skin at the height of the fetal neck. An increased value implies that the fetus has genetic defects such as Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome or other abnormalities.

Genetic ultrasound is performed exactly in 12-14 weeks, because the algorithm considers the risk of developing genetic diseases, designed for embryos, 45-84 mm in size, that is, located just in these weeks of pregnancy.

This is the only time when it is not too late to exclude certain features that may indicate genetic defects or heart defects.

Using this ultrasound, the condition and amount of amniotic fluid is assessed, the placenta does not move away, and there is no threat of vascular diseases. If everything is in order and the child feels good, you can calmly wait for the baby to appear.

Future parents, after undergoing ultrasound, are usually handed the first photo of the baby, from which the story of the children's photo album begins. The child already has a perfectly developed face, a line of the nose and chin. At this stage, for the first time parents start arguing about who the baby looks like more.

In addition to genetic ultrasound, a pregnant woman at week 12 also has other examinations and analysis tests. Of course, this is a gynecological examination, during which the doctor will assess whether the cervix of the uterus is contracting prematurely and its hardness.

Perhaps a referral to blood morphology will be issued. It is worth paying attention to weight gain since the last visit.

Even if blood tests are perfect, watch out for iron and well digestible food. Soon the volume of blood circulating in the body will increase and there will be a risk of physiological anemia.

A rich source of iron is meat, egg yolk, fish. Eat them always accompanied by foods rich in vitamin C, which promotes the absorption of iron.

At the 12th week of pregnancy, blood pressure is measured as before. Remember that during pregnancy there may be a natural slight increase.

Possible dangers at 11 and 12 weeks of pregnancy

Despite the fact that pregnancy is a natural state, it does not always pass without interference. Therefore, it is worth learning to recognize the warning signals of danger.

The sooner you seek help from a specialist, the greater the chance that everything will end happily and a healthy child will be born on time. What are the most common hazards that can lie in the 12th week of pregnancy?

Sometimes chronic diseases are associated with the risk - diabetes, thyroid disorders, various infections, not only intimate ones. Complications may be due to fibroids or congenital defects of the reproductive organ.

Therefore, it is important that a woman is carefully examined before the planned pregnancy. Then you can timely detect and cure diseases that may threaten her and the child.

If the diagnosis is identified in time, for example, hormonal disorders or cervical failure, then such a pregnancy can be maintained. Worse, when the cause of the threat is not recognized.

However, possible hazards also occur in perfectly healthy young women. Sometimes a threatening state occurs suddenly, so it is impossible to foresee or avoid it until the end.

This should not be underestimated!

1. Spotting or bleeding from the vagina (pregnancy does not develop properly, problems with the placenta, premature cervical dilatation).
2. Severe, sharp pain in the lower abdomen (ectopic pregnancy, placental abruption and even miscarriage).
3. Repeated rhythmic contractions of the uterus (threaten with premature birth).
4. The lack of movement of the child for several hours, in the last trimester than before, the behavior of the baby (the risk of death, the effect of drugs, death of the fetus).

Note: each of these symptoms requires urgent consultation with doctors.

Physician advice

The first trimester and the period of intensive organogenesis come to an end, however, develop good habits - eliminate alcohol, avoid tobacco smoke.

1. For constipation, avoid chocolate, cocoa, heavy, fried foods. What is important, try to fight with constipation diet or drugs, only certain physician. Do not use laxative herbs - their active substances can cause greater activity and even cramps of the uterus muscles.
2. Having finished packing folic acid, do not rush to buy a new pack. The main structures of the nervous system of the fetus at the 12th week of gestation are already developed. Instead, the drug can begin to use multivitamins for pregnant women.
3. However, remember that the body is better absorbed vitamins and minerals of natural origin. At this stage of pregnancy, try to just eat a lot of food with a high content of iron. Best of all, it will be absorbed from foods such as meat, poultry fish, egg yolk. A bit worse the body takes in iron from bread, cereals, oatmeal, nuts or legumes.
4. Limit caffeine intake.
5. What you eat should be fresh and varied, as well as divided into small portions (optimally 5 times a day) to avoid large fluctuations in blood glucose levels and unpleasant heartburn.
6. Misconception is that you can not eat potentially allergenic foods, such as strawberries or nuts. If until now the woman did not have an allergy, then, most likely, she will never have it, and the hypoallergenic diet is not a guarantee of child protection.
7. It is not necessary to drink milk - if you do not like it, replace this product with yogurt and cheese.
8. It is not necessary to get rid of pets because of pregnancy. Stress caused by separation from your pet is more dangerous than the risk of developing rabies.
9. Remember that it is dangerous for a pregnant woman to be in large crowds where it is easy to catch an infection.

A healthy, physiological pregnancy at 12 weeks should not be a reason for a dramatic change in the mode of life - if you are energetic, do not force yourself to passive rest. Just rest as you feel tired.

It is also not necessary, without obvious evidence, to refuse to fly by plane or long trips by car. There are no contraindications for hair dyeing, nail painting and use of face and body creams. If necessary, treat your teeth, only warn the dentist about pregnancy.

Additional information about the 12th week of pregnancy can be found in the following video.