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Week 13
How Big
is the Baby at Thirteen Weeks Pregnant?
During pregnancy week 13
your baby is anywhere from 2 and a half to a little over 3 inches long and
weighs up to .7 ounces. Though your baby is significantly larger by pregnancy 13
weeks, he is still pretty tiny. Fortunately there is plenty of room to expand in
your uterus as you follow your pregnancy week by week!
Your Baby's Growth and
Development
By the end of pregnancy week 13 your baby looks like a
tiny yet fully formed baby. While your baby's head is still quite large, his
body is starting to catch up. Your baby's eyes are starting to move closer
together by pregnancy 13 weeks. Up until this point in time they rested closely
along the sides of the head. Your baby's intestines are also moving further into
their body, and your baby's tiny pancreas starts producing insulin, which will
be vital for regulating your baby's sugar levels later in life!
Your Growth and
Development
Your uterus is continuing to grow at pregnancy week
13, and as it does you may start feeling some aching or discomfort in your
abdomen. This is perfectly normal. The ligaments that surround your uterus will
stretch in the upcoming weeks to accommodate your baby, and this stretching
often results in what is called round ligament pain.
Round ligament pain
is fairly common by 13 weeks pregnant, but can be alarming if you have never
experienced it before. It usually presents as a brief but sharp or stabbing pain
in your abdomen, but you may also feel a dull ache in the lower abdomen that
lasts for a short time. Most often women feel this when they get up suddenly or
change position. You might feel this pain as you attempt to roll over swiftly in
the bed.
If you experience any pain that is accompanied by other
symptoms however, such as cramping, bleeding or vomiting you should call your
doctor immediately. Usually round ligament pain doesn't last more than a few
minutes. If you have persistent pain something else might be going on that
warrants a trip to your doctor.
In most cases simply relaxing can
relieve round ligament pain. Be sure you rest comfortable and discontinue any
activity that was causing you discomfort. Try to remember to get up slowly each
time you get out of bed or move to the sofa. This will become more and more
necessary as your uterus continues to expand and you grow larger and
larger.
Changes in
You
Congratulations! For many women pregnancy week 13 is a time to
celebrate. A pregnancy at 13 weeks means you are entering your second trimester,
which means your risk for miscarriage drops substantially. You are much more
likely to carry your baby to term now that you have made it to 13 weeks. Some
women however are still at risk for miscarrying through their 20th week. In
certain circumstances a woman might be diagnosed as having an incompetent
cervix.
An incompetent cervix is the result of a cervix that is too weak
to stay closed during pregnancy. Typically what happens when a woman has an
incompetent cervix is the baby is delivered too early to survive. This
relatively uncommon problem is usually the cause of up to 25 percent of second
trimester losses. A diagnosis of an incompetent cervix can be made using an
ultrasound or manually. Generally an incompetent cervix is diagnosed when the
cervix is open more than 2.5 cm during pregnancy, or when the length is less
than 20mm.
Unfortunately an incompetent cervix is often only diagnosed
after a woman has had one or two late miscarriages, or miscarriages that occur
in the second trimester. There are some circumstances that may increase a
woman's risk of suffering from this disorder, including: cervical trauma,
congenital disorders and a previous D&C. Fortunately there is a procedure
called a cerclage that can be used to stitch the cervix closed. This is
typically done between weeks 14 and 16, and usually allows a woman to carry
their baby to term. Remember however that most women will not have an
incompetent cervix, and will have a high chance of carrying their baby to term
after the 13th week
You will also probably start feeling remarkably
better in the upcoming weeks. Instead of feeling tired all the time and
nauseous, you may find that you have a newfound sense of health and vigor.
By 13 weeks pregnant you will want to wear loose fitting clothing. You
still might not be big enough to fit into maternity clothes, but chances are
your favorite pair of jeans are no longer your favorite simply because they do
not fit as well.
Your breasts will continue to change throughout your
pregnancy week by week. In addition to the darkening of your areolas, you might
start noticing the
veins in your breasts are more prominent. Some women
also start developing larger benign bumps on their breasts during pregnancy.
These lumpy bumps surrounding the areola are glands that will grow and develop
as your pregnancy continues.
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