Pregnancy Week 12
Baby’s Growth During the 12th Week of Pregnancy
At about the size of a large plum, your baby’s biggest development this week is reflexes. If you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm though you won’t be able to feel it just yet. The intestines have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord and are now starting to move into the abdominal cavity. The kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder and the pituitary gland (at the base of the brain) has started producing the hormones that your baby will need to make babies of their own one day.
Most of your baby’s systems are in place but there is plenty of maturing for them to do. The fetal digestive system is beginning to practice contraction movements so that your baby can eat someday and the bone marrow is busy making white blood cells, needed so that once out in the world, your baby can fight against germs.
Body Changes in the 12th Week of Pregnancy
Feeling a little dizzy? It’s a normal pregnancy symptom that lots of women experience. Progesterone which causes increased blood flow to your baby by relaxing your own blood vessels is helping to create those dizzy spells along with typically lower blood-sugar levels during pregnancy. To stay on balance, get adequate rest, stand up slowly, and eat regularly.
Your uterus has now grown enough that your doctor can feel the top of it (the fundus) in your lower abdomen, just above your pubic bone. You may also be in maternity clothes, especially if this is not your first pregnancy. But, if you have not yet taken the leap to maternity clothes, you’ve no doubt noticed that your waist is thickening and you’re more comfortable in loose, less restrictive clothing.
