12 Weeks Pregnant

-Time for Skin Changes Throughout Your Body!

Various things happened in your life for the last 11 weeks. By the time you are 12 weeks pregnant, you got relief from conditions like nausea and morning sickness.

Pregnancy week 12 is also full of various other changes in you and your baby.

Your pregnancy is now visible to the others so you better prepare for tons of questions and congratulations.

It may seem to you that you entered in an easier stage of pregnancy with morning sickness gone and new changes that make your pregnancy more beautiful.

When you are 12 weeks pregnant it is the time to talk to your half about the ultrasound and whether or not you would want to find out if you will have a girl or a boy.

12th week of pregnancy symptoms and physical changes that occur in your body

12 weeks pregnant pictures

Significant change in uterus size

Your uterus grows in size along with the growth of your baby. By this week, the flat and relatively small uterus is stretched to the size of soft ball i.e. up to 12-14 cm. This is a very small change.

At the time of your delivery, the uterus stretches up to 15-17 inches. The size of the uterus will grow slowly i.e. one centimeter per week. With this growth, the uterus shifts up and forward as it increases in size.

Although your baby will not actually start moving right now, you may experience some movement when you press your tummy

Breaking the news

Generally, 11-12 weeks is the right time to share your pregnancy news with others. If so far nobody at work noticed your pregnancy, this is the moment to introduce the news to them.

Hormone induced changes

Some pregnant women get more radiant look during their pregnancy. This is because of increased blood volume and the pregnancy hormones working together to give you that glow.

You might also experience some heartburn by the time you are 12 weeks pregnant as this is due to high levels of progesterone being produced in your body.

You will notice lot of skin changes during this week. If you have lot of freckles during your pregnancy, then they will become dark after week 12 pregnancy. The skin surrounding the areolas and nipples will also become darker.

Skin issues

Fluctuation of pregnancy hormones increases oil gland secretion in your body, resulting in a plumper, flushed, and smooth skin appearance. Sometimes, because of the increased oil gland secretion you will experience temporary acne problems.

Some other women experience brown skin patches on their neck and face. Commonly these can be called as mask of pregnancy and generally they disappear totally after the delivery.

Pregnancy dreaming

Strange dreams may appear while you sleep. Do not worry and most importantly do not panic assuming something bad will happen. Because of the increasing blood flow your neural activity increases too so the phenomenon is perfectly normal.

Care you need to take when you are in week 12 pregnancy

Dealing with heartburn

If you feel burning sensation from the throat to the breast bone, then you may be suffering from acid indigestion or heart burn. In order to come out of this unpleasant condition, you need to do things like: eating smaller meals and avoiding spicy, fried and fatty foods, especially now when you are 12 weeks pregnant.

Protect your skin

Always wear sunscreen during your pregnancy in order to protect your skin from sunburn, but only in consultation with your health care provider.

Careful about vitamins

Don’t use products with high concentrations of ‘vitamin A’ when you are pregnant, because too much consumption of vitamin A is very harmful for your developing fetus. It can cause jaundice and liver damage.

Useful tips for the 12th pregnancy week

  • Consult your doctor to know about the products which you are new to.
  • Chew the food adequately and consume slowly.
  • Take liquid antacids, because they work better than the tablet form.
  • Don’t eat before going to bed.
  • Avoid fizzy drinks, spicy meals and citrus juices.
  • Buy anti stretch marks creams
  • Take warm shower and avoid hot ones because they dry the skin
  • Try and sleep with your head in slightly elevated position
  • Sleep only on the sides and avoid pressure on your tummy or sleeping on your back

What are the changes that occur in the fetus when you are 12 weeks pregnant?

By twelfth week of pregnancy your little one’s body is about the size of 2 to 2.5 inches long and weighs about 14 grams.

Important changes

At this time, the head and neck of your baby still tries to straighten up and the baby’s little chin lifts off from the face.

Your baby tries to practice breathing by using the amniotic fluid in order to strengthen its lungs for future air respiration.

Primitive digestion

When you are 12 weeks pregnant, your little baby’s digestive system starts to work and also releases waste products. The waste is transferred to your system for discharge. Some of the urine is released into the amniotic fluid and the baby will breathe in it. This is totally undisruptive for your baby.

What else happens to your baby?

  • Tooth buds are about to appear during this week.
  • This week, the placenta takes the task of hormone production.
  • Your baby’s sex organ starts showing and the doctor can tell you whether you will be having a baby boy or a baby girl.
  • The nerve cells will start growing rapidly and the brain will start making hormones.
  • The vocal cords are developed and the baby may cry without noise
  • This is the start of the moment when your baby can feel pain
  • The baby starts sucking his thumb
  • Reflex movements appear and baby reacts to noise
  • The eyes and the ears move to their right place and the face features are more and more defined.

Facts about 12 weeks pregnancy

Stop smoking because smoking during pregnancy can lead to the development of asthma. Experts suggest that between 5 to15 percent of asthma development in children reduces if you do not smoke during pregnancy.

Meet with other future moms and join forums and online communities. When you are 12 weeks pregnant, you will see that socializing will increase your pregnancy comfort and help you understand the many beautiful aspects of your pregnancy.

Get more information on what to expect when you are 13 weeks pregnant.

Image source: childbirthconnection

pregnancy week by week

Symptoms at 12 Weeks Pregnant

Development of a Baby at 12 Weeks Pregnant

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