Pregnancy Week 13

How big is yourbaby? Your baby now measures 7.4cm (2.91 inches) and weighs about 23 grams (0.81 ounce).It is about the size of a peach. Your baby’s development One striking change in your baby’s growth is the slowdown of the developmentof his/her head in comparison to the rest of the body. At this stage the head isstill about half the length of the crown to rump measurement, but by the time youare in your 21st week this will have changed to about a third of the crown to rumpmeasurement. Your baby’s face is also starting to look more human like. The eyes are startingto move closer together, and the ears will move to the normal position at the sideof the head. The external genitalia have now developed enough that if you had to examine themoutside the womb you would be able to distinguish male from female. This week there are some other key developments which are taking place. Your babysintestines are starting to migrate from the umbilical cord and into the stomach.Another big development to do with processing of minerals and waste is that sometimeduring this week your baby will be passing its fist bit of urine into the amnioticfluid! Your development By now it is time to start wearing loose fitting clothes as your waist sizeincreases. Your weightgain would have been steady of the last few weeks, and it is now gettingto that point where you dont need maternity clothes, but you do need bigger clothes. Stretch marks are often associated with pregnancy as a result of your everexpanding belly and breasts. You may also begin to notice some stretch marks appearing,particularly around your waist, buttocks and breasts. To help avoid the occurrenceof stretch marks it is important to keep your weight gain steady, drink plenty ofwater and follow a regular exercise routine. Bladder infectionsamong pregnant women are quite common. The key to preventing this is to drink lotsof fluids, if you feel you need to relieve yourself then do so. If you do suspectyou have a bladder infection then do not try and treat yourself with over the counterdrugs. You need to see your health care provider and her/she can prescribe the correctmedication for you. You will also have noticed that your breasts are changing. Before pregnancy theaverage breast weighs about 7 ounces, but during pregnancy they will increase insize and weigh to between 14-28 ounces. You may have also noticed that the areolais getting darker and that the veins in your breasts become more visible as yourpregnancy develops.

It is important that you limit your intake of caffeine as it has been associatedwith a decreased birth weight and a smaller head size in babys. So researchers evenbelieve that there is a direct connection between high caffeine intake and premature birth. Most professionals agree that 200mg of caffeine a day is okay. Lets look at somesources of caffeine, and how much they contain:

• Coffee, 5 ounces = from 60-140mg
• Tea, 5 ounces = from 30-65mg
• Baking chocolate, 1 ounce = 25mg
• Chocolate candy, 1 ounce = 6mg
• Soft drinks, 12 ounces = 35-55mg
• Pain relief tablets, standard dose = 40mg
• Allergy and cold remedies, standard dose = 25mg