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Week By
Week
11/15/2008 - by Anne Marie Nielson
Pregnancy Week
13
You're Pregnant! Week
13
Welcome to the second trimester! Your prenatal visits are still
done on a monthly basis. You will be offered more prenatal
tests like the triple or quad-screen, amniocentesis and
ultrasound. Every pregnant woman is offered most prenatal
tests, while some, like amniocentesis, is reserved for women 35
or older unless there are circumstances that warrant it. If
your care giver recommends prenatal tests, do some research and
weigh the risks and benefits of taking the tests. Unless you
have specific circumstances that make these tests beneficial,
you do not have to accept every test. Some women feel more
secure if they have every test that they can get, while others
feel more stress and worry while they wait for results. So,
take each one on an individual basis. Do some research. Talk to
your care giver. Weigh your options and your feelings. Do what
feels best for you and your baby.
Your doctor or midwife will be able to pick up the baby's
heartbeat with a Doppler, if not this week, very soon. Most
babies don't like Dopplers, and they try to move away, so if
you hear the heartbeat and then you don't, there is nothing to
worry about. If your care giver uses a fetoscope, it will be a
few more weeks before they can easily hear the heartbeat.
YOUR BABY
Your baby is growing very fast this week. The lower limbs are
well developed this week and toenails are growing in. Movements
are getting more coordinated. The eyes are beginning to move
and the hair pattern on the scalp becomes visible. The baby's
head is now erect on a well formed neck. The baby is about the
size of a small apple this week. The placenta continues to grow
and develop, even though it has been taking care of the baby's
needs for some time.
YOUR BODY
Your blood volume is beginning to expand. Be sure to eat and
drink enough to allow your blood volume to do this. If you
don't drink enough water, for instance, your blood volume can
remain constricted and not provide enough nutrients to the
placenta and from there, to the baby. Inadequate blood volume
expansion can cause growth restriction in the placenta, which
leads to growth restriction in your baby.
Sometime in the next few weeks you'll be able to feel the first
fluttering movements of your baby. At first you may not be
sure, but as the baby gets stronger, you'll feel increasingly
stronger bumps and kicks. This is an exciting time! Before you
know it, you'll be playing "push the foot" with your baby
through your belly.
You'll be getting your belly measured at your prenatal
appointments from now on. They measure from the top of your
pubic bone to the top of your fundus (which is the top of your
uterus). The uterus grows at a predictable rate, and your
measurements are recorded to keep track of baby's
growth.
At From Pregnancy To Baby, we try
to provide you with all of the latest information about going
through your pregnancy from your first trimester to the first
years of your new babies life. We also provide the highest
quality books and products to help you through that time.
Source: http://www.frompregnancytobaby.com/pregnancy-week-13.html
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