Pregnancy Calendar - Week 13
Woo hoo! You're now into the second trimester ... often referred to as the 'best trimester'!
Your body
Welcome to the second trimester. Your chance of miscarriage has slimmed down dramatically to a tiny 2 per cent, which is much better than the odds of 25 per cent when you first fell pregnant. You are still feeling tired and lethargic but hopefully the nausea has abated and you are managing to solve the constipation issue through diet, fluid intake and gentle exercise. You should find that your mood swings start to settle down, too.
It's around now you can consider sharing your wonderful news with a wider circle of family and friends. If you are working, you also need to inform your employer as the proper actions and discussions for maternity leave need to take place.
Your baby
Sized approximately 7cm (head to rump), your baby is developing more and more to look like it will at birth. Your baby's heart has started to slow and is now only approximately 160 beats a minute. Your baby actively kicks and stretches, even curling up its tiny toes and fingers. Your baby can also turn its head from side to side.
In preparation for the role the lungs play outside the womb, your baby is 'breathing' the amniotic fluid, exercising them and strengthening the chest wall muscles. Your baby's skin has keratinised and therefore now has motere waterproof properties than it did previously but still very thin and fragile.
More useful links:
Read up on maternity leave entitlements in Australia
Read our article on getting a good night's sleep during pregnancy
See the most popular baby names in Australia in 2010
NEXT: Pregnancy Calendar Week 14
GO BACK: Pregnancy Calendar Week 12
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