Pregnant in week 12 – what’s happening with your baby and your body? In this article, you can read about fetal development, the placenta’s new role, and get useful tips for your well-being.

Baby: The most sensitive period of development is over, hooray! The foetal eyes are now covered by eyelids. The foetus has also formed both arms and legs – and can also move them!

Amniotic fluid

At this stage, the lungs are filled with amniotic fluid. The amniotic fluid consists of pure liquid that is successively mixed with small skin flakes and particles from the baby’s skin and umbilical cord over the course of the pregnancy. When the pregnancy is full-term, the amniotic fluid can therefore look quite cloudy! The foetus drinks and urinates amniotic fluid and it is constantly replenished by the placenta.

Your baby’s unique features and fingerprints take shape

The foetus has thin, transparent skin and the unique fingerprint is now beginning to form on the fingertips, while the fingernails are becoming increasingly visible. The facial features begin to emerge more clearly and the cupid’s bow begins to take shape on the upper lip. A little person comes into being, quite simply!

Nutrition from the placenta

Previously, the foetus received all nutrition via the yolk sac, but this week it shrinks and the placenta takes over the supply of nutrition and oxygen instead. Everything that the mother eats and drinks will now, pass to the foetus via the placenta in small amounts.

The placenta’s most important function is to manage the exchange between the circulation of the foetus and the pregnant woman. Certain particles, substances, viruses or bacteria cannot cross the placenta and be passed on to the foetus, but alcohol, among other things, can pass the barrier in the placenta, which means that it is important to refrain from alcohol so that the foetus does not ingest it. Medicines can also cross the placenta, so it is important to ask your midwife or doctor if you are being treated with any medicine.

The umbilical cord attaches to the navel of the foetus, and at the other end are the amniotic membranes and the placenta. It has a gel-like covering around the three blood vessels and it is white/translucent in colour. In connection with ultrasound, the number of vessels in the umbilical cord is checked, among other things. These blood vessels then transport nutrients, oxygen and waste products between the placenta and the foetus.

Glucose

From now on, digestion and cells have evolved so that the foetus’s digestive system can assimilate sugar. Now it is good to remember that it is beneficial for both the pregnant woman and the foetus to have an even supply of energy, and it is especially good if you as a pregnant woman eat a healthy and balanced diet as glucose (sugar) affects the growth of the foetus. If you eat a balanced diet, there is no risk of concern. Your midwife will monitor your sugar levels throughout your pregnancy by testing your iurine at each antenatal check or requesting a GTT (Glucose Tolerence Test) if required.

Organs of the foetus

The foundations for all organs and functions are in place, but there is still a long way to go until they are fully developed. In the abdominal cavity, the pancreas, the liver and several other organs grow. The foetus is about 48 millimeters from head to tail!

Mother: Don’t forget to take care of yourself in the midst of creating your baby 💜

You and your well-being ARE important! In the face of parenthood, you can know that good well-being, equals a good parent. It may sound vague, but after the birth these pieces will fall into place.

Diet, nutrition and supplements

Throughout pregnancy, it is good to eat and drink nutritiously. It is especially important to get calcium-rich foods, because it develops your baby’s bones and teeth.

Iron is also important for your well-being, but also for your baby’s blood formation. However, you should not take iron supplements if you are not deficient, your midwife will see this when she checks your blood level when you visit.

The reason why you may have low iron levels, is that your blood is diluted more due to increase in volume in order to reach the placenta and the growing baby. The red blood cells along with the haemoglobin, dilute, and you may experience symptoms such as fatigue, lethargy and headaches.

If you have an iron deficiency, your midwife will offer iron studies, a blood assesment, this will give a clearer picture of your deficiency and you may well be advised to take supplements. It’s worth reading up on the different options available, as some iron supplements may work better for you than others. If one does not feel right, you can always ask your midwife for advice.

If you are advised to take iron supplements, it may be good to know that the absorption of iron is enhanced with vitamin C supplementation. It can therefore be good to eat citrus fruits or certain vitamin C-rich vegetables in conjunction with the intake of iron. However, the absorption of iron is inhibited by calcium, so do not wash down the tablet with a glass of milk or with breakfast if you eat yogurt, for example.

Tips for foods with a high vitamin C content include yellow and red peppers, broccoli, kale, kiwi, strawberries, papaya and cauliflower.

Placenta

From this point on, the placenta provides all the nutrition for the foetus. The placenta can grow in different places in the uterus, but regardless of where it grows, the function is always to transport and supply the foetus with oxygen and nutrients through the blood and remove the deoxygenated and nutrient-poor blood.

This takes place in the umbilical cord via the blood in the various blood vessels that are there. The placenta ensures that the blood is filtered with rich blood to the foetus and takes care of the leftovers when the poor blood returns to the placenta.

The placenta gradually grows in both circumference and thickness during pregnancy. It can often have a correlation with the size of the newborn baby.

The placenta attaches to the uterine wall and has contact with the pregnant woman’s circulatory system on one side and the foetus’s circulatory system on the other – a fantastic system that is so intricately designed.

The double amniotic membranes form the walls of the foetus’s home, where the placenta is like a kitchenette in a small one-room apartment. The side of the placenta facing the wall has a blue/reddish colour and is rich in blood vessels, making it look like a tree without leaves, and the umbilical cord is likened to the trunk of a tree. This is known as the tree of life!

Nausea

For some women who have been experiencing nausea, it may start to subside after this week. This is often due to the fact that the placenta now takes over and provides nourishment to the foetus instead of the corpus luteum, which lowers the hormone HCG, which is usually the cause of the nausea. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that it passes for you too! It is hormones that affect your nausea and these have an impact on pregnant people to varying degrees, so nausea varies greatly from woman to woman. Fatigue, stress and an empty stomach are also factors that can affect nausea.

If you haven’t been able to eat properly because of the nausea, you don’t need to worry about the baby in your belly. The foetus lives as a (loving) parasite off of you and takes what it needs before you get to enjoy the surplus yourself. That being said, don’t forget to take care of yourself on this big trip.

Partner: This week you have passed one of the most sensitive stages of foetal development.

The risk of a miscarriage is now significantly lower, which means that many parents-to-be feel that they can start to relax and let go of their worst worries. Hopefully your partner is feeling better as well, and her mood and enthusiasm may have returned. If so, enjoy the moment!

Have you had any symptoms of pregnancy?

Have you started to feel the same symptoms as your partner? If you feel unwell, have gained weight, sleep less or have back pain, there is (surprise, surprise!) nothing unusual about this. It has been shown in studies that co-parents can experience similar pregnancy symptoms as their partner. Perhaps your mind and body are preparing you for parenthood? If so, look on the bright side! You and your partner can now do things together to make you both feel better. One tip is to treat yourself to a massage while making time for intimacy!

What kind of parent do you want to be?

Now maybe the time to give yourself time to dream and fantasise about who you want to be as a parent and as a partner in your new family business. Don’t be afraid to raise your thoughts and concerns with your partner and discuss them together, as well as with loved ones.