Pregnant in week 13 – what does it mean for you and your baby? In this article, you can read about your baby’s development, the changes in your body, and get useful tips for this stage of pregnancy.

Baby: Now the foetus is about 6 cm long from head to tail and the neck is strong enough that the foetus can move its head.

The formation of nerve cells is at its most intense around this time until week 22 and the skeleton that has previously been soft is now hardening.

Development

The foetus cannot yet breathe on its own, but receives its oxygen through the blood from the placenta. In contrast, the foetus exercises its respiratory muscles by performing breathing movements that cause amniotic fluid to flow in and out of the growing lung tissue. Part of this training, which takes place throughout pregnancy, is that the foetus uses the chest muscles, which is an important part of breathing.

This process is important, because immediately the umbilical cord is cut at birth, the lungs must function. Seconds after the baby comes out, the amniotic fluid is pushed out of the lungs and the baby begins to breathe air through the nose for the first time, often in connection with the first cry. In general, newborn babies breathe with their noses instead of their mouths, as this partly enables them to feed and breathe at the same time. It also has a moisturizing and tempering effect on the inhaled air through the nose.

The ears and hearing

There is research that suggests that your baby can begin to perceive sounds already. However, the ears are fully developed only in week 24, and at birth the baby will recognise your voices that it has heard during the time in the womb. Cozy, isn’t it!

Placenta

In the placenta, the mother’s blood washes over the tiny blood vessels of the foetus as if in small pools so that the blood can be filtered, as the mother’s and your baby’s blood do not normally mix; this happens because the foetus must be protected against harmful substances, bacteria and viruses.

The foetus has a specially adapted blood circulation in the womb. The heart pumps the blood around but it does not pass through the lungs in the same way as after birth. Since the foetus does not need to use the lungs yet, the blood takes a shortcut through the atrium of the foetus. Therefore, there is a hole between the right and left atrium, then on to the left ventricle and then out into the aorta. The opening closes when the baby is born and takes its first breath. Surely it’s cool how it works?

Mother: Now you are in the final stages of the first trimester and soon you will have been pregnant a third of the time. Go you! 💕

This is how hormones affect you as a pregnant woman

The pregnancy hormones affect blood volume and blood flow in the body, which is why the mucous membrane in your vagina can take on a red-purple colour, before the pregnancy it was more pink in colour. You can also see that the labia may swell and you may also see a vessel that you have not seen before – precisely because there is more blood and fluid in all the body’s blood vessels during pregnancy. As the blood volume increases, your heart pumps around a greater amount of fluid and blood in the body. This causes the pulse to increase and you can feel your heart beating faster than normal, as well as breathing faster.

With the increased volume, the amount of red blood cells is also diluted, which increases the feeling of shortness of breath. This overall can make your usual activities feel heavier than usual. A flight of stairs that you wouldn’t otherwise get out of breath from going up can suddenly make you pant heavily!

Working Environment Act

Some jobs are less suitable or even unhealthy for pregnant women, so you should read up on your rights here. According to the Work Environment Act, as a pregnant woman you have the right to a pregnancy-friendly work environment and your employer should offer you a risk assessment.

Clothes for pregnancy

Maybe it’s time to start thinking about maternity clothes now? For some, it takes some time before this need becomes apparent, and for others it happened a long time ago. Remember that it will vary from person to person as to how the stomach and the rest of the body will react to pregnancy!
The range of maternity clothes can feel small compared to what you are used to. It can feel sad to spend money on maternity clothes when you know that the clothes will only be used for a short period… But something many people don’t think about is that several of the clothes are ones that you could use after giving birth too! This is because it can be nice to wear clothes that are not too tight.

High-cut maternity trousers can be particularly comfortable to wear after giving birth, as can bras that are designed for breastfeeding and have a small extra tab at the back where you fasten the bra, allowing its circumference to increase as your belly grows, which can eventually bulge as high as the underwire of the bra. Dresses, sweaters and shirts with buttons that are not tight work great even if you plan to breastfeed after giving birth.

You can also swap with friends in your area, ask around in different communities if anyone wants to resell their maternity clothes or buy regular clothes but go up a size! Some people find building up their maternity wardrobe super fun and others not at all. Customise it according to your likes and needs.

Tip! If your regular trousers fit but are starting to get a little tight at the waist, you can use a hair tie to hold the button and opening together while giving you more space to breathe. If you wear a larger sweater, then this gap will not be visible and you can wait a while longer to get maternity trousers.

Partner: From now until week 22, an incredible amount of development happens for the baby in the womb.

Maybe there’s a lot going on in your head too? Try to relax. The first trimester is soon over and then also the first, and perhaps most uncertain, time of pregnancy.

Your partner’s hormonal changes

It may be good to keep in mind that the mood during pregnancy varies greatly from woman to woman. If your partner is not feeling well, it can be difficult for her to accept all the hormonal changes and how they affect her well-being both physically and mentally. Try to support her in the way that only you can. Let her know what you need in your relationship too. Soon this time will be over and you will be busy taking care of your baby. Then your everyday life changes forever, so take the opportunity to enjoy each other’s company as much as you can.

Many choose to tell those around them about their pregnancy around this week because the greatest risk of miscarriage is over. If you haven’t told those around you yet, it can be a fun thing to plan together! When, where and how should you tell your loved ones? It might be something to discuss at dinner tonight!