Pregnancy at week 13
4-minute read
Your baby
Your baby is now fully formed and looks much more like a human being. They are about 7.5 cm long — about the size of a peach — and weigh about 30g. They are moving about vigorously in your uterus and they can move their arms and legs, suck their thumb and form a fist.
Their organs, including the liver and pancreas, are starting to function. The vocal cords are beginning to develop, and they have soft hair on their eyebrows and head. They are growing a penis or clitoris, but these are too small to be seen during an ultrasound.
The kidneys produce urine, which becomes amniotic fluid. The baby practises breathing and swallowing the fluid.
Your baby at 13 weeks
| Length: | 7.5cm |
| Weight: | 30g |
Your body
At 13 weeks, you have officially entered the second trimester of pregnancy. If morning sickness is still a problem, talk to your doctor or midwife about how to manage it.
Your bump might start to show and you might feel the ligaments stretching in your tummy and groin.
You may notice more visible veins, especially in your breasts. You may also be tired, have food cravings or food aversions, or have heartburn, indigestion or constipation.
Things to remember
The chances of having a miscarriage decrease once you enter the second trimester. Many people therefore decide to share the news of their pregnancy at this time. Chat with your partner about how you want to do this, and be prepared in case people don’t react in the way you hope for.
You don’t have to tell your employer that you’re pregnant. If you want to take maternity leave, however, you will need to give your employer 10 weeks’ notice. It’s worth thinking early about how you will manage life with a baby. If you haven’t already, now is a good time to find out more about your parental rights and entitlements.
If you haven’t already had prenatal screening or diagnostic tests, now is also the time to organise appointments them if you want to. At 13 weeks you can have a nuchal translucency scan (an ultrasound) or chorionic villus sampling (CVS) if there are any concerns that your baby may have Down syndrome or some other genetic disorders.
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Learn about your pregnancy journey and what is happening to you and your baby.
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