What is 12-week pregnancy?
Pregnancy is one of the most amazing feelings for a woman. No other feeling can replace the feeling and joy of being a mother. The pregnancy undergoes a number of changes during the period of nine months. One such crucial and exciting time is when the mother is 12 weeks pregnant.
Although the entire journey of pregnancy is extremely wonderful, it is after 12 weeks that this journey becomes splendid. Baby at 12 weeks is in the developing phase and is in the process of developing its reflexes. It is during the same time that the brain of your baby is developing and that too at a much faster rate than before. You must have noticed your baby’s movement when you touch your 12-month pregnant belly.
It is also the time when the baby is curling his toes and often opens and closes his/her fingers. Many things change at 12 months pregnant and thus cause fewer pregnancy symptoms to be felt. Generally expecting mothers wait for a period of 12 weeks for confirming their pregnancy to their family and friends. You can also ultimately relax as your hormones will act positively to tone things down, giving you the actual enjoyment of pregnancy.
12 Weeks Pregnant Details:
- What is 12-week pregnancy?
- How many months and trimester indicate 12 weeks.
- What are the Signs and symptoms of 12 weeks pregnant?
- The physical and emotional changes in the pregnant body.
- How your belly looks when 12 weeks pregnant?
- Information Related Ultrasound.
- 12 weeks baby size.
- How is the fetal and physical development (positioning) of the baby during 12 weeks pregnancy?
- What are the changes in your body with 12 weeks baby activities?
- What should be the diet and exercise of a 12-week pregnant?
- What are the tips and precautions for having sex during 12-week pregnancy?
- Know about the vaginal discharge in 12-week pregnancy.
- Should you travel during 12 weeks pregnant?
- Tips and precautions to overcome stress.
- What precautions and tips can be followed for 12 weeks pregnant abortion?
- What common tips should be followed by pregnant and other people around?
- The necessary checklists.
How many months and trimester indicate 12 weeks:
A 12-week pregnancy indicates the home stretch of the very first trimester. To throw necessary light on the information of how many months is 12 weeks, this time indicates that you are at the end of your third month of being pregnant.
See More: 17 Weeks Pregnant
What are the Signs and symptoms of 12 weeks pregnant?
If you are tired of dealing with the pregnancy’s fatigue and morning sickness, then the beginning of 12th week would be nothing less than a happy phase for you. During the 12 weeks pregnant, the morning sickness and the related symptoms start fading out. It is because of your hormones that are now calming down and eventually relaxing.
The end of morning sickness and fatigue does not mean the end of pregnancy struggle. There are different 12 weeks pregnant symptoms that start as you enter the 12th week. Different mothers may experience different symptoms according to their body type and the hormones. However, there are some of the 12 weeks pregnant symptoms pain that are common to everyone.
Here are some of the symptoms of 12 weeks pregnant:
1. Increase in discharge:
You may see an increase in the discharge but don’t worry much as this is quite normal as the symptom. Basically, the increased discharge is your body’s natural way of protecting your vagina from a number of infections. However, you must pay attention to the color of your discharge. If the discharge is colorless, things are okay. But if you notice colors like green, pink, yellow or brown in your discharge, this could be signs of infections. Get going for a check-up with your doctor.
2. Sugar levels and BP:
There may be uncertainties in your sugar and BP levels. Don’t panic, if you find your BP or sugar levels, not in the normal range, this can be one of the 12 weeks pregnant symptoms. This can be due to the fact that during the period of 12 weeks, your body undergoes many hormonal changes. This, as a result, can cause the BP and sugar levels to fluctuate.
3. Bleeding:
Bleeding in the 12-week pregnancy can either be worse or normal. There is no in between. It is okay if you are bleeding lightly. It is the heavy bleeding that can be dangerous. The sensitivity of the cervix is extreme during the 12 weeks and thus even a slight sex can cause bleeding. What’s not normal is the heavy flow of bleeding or followed cramping. This could be the worse 12 weeks pregnant symptoms pain which needs an early visit to the doctor.
4. Dizziness:
Dizziness is quite common in the pregnancy course of 12 weeks. Thanks to the hormonal changes and fluctuations in the BP or sugar levels, the body may feel dizzy quite many times. Even the general activities like snacking or drinking can make you feel dizzy. You must sit or lay down to relax whenever you feel dizzy or lazy. Although there is nothing to worry about this dizziness, you must keep a track of your dizziness and keep your doctor aware of the situation.
5. Acne:
Acne is another common skin change noticed during the second trimester which is caused due to high levels of progesterone in the body. If you are prone to can breakouts during your pregnancy then it is more likely for you to suffer from acne during pregnancy as well. Try and drink as much water as possible to overcome the situation, and while it mind not mean the end of your pimples, it might reduce them a lot.
6. Chloasma:
It is also referred as the “mask of pregnancy” and is a very common symptom during pregnancy. You must have noticed discolored, brownish patches or marks on the temples, foreheads, chin and cheek. In fact, about 70 percent of all women actually notice these marks on the face. Also, bear in mind that exposure to sunlight will only darken these patches. Chloasma is caused due to the increased production of melanin which is a skin pigment to help one’s skin from the harmful rays of the ultraviolet light. Again, keep working on the Aloe Vera Gel and Vitamin E. Almond Oil for the under eye works wonders too.
7. Darkening of areola and nipple:
Although the legend says that the nipples and areola becomes dark so that it becomes easy for the baby to find the nipples, the fact is that it happens due to the hormonal changes. To overcome this normal situation from posing a problem, drink a lot of water and get your doctor to check your condition every now and then. Report about any difference if needed.
8. Breast changes:
By now you must have noticed little bumps which appear on the areola or nipples. These little bumps are called “Montgomery’s tubercles”. Most of the women have these bumps during pregnancy and is caused due to the changes in pregnancy hormones. The best way to overcome saggy breasts is to wear a loose fitting bra at all times and massage your breasts with heavy duty oil whenever possible.
9. Linea nigra:
It is a dark line which develops in the later stages of pregnancy and appears from the top of the belly to the bottom of the pelvis. This line disappears within few weeks of delivery but does not ever completely fade away. Much like the next pointer, the stretch marks, for this situation, the best solution is massaging the area to keep it moisturized well.
10 Stretch marks:
These are the most troublesome skin changes which occur during pregnancy. These marks often appear on the breasts, thighs and abdomen. The best way to overcome stretch marks is to massage the belly region with heavy duty oil whenever possible. Particularly olive oil and Vitamin E supplements are known to prevent the skin from further stretching and provide long time remedy.
11. Sensitive skin:
Another common pregnancy change is the increase of sensitivity of the skin. You will notice that your skin is more irritated now than it was before pregnancy. Therefore, in order to prevent irritation, you might want to use mild and unscented soaps. Therefore, in order to prevent irritation, you might want to use mild and unscented soaps.
12. Headaches:
Without a doubt, headaches are the common symptom that bothers each and every pregnant woman. Though headaches may appear very normal and obvious during pregnancy the intensity of the headaches may get deeper. The major reasons that cause intense headaches during the 12 weeks of pregnancy and makes it as one major 12 weeks pregnant symptoms are as follow:
- Hormonal changes
- Lack of sleep
- Fluctuations in blood sugar levels
- Dehydration
- Stress
- Mixed feelings, etc.
Make sure that you understand the reason that causes you the severe headaches and then tries to avoid that. You may adopt any methods or ways that you like to get rid of the reason causing headaches.
As a matter of fact, if the headaches keep increasing or are followed by many others symptoms, this is an urgent call to consulting your doctor. You must also visit your doctor if you experience a different and unbearable kind of a headache.
Don’t neglect any of these 12 weeks pregnant symptoms pain and have a pleasant experience with your pregnancy.
See More: Symptoms Of Pregnancy At 1 Week
The physical and emotional changes in the pregnant body:
As your baby is growing and is in the development stage, it is very much normal to witness many changes in the body. You should be prepared for facing the never expecting changes both physically and emotionally.
You may face gain in weight due to the development of the baby. There’s no such big baby bump that you can show but yes the charming glow on your face can relieve the good news to the people. On the emotional side as well, you get closer to your baby and you start preparing your mind to experience the various moments of your baby. This is all what to expect at 12 weeks pregnant.
TOC
How your belly looks when 12 weeks pregnant?
If you haven’t told anyone about your pregnancy, then 12 weeks would be the right time. The 12 weeks pregnant belly becomes evident to others. The growing phase of the baby makes a lot of changes to your bump as well. It won’t be wrong to mention that the 12 weeks pregnant bump is an official announcement of your pregnancy.
The excitement of the visible 12 weeks baby bump is so that most of the expecting mothers are seen capturing the newly visible belly bump by taking 12 weeks pregnant belly pictures. Have you too started?
Information Related Ultrasound:
Most of the pregnant women prefer going for a 12-week ultrasound for the fact to be sure about their expecting news. It is also advisable to have a 12-week scan by the doctors as well so that the expecting mother can witness her baby clearly.
The 12-week fetus picture will be clearer during the scan. However, the 12 weeks pregnant ultrasound does not reveal the gender of the baby.
12 weeks baby size:
Your baby is just 2 inches in size when you are 12 weeks pregnant.A 12-week fetus completes developing all the important body parts by this time. The remaining time of the pregnancy will be about seeing the fetus becoming bigger and mature by time. The 12 weeks baby growth reveals a lot many things about the health of the baby.
Your fetus at 12 weeks is all responsive. Since the baby is developing reflexes, he will respond to every moment you make on your belly. The 12-weeks pregnant baby size is good enough to give you your official baby bump.
TOC
How is the fetal and physical development (positioning) of the baby during 12 weeks pregnancy?
12 week is the crucial time during the pregnancy as it is the time when you and your body start adapting to the pregnancy. If you are thinking what a baby looks like at 12 weeks, it is fully formed. Yes, during the 12 weeks of your pregnancy, your fetus is fully formed now. All the important parts of the baby are developed and formed and now they will just get bigger and mature.
The positioning of the baby during the 12 weeks pregnant will keep changing as the baby now starts to move quite a bit. However, it will be too early to feel all the movements of the baby but you certainly can feel a lot inside your belly. This is due to the fact that your baby is developing reflexes. As a result, you may start feeling the movement as soon as you tickle on your belly.
The 12-week baby development can be measured from the fact that the baby’s fingers and toes begin moving. Also, the baby keeps opening and closing the fingers and toes rapidly. The baby’s skeleton is now made of cartilage tissue, which starts developing into hard bones.
12 Weeks Pregnancy Changes In Body And Baby Development:
These are some of the major changes that you will notice in your baby and your body during the positioning along with the baby growth:
- Your baby will start kicking and stretching. And yes, you can actually feel all this happening inside your belly.
- Your baby’s body is in the development phase and thus will undergo several changes. By this time most of the important parts are developed, so you just need to take care of nurturing them for full growth.
- Your baby’s intestine starts protruding into the umbilical cord after its growth. It also starts moving back into the abdominal cavity.
- The 12 week pregnant is the time when the baby starts looking more human-like. All the essential body organs get positioned at the right place. The eyes, ears, etc. get focused at the desired place, giving the baby the human-like structure.
- In other words, 12 weeks baby in the womb will only focus on maturing rather than forming anything new. The size of the baby at this time is about 2 ½ inches in general. This may vary according to the body and hormonal changes of the mother.
- Similarly, the weight of the baby is generally between 8 to 14 grams. You may witness a variation in the weight, according to your pregnancy eating habits along with the hormonal balance. And, you must focus on taking a balanced diet from this phase, as it will help your baby to grow to the maximum and thus get healthy with every passing day.
12 Weeks Pregnancy Baby Position:
You will also feel the change in the position of the baby as the baby will start moving in your belly. Thus, the amniotic fluid will increase in the uterus and will continue increasing in the coming months. This growth ensures that the baby is all safe and cushioned inside the belly.
As your baby is growing and is changing its positions, there are also high chances to witness swelling in your body. It is quite normal to happen during this time. It is also the time when you must start taking good care of your body along with focusing on all the major changes. Focus on all the good habits and positivity around, so that your baby can feel that too and mature in the best manner possible. As your baby is positioning himself and is developing all the reflexes, all your movements will help in developing the baby in the best manner.
TOC
What are the changes in your body with 12 weeks baby activities?
Your baby is very active in the 12 weeks pregnant phase. With all the developed body parts and developing reflexes, a lot of baby activities can be felt during this time. First of all, the baby starts responding to all your actions. Though it would be hard to feel everything that is going inside but certainly, you can feel many things. Your baby is changing for the good and is growing to look more like humans.
What should be the diet and exercise of a 12-week pregnant?
Diet during pregnancy:
For all the expecting mothers who haven’t started following a balanced diet, your 12-week pregnancy is the right time to do so. The growth and maturing of your baby will largely depend on what all you eat after reaching the 12th week of your pregnancy journey. If you are wondering what makes this happen, it is the reason that your baby is in a growing phase.
As all the major organs and body parts of your baby have developed, the balanced diet will provide the desired amount of nurturing to the baby. Therefore, even the doctors suggest following the right, nutritious and balanced 12-week pregnancy diet.
Here are some tips about what to eat and what not to eat during the 12 weeks pregnant:
What things to eat:
- Eat more fruits and vegetables. Include more of green leafy vegetables for delivering the needed nutrition to the baby.
- Count more on proteins.
- Intake of carbohydrates will also be beneficial in helping the growth of the baby. As a surprise to many expecting mothers, taking a good amount of carbohydrate will help your baby gain the desired amount of fat, resulting in the perfect body weight of the baby.
- Eat dry fruits which are rich in protein, calcium, and minerals.
- Add yogurt to your diet.
- Also, include some of your favorite food items in your diet to help you keep up your mood and tastes.
What not to eat:
- Avoid taking junk food.
- Don’t do over-eating; rather break your meals into short and keep eating little-little after sometime.
- Don’t overshadow your allergies. Take good care of the food items that you are allergic to, so as to avoid having any ill effect on the baby.
- Don’t follow anyone else’s diet plan. Stick to the one your doctor has prescribed for you.
Following a balanced and nutritious diet does not mean to give up on everything that you like. It rather means focusing more on healthy food to provide the healthy nutrition to your baby. You must drive your attention to the fact of what to eat at 12 weeks pregnant as it will majorly help in the proper maturing of your baby.
Exercise during pregnancy:
Along with following the right diet, it is also essential to follow the right regime for exercise. Some people think that there is no need to exercise during the pregnancy but it is not true. Exercise is as important as having the right and balanced diet.
Certainly, you must take good and special care of yourself during exercising but you must not completely avoid doing it. You can consult your doctor and choose the right kind of exercises and exercise schedule for yourself.
Staying healthy will not only be beneficial for your own health but also for your baby as well. Here are some of the benefits that you can expect if you are regular with your exercising session:
- No excess weight gain
- Good sleeping schedule
- Keeps you in a good mood
- Help you to avoid the morning sickness along with other symptoms
- Enhances your strength for bearing more weight
- Keeps your body in the right shape for childbirth
- Begin with light exercises without directly jumping on the hardcore exercising sessions. Do as much as you can for availing the pros of exercising.
12 Weeks Pregnant Exercises :
There are a lot of exercises available that a pregnant woman can do easily. Here are some of the general yet beneficial exercises that you can follow:
- Yoga: helps you to keep yourself in a calm and relaxed mood.
- Pilates: help you to maintain balance in your routine activities along with lowering the problem of lower back pain.
- Walking: maintains the weight with regular heart pumping
- Swimming: strengthens your upper body and arms and reduces the stress level.
- Weight training: helps to strengthen the entire body along with making the body ready to carry and deliver the baby.
TOC
What are the tips and precautions for having sex during 12-week pregnancy?
There is no harm in having sex once in a while in the 12 weeks of pregnancy. Having light sex may cause little bleeding but that is normal to have during this time. You must also take care of the precautions while having sex during the 12 weeks of pregnancy. As 12 weeks pregnancy precautions, you must consult your doctor before having sex and must avoid it if you have some kind of infection or complications. Also, you must take care of your positions during sex as it might not harm the baby.
Know about the vaginal discharge in 12-week pregnancy:
During pregnancy, the vaginal discharge tends to increase and it is normal. There’s nothing to worry about if you are having a heavy vaginal discharge. In general cases, the vaginal discharge tends to increase during the pregnancy but there can be some cases with no increase in the discharge.
During the 12 weeks pregnant the vaginal discharge is clear or white and thin. The only thing that you should take care of is that the vaginal discharge should not have any unpleasant smell. In such cases, you must consult your doctor and get proper advice.
TOC
Should you travel during 12 weeks pregnant?
In general, most doctors prefer to suggest avoiding traveling in the 12 weeks pregnant. There are high chances of miscarriage during the early months of pregnancy and traveling can further increase the chances.
Other than this, many expecting mothers also avoid traveling due to the tiredness and body fatigue. Symptoms like body pain, morning sickness, etc. also make traveling difficult during the early months of pregnancy. Therefore, traveling should be avoided for 12 weeks of pregnancy if not necessary and important.
Tips and precautions to overcome stress:
It is very natural and obvious to face stress issues during the pregnancy. In fact, stress is one of the major and concerning issues that most of the 12 weeks pregnant women face. There can be a number of reasons that can cause stress to the expecting mother. No matter what the reason be, too much stress can be extremely dangerous for the growth and development of your baby.
The issue of stress should be dealt with as soon as it begins. You can consult your doctor after analyzing some of the major reasons that are causing you stress. Let us have a look at some of the easy ways with which you can overcome your stress and have a happy pregnancy:
- Focus on your baby. Keep only the good and positive things in mind. Imagine all the positive changes that will happen when your baby will finally arrive.
- Take a good amount of sleep and rest. Do complete justice to your body by balancing all its needs and requirements.
- If you are stressing about something, it is better to talk about it to someone. Discuss the problem with your partner or to someone close.
- Get balanced diet rich with vitamins and minerals to avoid any complications. If you are having high stress, it is advised to take your favorite food that makes your mood happy and light.
- To reduce stress during 12 weeks pregnant you can also try doing some light and gentle exercises.
- Pamper yourself. There can be nothing better than treating you right during the pregnancy. Do everything that cheers you up and overcomes stress.
TOC
What precautions and tips can be followed for 12 weeks pregnant abortion?
In simpler words, the term abortion means ending your pregnancy early. There are many ways to perform abortion like surgery, drugs, pills, etc. According to the experts if the act of abortion is carried out at 10 weeks or lesser, then there are the fewer impact on the health of the mother. As the time increases, there become higher chances of ill-effects on mother’s health.
Abortion can happen at 12 weeks pregnant as well and it is accepted as the legal time for having an abortion. If you too have to undergo this process, you must take good care and precautions to make it safe. Though you would need considerable time to recover after this act, but follow these precautions will make things easy.
Here are the needed precautions that you must follow:
- Take proper consultation from a doctor before undergoing an abortion.
- Make sure you are not allergic to the abortion pills.
- Abortion should be avoided if the expecting mother suffers from a kidney or heart disease.
- Abortion should also be avoided in case of diabetes or any kind of uterus infection.
- Understand all the after-effects of abortion before undergoing. Your body will undergo a number of changes after abortion.
Though, it is acceptable to have an abortion at 12 weeks pregnant still you must follow all the required and essential safety and precautionary measures to avoid any major complications.
TOC
What common tips should be followed by pregnant and other people around?
12 weeks pregnant is the time when your body is fully adopting the pregnancy. Therefore, you will experience many changes with your body which is normal to experience. Your body needs proper and timely care to fully accept your pregnancy and thus you need to follow the right tips and precautions.
Here are some of the useful tips and precautions that you must focus during the 12 weeks pregnant journey:
- Avoid standing for longer periods: As you have a fetus growing inside you and 12 weeks is the time when the baby is fully developed, you must give enough time to your body to get proper rest.
- Carry a water bottle: As a result of frequent urination, there are chances that you feel dehydrated most of the time. Thus, you must carry a water bottle with you every time.
- Don’t lift heavy things: It is not just your body which is undergoing changes but it is your uterus as well that has become sensitive. To keep it away from any kind of infection and damage, avoid lifting heavy objects.
- Prepare yourself for birth: It is a beneficial tip especially for the mothers who are expecting for the first time. There are many questions that a first-time expecting mother has along with the obvious curiosity. Prepare yourself for the upcoming process of childbirth.
- Be happy: For expecting a healthy baby, it is very important for the mother to be happy. It is not just the duty of the expecting mother but the people around her should also try to keep her happy and positive all the time.
- Indulge in exercising: Don’t just sit around lazing every time. Rather start doing some kind of exercises to keep your body fit and active even during the pregnancy.
TOC
The necessary checklists:
As it is advised to enjoy every moment of your pregnancy, it is also advised to keep a record of all the necessary health checks during 12 weeks pregnant. Although it is beneficial to visit your doctor from time to time, it should be as the top things in your priority list once you have reached your 12th week of pregnancy.
As the baby is growing, you need to take special care of everything related to the baby. Every small detail counts when it is about the health and betterment of the baby. The medical checkups along with following the necessary tips become a must during the12 weeks pregnant. To be sure that everything is going as it should be, all the important things should be on the checklist.
Here are some of the things that should be in your checklist for sure:
- Visiting the doctor. You should be regular in planning your visits to your OB/GYN.
- Book your antenatal checkups.
- Choose the screening test as wel.
- Keep pregnancy baby food in stock for taking the balanced diet.
- Schedule an appointment with your doctor for 16 weeks prenatal.
- Setting up of regular exercising schedule.
- Preparing a proper and balanced eating timetable.
See More: 19th Week Of Pregnancy Care
We hope this information must have been beneficial to most of your issues related to 12 weeks pregnant. Pregnancy is a beautiful experience and it should not get complicated due to any reason. Get all your doubts clear and have a happy pregnancy with all the positivity around.
TOC
If you find this information helpful and relevant, please leave us a comment. Also, we are always ready to target all your doubts. Comment below any of your doubt and get it answered by the expert panel. Last but not the least; don’t forget to share this information with someone in need. Make every pregnancy beautiful with the accurately relevant knowledge.
