Thirteenth Week of Pregnancy: What to Expect

At 13 weeks pregnant, you are in the last week of your first trimester. Can you believe you’re already a third of the way through your pregnancy?

Since your baby is fully developed and is now gaining weight and size, your baby bump is also growing. Therefore, the pregnancy, if it is not already, will be clearly visible to outsiders.

This means that your long-awaited baby bump is finally forming and soon everyone will be able to see what you’ve known for some time: you’re having a baby!

In the first third of pregnancy, most women gain around 4 lb. Since the fetus is now in the growth phase, weight gain is faster from now on. On average, women gain about 22 to 26 lb in the next third of pregnancy. If you deviate from these average figures, don’t worry about it. If your weight develops in an unhealthy way, your gynecologist or midwife will intervene.

The uterus has found its place and is now growing into the abdominal cavity.

The pregnancy symptoms of the first third are slowly subsiding. This makes many women feel very well during this time. So it is exactly the right time to be active. You can go on vacation, relax and let yourself be pampered a bit, or simply enjoy your pregnancy.

Pregnancy symptoms in the 13th week

Stretch marks

Perhaps the first stretch marks appear due to the growth of the belly and breasts. Surely you hope that they will not occur so much with you. You cannot prevent their formation, but you can support your skin as much as possible:

Take care of your sensitive skin as early as possible. You can pamper your skin in the abdominal area and on the breasts by massaging it with creams and lotions. This supports the stretching of the skin and provides it with important nutrients.

Please make sure that the care products are suitable for pregnant women and adapted to their special needs. Essential oils such as rosemary or mint are said to have a labor-inducing effect. They are therefore not suitable for this purpose, for example.

Instead, they use Coco oil, aloe vera or almond oil is suitable. They increase the elasticity of the skin and are best applied to the still damp skin after showering and massaged very gently with circular movements.

Abdominal pain

From time to time you may still experience abdominal pain. This is because your uterus is still growing. If you experience pain, it is best to take a break and put your feet up. The warmth from a relaxing bath or a hot water bottle can also ease the discomfort.

If you are still worried about the discomfort, you should talk to your gynecologist or midwife about the pain. If you experience other symptoms such as bleeding, severe cramps, fever, or abnormal discharge, you should see your gynecologist as soon as possible.

What can be seen on the ultrasound in the 13th week of pregnancy?

On the ultrasound, the bones of the arms, legs, spine, as well as ribs and skull bones can be detected. With a good ultrasound machine and if the fetus is in the right position, even the sex could already be detected. However, this determination is still quite inaccurate. For this reason, the sex is not usually determined until the 20th week of gestation. The important thing is that your baby is doing well.

What is the risk of miscarriage in the 13th week of pregnancy?

The first three months and therefore the risky period of pregnancy are over in the 13th week of pregnancy. The risk of miscarriage remains around 0.5% and stays in this range until the 24th week.

To continue to keep the risk of miscarriage low, it is important that you pay attention to your diet and a healthy lifestyle.

In addition, regular check-ups with your gynecologist minimize the risk of miscarriage. Many miscarriages are caused by vaginal infections, for example, which can be diagnosed and treated at an early stage with preventive care.

Your baby is about 2.4 inches tall and weighs 18 g in the 13th week. Your baby’s organs and body parts are already fully developed in the 13th week. Therefore, from the 13th week, your baby is dedicated to the growth and maturation of his organs, muscles, and skeleton.

Soon, the proportions of the body and the head will fit together. Until now, the head was always a little too big for the body. But because the growth of the head is now slowing down, the proportions will soon fit together.

In the 13th week, your baby can hear for the first time and even react to music, because the ossicles ossify in the 13th week. He can also distinguish between light and dark. However, the eyelids will not open again until the 24th week.

Your baby now notices when you or someone else touches its belly. It now reacts to bumps thanks to the root reflex, which also makes it look for your breast after birth.

The root reflex is also called the search reflex. It occurs, for example, when the baby touches your cheek. As a reflex, the baby turns its head in the direction of the touch and expects to find the breast or bottle there. The reflex is used for searching for food and feeding, as well as for self-protection.

Isn’t it nice to know that not only you and your partner establish a connection at the moment of touching the belly, but that your baby also perceives this contact?

How your baby develops in the 13th week of gestation

The skeletal bones of the fetus are now changing from cartilage to bone. But they won’t be fully ossified until they’re in their teens. Once they are fully ossified, one is full-grown.

The bones of the skull have protectively wrapped around the brain by the 13th week. However, they too will not ossify properly until after birth and will not grow together until then either. The brain is still growing and therefore still needs a lot of space.

Without the flexibility and malleability of the skull bones during birth, it would not even be possible to deliver the baby naturally.

The head is the largest part of the body. In order for it to fit through the narrow birth canal, it is important that the bones of the skull are relatively soft and flexible. They push against each other, and in some cases the bones of the skull even push several millimeters over each other.

During the 13th week, the fetus’ vocal cords also develop. It also develops such control over its muscles that the fetus can frown and also yawn.

Food for two

The need for nutrients increases somewhat during the 13th week of pregnancy. But that doesn’t mean you have to eat for two. On average, a woman needs about 1,900 kcal a day. From the 13th week, women have an average calorie requirement of 2,200 kcal per day. By the end of pregnancy, this rises to 2,500 kcal.

This means that you do not have to eat for two. It is enough if you change your diet just a little to the energy requirements needed for the development of your child.

In principle, the approximately 300 kcal that you need more in the second third of pregnancy can be covered, for example, by a cheese sandwich or a sandwich.

A healthy and balanced diet is still important to support your baby’s development.

Take time for yourself

From the 13th week of pregnancy, the best time of pregnancy begins for many expectant mothers. The risk of miscarriage is reduced to a minimum and the pregnancy discomforts subside. The next three months can therefore be super used to take time for yourself or your partnership and perhaps go on a nice vacation.

This is just the right time to unwind and really enjoy your pregnancy. You should also continue to avoid stress and therefore schedule enough time in the day to relax and come down.

Be sure to get enough sleep and make sure to balance stress with other activities such as light exercise, wellness or time out with a nice book.

Important facts about the 13th week: What you should know

Your baby now weighs about 18 g and is about 2.4 inches tall – which makes it as big as a mushroom.

The skeleton of the fetus is ossifying. As a result, it can also perceive sounds for the first time, because the ossicle also ossifies and thus makes hearing possible. He can also distinguish between light and dark, and the vocal cords are formed.

In addition, the typical complaints of the first third of pregnancy subside, and you feel much better again.