Canada's Largest & Oldest Cord Blood Bank
Well done! You survived the first trimester. This week marks the end of your first trimester and you are now a third of the way through your pregnancy.
This Week’s Highlights
Your baby is swallowing amniotic fluid
Your baby’s vocal chords start to form
You start making colostrum
Your Baby at 13 Weeks
Your baby is the size of a small peach, measuring about 2.9 inches (7.4 centimeters) from head to rump and weighing in at about 0.8 ounces (23 grams).
Baby Development at Week 13
Your baby’s digestive system is coming into action now. The intestines that were growing in the umbilical cord have moved into the abdomen. He or she is swallowing amniotic fluid, which is mostly water with some nutrients. Your baby’s kidneys are turning the remaining liquid into urine, which he or she pees back into the amniotic fluid.
The vocal cords are beginning to develop this week. You may not be able to hear your baby right now, but you will likely hear him or her the moment your baby enters the outside world.
Your baby has discovered his or her thumbs and is busy practicing his or her sucking skills. Fingerprints are starting to form on those tiny fingers, whose pattern will set a little later on in your pregnancy.
If you are to have a baby girl, her ovaries are now developing. If it is a boy, his testicles have formed and his penis is starting to grow.
Pregancy Tip
Now that you are entering your second trimester you will start to look (and feel) more and more pregnant. The recommend total weight gain is 28-40 pounds (12-18 kilograms) in total.
Your Bump at 13 Weeks
If you are a first time mom on the smaller side, your belly may finally start showing this week.
How Your Body is Changing
The second trimester is often described as the honeymoon phase of pregnancy. You have more energy, your belly is a manageable size and you feel more like yourself. If you are still experiencing pregnancy symptoms from the first trimester, we hope they will start to taper off.
Starting now, your healthcare provider will start measuring your fundal height, the distance from your pelvic bone to the top of the uterus, to keep track of your pregnancy. The fundal height should measure the same as your week of pregnancy.
This week your breasts start producing colostrum, the first type of milk produced when you start breastfeeding. Colostrum is thick, sticky and is supercharged with proteins, sugars, fats, and most of all, antibodies. These antibodies will give protect your newborn from infections, until his or her immune system has time to develop them.
Choose to Protect the Health of Your Entire Family
Did you know: your baby’s cord blood has amazing potential to treat disease. Your baby’s own stem cells are a perfect match for him/herself. This eliminates the need for a donor and the risk of rejection. The use of cord blood and cord tissue stem cells is continuing to grow and offers exciting treatment options for the entire family in the future. Read More →
How Far Along are You?
13 weeks in, 27 weeks to go! You will soon enter the second trimester of your pregnancy. Even though pregnancy is measured in weeks this means you are entering your fourth month of pregnancy.
Diet at Week 13
With your appetite returning, you will want to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. You may be eating for two, but gaining too much weight during your pregnancy can increase your risk of weight-related complications.
If you are struggling with heartburn, constipation and indigestion, you may want to think about keeping a food diary. Certain foods can trigger these digestive issues, so you can try to eliminate as many of them as possible. Increasing your intake of fiber and staying hydrated can also helps with these issues.
Pregnancy Symptoms at Week 13
Constipation– Constipation usually affect moms in their second and third months of pregnancy. The same pregnancy hormones that relax your muscles and joints, also relax muscles in your digestive tract. This means food is passed along at a slower rate through your system causing your system to be backed up a bit.
Faintness and dizziness – These symptoms mostly occur in the second trimester and may be due to several different factors including changes in circulation, pregnancy hormone levels and your growing bump. You are sharing your blood supply with the baby, which means sometimes your brain may not get enough oxygen to support your body. Make sure you don’t spend too much time in hot, stuffy rooms and aren’t letting your blood sugar levels drop too low.
Visible veins – You may notice that your veins have become more visible this week, particularly if you are fair skinned. This is another side effect of the increased circulation.
Heartburn and indigestion– Your digestive systems behaves differently during pregnancy owning to hormone changes. The same hormones that relax your muscles and joints, also relax muscles in your digestive tract. This means food is passed along at a slower rate through your system causing bloating, gas and heartburn. Try keeping a food diary and taking note of the food that lead to indigestion and heart burn so you can avoid them.
Changes in sex drive – As your regain your energy, you may notice changes in your sex drive. If your libido has increased, go ahead and enjoy! Since your cervix is more sensitive during pregnancy, you may notice light spotting or bleeding after sex, which is normal. Contact your healthcare provider, if you experience heavy bleeding after sex.
Cord Blood vs Cord Tissue Stem Cells
