Week 12 of pregnancy | First Trimester

Week 12 of your pregnancy is here, which means that your first trimester is almost over.  Let’s take a look at what Mom, Dad and Baby are up to this week.

MOM
Week 12 sees your placenta taking over the production of hormones. Fatigue and nausea should abate by this stage, and you’ll find that your abdomen begins to round and expand. Increased blood volume accounts for possible light-headedness or headaches – it is advisable to consult your doctor to discuss what can be done about this.

BABY
Baby is certainly growing in leaps and bounds at the moment – last week Baby weighed in at seven grams, and this week sees the little one tipping the scales at 14 grams and measuring over five centimetres from crown to rump (CR).

Baby’s brain has the same structure that it will possess at birth, thought it does still have some growing to do. The little one has also developed reflexes and the digestive tract is active and secreting bile.

If your doctor uses a Foetal Doppler (a non-invasive device used to detect the foetal heart rate), you might very well be able to hear your baby’s fast heartbeat – characteristically described as the sound of a galloping horse.

The following image is courtesy of standupgirl.com

DAD
With so many online forums out there, you might like to consider joining one of them. You will be able to get the support and opinions of other dads-to-be that are at the same stage in their pregnancy as you and your partner. It might be quite refreshing to find others who share and understand your happiness as well as your apprehension.

And with that, the first trimester of your pregnancy draws to a close. Next week, as you enter the second trimester, you can expect developments in Baby’s dentistry as well as intestinal area.