When I’m pregnant, I am excited to look up information each week about how my baby is developing. However, most of the time I don’t think to really pay attention to what’s happening to me. So if you’re 13 weeks pregnant, here’s information specifically tailored for you.
Hormones
During the 13th week of pregnancy many women will find that their hormone levels seem to level out some. When you get pregnant, your body instantly starts producing hormones in order to support the pregnancy. This huge rush of hormones means that during the first weeks of pregnancy you can experience a whole list of side effects. For example, hormones can make you feel more emotional or moody than normal, or can affect your libido. The good news is that, for most women, these hormone induced feelings and side effects will lesson or even disappear about now.
Getting A Bump
When you start to show varies greatly from woman to woman and pregnancy to pregnancy. I started to get a bump at around 9 weeks with my first daughter, but with my second daughter I didn’t need to start wearing maternity clothes until around 19 weeks. Don’t be surprised if you either are starting to get a bump, or if you don’t show at all.
Most women will find by 13 weeks that even if they aren’t showing yet, they may be able to tell that their clothes are a bit tighter around the waist. Even if you’re clothes aren’t actually tight, it may be less comfortable to wear snug clothing. I find myself changing into comfortable sweats or yoga pants as soon as I’m home for the evening, even though I don’t need maternity clothes yet during the day.
Other Physical Changes
Even if your tummy hasn’t gotten any bigger yet, you may notice that your breasts have. Make sure to wear a comfortable supportive bra. You may find that you need to get fitted for a bra during week 13, and you might even be considering switching to a maternity bra. These can be more comfortable as they don’t have an underwire.
Other physical changes that you may notice could include: thicker hair, dandruff (not a pregnancy side-effect I’m happy about), particularly good or bad skin, sensitive skin, and a pregnant “glow” or “bloom”.
If you have been suffering with tiredness and/or morning sickness during the first trimester, these will probably start to get better around the 13th week of pregnancy. If not, talk to your midwife or doctor if you’re concerned.
Maternity Care
How often you see your midwife or doctor depends on what type of care you choose, your particular health factors, etc. If you haven’t seen a health care professional about your pregnancy yet, you should schedule one this week.
Most women will have a scan (ultrasound) around 12-14 weeks. This is often referred to as a “dating scan”. This scan gives you an exciting chance to get a peek at your baby. By this stage you will be able to see their heartbeat and probably see them wriggle some too. This scan will verify (or maybe slightly move) your due date and make sure that your baby is growing healthily. Around this time you may also be offered a scan to do a screening test for Down’s Syndrome (these two scans are usually combined). This screening is optional; I’ve always declined it because I felt that it wouldn’t change how I proceeded with the pregnancy and would only stress me unnecessarily. Other women are glad to have it done.
In your standard care you may also have blood work done and your urine tested during week 13.
Sharing the News
The risk of miscarriage and other serious pregnancy complications is highest during the first trimester. For this reason, many women choose to wait to tell people. If you haven’t told anyone that you’re pregnant yet, you may want to consider telling people now. If you have other children, this could be a good time to tell them (especially if you have recent scan pictures to show them).
Sources
Personal Experience
http://www.babiesonline.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/week13.asp
