Weeks #12-13

12 weeks pregnant

Things are changing fast. You’re reaching the home stretch of the first trimester (we know, finally!) at 12 weeks which means your hormones are likely to tone things down a bit -- which might make you feel a little less emotional! And it will probably help the symptoms subside a bit, too. One warning though: your morning sickness and fatigue might get replaced by headaches and dizziness. But we think that’s a reasonable trade-off. The other big change? Baby’s almost done developing her body’s important systems and parts, which means, it’s mostly about getting bigger and more mature from here on out. Around week 12, you might want to know more about baby, so you’re probably having genetic testing done to determine her risk of birth defects or other problems. This can be a little scary -- and confusing -- so be sure to ask your OB plenty of questions, and know that it’s much more likely baby’s A-OK than anything else.

 your baby's the size of a plum!

The average fetus at 12 weeks is about 2.1 inches long and .49 ounces. Now that she's got pretty much all her parts, her main job is to keep on growing.

 your baby at 12 weeks

• Most of her critical systems are fully formed!
• She's about to enter the growth and maturation stage, in which her organs and tissues will grow and develop rapidly.
• She's now developing her reflexes -- if you poke her body, she'll likely move.
• She's opening and closing her fingers and curling her toes, too.
• Her brain is developing fast!

13 weeks pregnant

Yay! It’s the last week of the first trimester and you did it. We’re not just talking about getting through those work meetings without falling asleep (or puking!), we’re talking about how you’ve completed one whole third of your pregnancy -- and the reputed toughest one at that. You’ve grown a fetus that has vocal cords, teeth and even fingerprints (wow!) and you probably kept this incredible news (mostly) secret while you constantly wished you could shout it from the rooftops -- or, at the very least, use it as an excuse for getting to work late. It’s about this time that many parents-to-be start spreading the word (to more people than just close family and friends) that there’s a baby on the way. But know that there are no hard and fast rules about when you should divulge your secret. It could be after your next prenatal doctor visit, once you start showing or at a big family event where everyone will be gathered. Or maybe everyone already knows! That’s totally your call.

 your baby's the size of a peach!

She's about 2.9 inches long and weighs about .81 ounces, and -- proportion-wise -- her head's now about 1/3 the size of her body (remember? It used to be bigger!).

your baby at 13 weeks

• Can you believe she's forming vocal cords and teeth?!
• And even though she's still teeny, she already has fingerprints.
• Her intestines are moving from the umbilical cord to their more permanent place, in her tummy.