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Week 13

What's Happening To Your Body

Congratulations, you’ve now entered the second trimester! This trimester is usually when most women will feel their best as they grow out of the early signs of pregnancy and start to have more energy. You can expect to gain about 12 pounds (5.4 kg) this trimester.

You may notice stretch marks from your expanding tummy and breasts, as well as around your waist and buttocks. To help avoid these stretch marks, it's important to keep your weight gain constant by staying active and maintaining a healthy diet. Now that you’re in your second trimester, you require an extra 340 calories per day.

If you haven’t spread the happy news yet, now might be a good time to begin sharing word of your pregnancy with your family and friends.

What's Happening To Your Baby

Your baby is the size of a tangerine. Your baby measures approximately 2.5 to 3 inches (6.4 to 7.6 cm) long from crown to rump. At this point, your baby weighs between 0.5 and 0.8 ounces (14.2 and 21.3 grams). The placenta and your baby also weigh the same now. Your baby’s vital systems are all fully developed and your baby will now concentrate on growing as much as 1 inch per week.

Your baby is developing significantly. One thing that is apparent is the slowdown in the growth of your baby’s head as its body catches up. Your baby’s face is also starting to look more human — its eyes are beginning to move closer together while its ears are moving to their normal positions.

Internally, your baby’s intestines are migrating into its abdomen. The intestines are also beginning to form villi, which aid in absorption and digestion. The liver also begins to secrete bile; the pancreas starts to secrete insulin. Your baby is practicing swallowing as it continues to take in amniotic fluid and pass it out as urine.

While your baby may have a thumb in his or her mouth, practicing for nursing, its sucking muscles are not fully developed yet. All 20 teeth have also formed and are hidden under the gums. Your baby can also smile and its vocal cords are rapidly developing.

Read This Next: Week 14

In Case You Missed It: Week 12