12th week of pregnancy: The 12th week of pregnancy at a glance
Your child can now move elbows and wrists individually and spread their thumbs. In addition, it can already turn its head, turn its wrist, open its mouth and frown in the 12th week of pregnancy. Isn’t that a funny idea?
Your baby’s development in the 12th week of pregnancy
In the 12th week of pregnancy, your baby is 43 to 51 millimeters tall and has a constant heartbeat of 120 to 160 beats per minute, which you can listen to during the regularultrasound examinations. The human traits are even more pronounced, as the eyes have moved further to the center of the face and the once deep-seated ears have moved upwards. Now your baby’s individual traits are also developing. The facial muscles develop according to a genetically determined pattern. The small snub nose of your child can be seen in profile just as well as the arched forehead of the round head, which already has a diameter of up to 20 millimeters.
In the 12th week of pregnancy, your child’s teeth are also created by creating the first tooth buds in the jaw. Both embryos now also have their genitals visible. The gender is already recognizable, but only if it lies on the back during the ultrasound examination. Therefore, most gynecologists still keep their suspicions to themselves.
In addition, the thyroid gland begins to produce hormones in both sexes. Your child can now close his hands into a fist, he can drink and turn his head like body. Sometimes it also has hiccups, it makes its first breathing movements and it can yawn perfectly. Your child is constantly on the move, because all the new “functions” have to be tested. Your baby kicks and kicks so hard that it looks like he’s performing a water ballet.
Your body in the 12th week of pregnancy
If you have beenplagued by nausea in the last few weeks, you can expect it to subside from the 12th week of pregnancy. The days will now be less exhausting for you and the everyday work will be easier to master again. Meanwhile, your uterus is as big as a man’s fist. In slim women, it can no longer only be felt through the vagina, but often also through the abdominal wall. The solid uterus stands out from the rest of the tissue directly above the pubic bone when carefully scanning the environment with your fingertips.
The increased activity of your thyroid gland and also the flood of hormones drive you to hectic, irritability andfrequent mood swings. Often there is not enough time in the hustle and bustle of everyday life to meet the new situation with all the demands that the new life places on your body.
Questions about the 12th week of pregnancy
Is there already a belly?
Many women ask themselves at the latest in the 12th week of pregnancy: “When does the belly grow?”. In most cases, no real tummy can be seen in this SSW. However, many notice that the pants tweak and fit much tighter than before. How big your belly is depends on various factors: the weight of the child, your weight allowance and the position of the child play a role.
In the 12th week of pregnancy, usually no movements can be felt. And this despite the fact that your baby is already moving from the 8th week of pregnancy. However, since it cannot yet reach your abdominal wall due to its size, these are not perceptible to you.
What is the risk of miscarriage in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy?
In the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, every woman is afraid of losing the child. Because the first trimester is considered a critical phase. Until the 12th week of pregnancy, a child is in organogenesis. This means that the child is still an embryo and his organs are forming. If the embryos have no chance of survival due to malformations, they are rejected by the body at this early stage. If you are worried, talk to your gynecologist about your fears. He/she knows the worries that every soon-to-be mom feels, and can help you in this situation with words and deeds.
Is there a risk of miscarriage if bleeding in the 12th week of pregnancy?
Mild bleeding is relatively common during early pregnancy. About every fourth woman experiences at least one involuntary bleeding. If the bleeding is not accompanied by other discomfort, such as pulling pain in the lower abdomen, therisk of miscarriageis not very high. Nevertheless, you should be examined so that your gynecologist can determine whether your child is still doing well. An ultrasound examination quickly brings clarity.
Do other invasive diagnostics need to be used?
If thefirst trimester screeningshows that there is an increased risk that your baby has a malformation or chromosomal disorder during your pregnancy, your doctor may advise you to have anamniocentesis, chorionic villus samplingorumbilical cord puncture. Either the amniotic sac, the placenta or the umbilical cord is punctured with a hollow needle inserted via the abdominal wall and tissue is removed for further examination. However, these invasive diagnostics are associated with a certain risk for your child and are therefore only used if there is a reasonable suspicion and you consciously decide to do so.
What does 12th week of pregnancy mean?
If you are in the 12th week of pregnancy, your embryo will be ten weeks old. Because there is a difference between the age and the week of pregnancy. The first two weeks of pregnancy only serve to calculate the approximate date of delivery. Thus, the calculation begins about two weeks before fertilization, with the first day of the last period.
It is counted as follows – if you are in the 12th week of pregnancy, you are in the eleventh week and x days pregnant:
- 11+0= 1st day of the 12th week of pregnancy
- 11+1 = 2nd day of the 12th week of pregnancy
- 11+2 = 3nd day of the 12th week of pregnancy
- 11+3 = 4nd day of the 12th week of pregnancy
- 11+4 = 5nd day of the 12th week of pregnancy
- 11+5 = 6nd day of the 12th week of pregnancy
- 11+6 = 7nd day of the 12th week of pregnancy
Tips and hints for the 12th week of pregnancy
The amount of amniotic fluid
The amount of amniotic fluid can be determined very reliably with the help of an ultrasound examination. For this purpose, a so-called amniotic fluid index is created, for which the doctor measures the amniotic fluid expansion in the amniotic cavity. If the amniotic fluid is completely absent over a longer period of time, your child can develop various malpositions of the hands and feet and the head deforms in length. If the child drinks too little, there is too much amniotic fluid. But too much amniotic fluid does not cause your child any disadvantages.
Plucking massage against stretch marks
In the meantime, your pregnancy has consolidated and you can treat yourself to a dailyabdominal plucking massage against stretch marks. The plucking massage promotes blood circulation and elasticity of the connective tissue. However, it cannot completely prevent stretch marks. Unfortunately, it is above all your genetic predisposition that determines whether you get stretch marks. But as a small consolation: usually they disappear quite quickly after pregnancy.
Taking folic acid after the 12th week of pregnancy
Folic acid belongs to the vitamin B group. During pregnancy, your body needs twice as much folic acid as normal. Due to the diet, this is hardly possible. Folic acid helps the baby develop and close the so-called neural tube. The neural tube is the first stage of development of the nervous system. You should check with your doctor how much folic acid you need to take.
The glove test
A large proportion of miscarriages and premature births are caused by infections that rise through the vagina. Normally, there is a large number of so-called lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Döderlein rods) in the vagina. The lactic acid produced by these germs causes the vaginal fluid to be significantly acidic in the vaginal entrance area. In this way, most critical germs, which are often only present in small numbers, are kept in check. The normal pH for the vaginal entrance area is between 4.0 and 4.4. An increase in the pH value to above 4.4 is an indication of a disturbance of the vaginal environment with the risk of infection.
The measurement of the pH value of the vagina can now be carried out by yourself with a test glove. To do this, a glove is pulled out of the package and the finger with the test paper is inserted into the vagina for a short time – similar to the introduction of a tampon. The test paper on the glove discolors and can be compared with a comparison pallet. In general, it is sufficient to take the measurement twice a week. If the value is not within the normal range, there is no reason to worry, because urine or seminal fluid after sex with the partner can also come into contact with the test paper. However, if a test on the following day is also conspicuous, you should consult your doctor.