Pregnancy week 12 is the last week of the first trimester. By now your pregnancy is on a firm footing. Your belly should show up a little, if it is your second or subsequent pregnancy, but still you will be able to hide it from others if you can dress cleverly. Morning sickness must have disappeared (if it is still lingering don’t worry, it can happen for some women) and so also other concerns. Your doctor would have already established the health of the fetus and may also have given you some guidelines if he or she foresees any complication. You can now announce and share your happiness with the world outside. Get going and enjoy the rest of the phases of your pregnancy.
The fetus must be a full ounce heavy and 3 inches tall. Most of the fetus will be the head part. If you were to look at any scan that your doctor made then the disproportions will be apparent. If you look a little closer, the chin, eyelid, ear and nose should be recognizable. During the pregnancy week 12 the legs and arms will have grown a little, so too the finger nails and toes. The fetus will now look more like a human than what it was even a week before.
As like other past weeks, in pregnancy week 12 you will see many changes taking place on the fetus. This is the first time during which you doctor will make many tests; blood, urine and scans if necessary. The doctor may also look for signs of any abnormality and plan for treatment and corrections if they are required; mostly it should be smooth going during this trimester. As with all pregnancy weeks, heed your doctor’s advice closely. If he does miss something, only you will notice, let him know about that in time. The changes in your body and ways to manage them:
· Your belly should start protruding a little bit, sort of a pouch that only you or husband will notice and your dress may not fit at the waistline. You will have to give up those tight fitting dresses that you may have used to earlier. It is also the phase during which you will be most prone to adding fat to your body. If you are genetically inclined to obesity, pay special attention to your diet; the smaller the fat in your diet the better. Remember it is smaller quantity, not cutting off totally.
· From the pregnancy week 12 the fetus will start growing in size and during the later weeks you will also notice the belly start protruding prominently. Avoid loose dressing as well as the tight fitting ones. Instead choose something in between; the ones that firmly grip but does not squeeze your belly too much to cause discomfort.
· Your body will be producing more progesterone and as a result there will be frequent dizziness. They are normal during this phase so don’t work near machines that can be potentially dangerous and avoid driving cars if you can. It is also the stage in your pregnancy when the young fetus requires a lot of blood supply. Intense blood requirement for the fetus also mean that your own brain will have to make do with smaller supplies hence the dizziness and the occasional faint.
· Your sex drive can take a beating, but you can expect it to return back in the weeks following pregnancy week 12. Believe it, it is true and convince your partner if you disappoint him during this week. You can more than make it up later, when your sexual urges begin shooting northward. You will see signs of anger, frustration and helplessness. It is all because of the hormonal changes taking placing in your body. They are all sure to disappear for the better, be assured.
· You will need to pass urine more frequently because of the space constrains that the womb is making inside your body, and the chemical changes that are taking place. If you read some technically relevant books on the subject you should be able to locate the reasons too, and it is often the fetus to which the problem will be attributed to.
· You will have excess saliva in your mouth and your sense of smell too will be on the upswing. What an ingenious way Mother Nature has devised to let you consume more food and prevent indigestion as well! You may want to keep some snack, especially those that some will consider as sour or too sweet to take, and nibble all the time; even at midnight. So long as they don’t carry too much calories or fat it should be alright for you.
· You should also experience headaches, vaginal discharges and flatulence. Keep some doctor approved medication ready. You will need to take them if things get a little out of control. For your part try to avoid take them if it was prescribed as an option.
Finally, don’t try skipping your appointed medical checkup even if it means a little hardship. Endure it and you will have delivered a healthy baby; a joy of your lifetime.