12 Weeks Pregnant

Read about...

• Your Baby
• You
• 3rd Month of Pregnancy Video
• Diary of a Daughter

Your Baby

Now you are approaching the final stage of your 1st trimester (lasting only one more week). Many women will breathe a sigh of relief at this point, having the most critical part of their pregnancy finishing and the risk of miscarriage significantly reduced. many more are starting to announce the big news. You are now 1/3 through your pregnancy.

The biggest thing for your little one this week is the developing reflexes. Fingers will open and close, toes will curl, even facial expressions will change. Your baby can both scratch his nose and suck his thumb!

If you move a specific way your baby will respond by moving as well, even if you can�t quite feel it yet. Muscles start responding to the stimulus development for a more natural movement for your baby.

The brain starts making hormones as well as the rapid development of the nerve cells while the kidneys start producing urine.

Actually, week 12 is the start of a critical development phase for your baby's brain. Between week 12 and week 18 and later between week 24 and 36, brain development is particularly rapid and sensitive.

Make sure you stay away completely from alcohol and nicotine.

To learn more about what to eat for a healthy pregnancy, check out the book "I'm Pregnant! Now What Do I Eat?"

The placenta is functioning effectively and blood flows from the umbilical cord.

Muscles within the intestines also begin to practice contractions known as peristalsis in order to digest food later on.

The eyes of your new baby have moved from the sides of the head to the front where they belong, and the ears are where they belong as well.

Just over 2 inches long, your little one is about the size of a and weighs close to half an ounce.

The busiest time is yet to come with your fetus focusing on increasing in weight and size until that big day that you can only dream of right now.

You

When you have reached this turning point, many women find their anxiety levels subside due to the dramatic drop in miscarriage and any other fears they may have of their unborn child.

Some women may find a number of positives this week including increased energy, a change of libido, appetite change and even less nausea than before.

If you are still experiencing your early pregnancy symptoms, don�t worry; you are not the only one.

Some women will experience the negative effects longer than others, while some women even feel them to some degree throughout their entire pregnancy. You may find yourself looking a little more bloated now from water retention, and you may notice as much as 2 or 3 pounds heavier showing up on your scale than before your little one was created.

Some skin changes occur for a select group of women that may notice freckles or dark pigmentation in their faces, which may not always seem attractive to you, but are perfectly normal and are nothing to worry about. Use sun screen when outside to prevent this.

The skin around your nipples and your areolas will darken and some women find that starting a moisturizing routine now will help later once your skin starts to stretch and grow with your baby.

You may want to start looking for a prenatal class to enrol in. It can not only be fun to meet other women who are close to you in their stages of pregnancy, but also very informative if you are going to be a new mother.

Having a class with a qualified nurse or medical informant can help ease those fears and anxiety that you may have as you come closer to your due date.

3rd Month of Pregnancy Video

If seeing is believing for you; watch this video explaining the third month of pregnancy in pictures and words.

Instructions: When watching the video clips, start the videos by clicking the small arrow down to the left, not the large one in the middle of the screen. If you're using Internet Explorer as your browser and the video doesn't start, try clicking twice on the small arrow.

Diary of a Daughter