Week 12

Baby is about the size of a plum!

The Bump Website has a great "How Big is Baby?" chart for men. I'll include some of my favorites in coming weeks. Here's the one for week 12:

Baby is as big as a corkscrew in week 12

This week, baby makes a transition from the critical development stage into the growth and maturation stage.  All of the organs are formed and in place, which means that they will now mature and grow at a faster rate. A normal pregnancy will be considered "in  the clear" and safe from miscarriage.

Baby's development this week:

-  Reflexes
-  Intestines
-  Nerve cells are multiplying rapidly

Extra credit if you remembered to take your prenatal vitamins this week! Every one you take helps ensure baby's optimal development! 

Remember to add to your healthy diet:

-  Prenatal vitamins (EVERY single day!!!)
-  Extra water

Week 12 not only marks a milestone for baby, but also for you! Since most pregnancies are "safe" after this point, many women decide to tell their friends and family if they haven't already. How will you break the good news?

Your hormones will undergo another shift about this time in the pregnancy. Many women notice that their morning sickness is lessened (or even goes away entirely!! Lucky moms!). However, some also feel a tradeoff. Though their morning sickness goes away, they may experience headaches and dizziness. These can be brought on by hormones, vision changes, a drop in blood sugar, and dehydration.

Look at how tempting that glass of water looks! Go get a drink! Hurry!

We've already discussed how important water is during pregnancy. Let's remember a few reasons why... Your body is making more blood and needs more water. It's passing more hormones and nutrients around. That takes more water too. It's trying to keep your body feeling great AND build a healthy baby at the same time. Make your body happy and drink more water. If you're having a hard time remembering, leave a few water bottles sitting around your house, office, car, or anywhere else you spend a lot of time. You'll be amazed at how much more you drink when you have water on hand. (If you REALLY need to amp up your water intake, wearing a CamelBak backpack might be a good idea).

Dehydration is dangerous in pregnancy. Make sure you recognize the symptoms:



-  Dark yellow urine
-  Infrequent urination
-  Dry mouth
-  Weakness, dizziness, or lightheadedness
-  Excessive thirst, chapped lips
-  Headache
-  Nausea, vomiting
-  Lack of skin elasticity



If you ignore (or don't recognize) your symptoms of being dehydrated, things get bad pretty fast and you'll likely end up in the hospital getting fluids through an IV. Other risks involved with dehydration are:

-  Insufficient amount of amniotic fluid (the baby is lying directly against the uterus and limb deformities can occur)
-  Heat exhaustion
-  Muscle cramps
-  Fatigue
-  Premature labor

So do yourself (and baby!) a favor. Drink more water today!