Pregnancy Week 13: Working Out Tips
As you move into the thirteenth week of your pregnancy you are leaving behind your first trimester and many of the less pleasant pregnancy symptoms that came along with it. Baby on the other hand is entering a phase where the focus will be on fine-tuning all of their new systems as well as adding both length and weight on a daily basis.
Your Baby in Week 13 of Pregnancy
On average by week 13 Baby is usually about 7.5-8 cms in length and about the size of a peach. This is not set in stone though as babies develop at different rates so there is actually a lot of room for variation. All babies follow the same developmental path in the womb but some progress faster than others. Rather than worry about comparing what others experience though listen to your doctor – if he or she is happy with your progress then that is all that really matters.
One big change coming this week for Baby is that their intestines will settle into their final position in their stomach. Prior to this week they had been developing within the umbilical cord but now they will head to the proper place.
Also developing this week are Baby’s vocal cords. Technically Baby can now begin to make sounds but even the best ultrasound cannot pick them up as the protective embryonic fluids and the uterus linings are simply so dense that they block most sounds, except the very strong rhythm of the heartbeat.
Your Body in Week 13 of Pregnancy
For many women the second trimester is the easiest stage of their pregnancy. They have usually yet to gain a huge amount of weight and their energy levels increase as the placenta takes over many of the duties that their body was responsible for in the first trimester.
Many women do begin to worry about the amount of weight they gain week by week from this point on. Although there are ideals again this will vary from woman to woman. Therefore once again it is your medical team’s opinion on the subject that is the one to pay most attention to, not stories from other mothers or what you might read online or in magazines.
Possible New Pregnancy Symptoms in Week 13 of Pregnancy
The second trimester is often the easiest in terms of unpleasant symptoms but that does not mean that everything will be, by any means, back to ‘normal’ or that new complications will not crop up.
One thing that women do begin to notice increasing as they enter the second stage of pregnancy is an increase in vaginal discharge. This is normal and although it may be upsetting and messy as mentioned before it has a crucial role to play so should not be douched away. Making daily use of a pantyliner will help you feel fresher but avoid the scented variety as they can cause irritation and even infection in women sensitive to the perfumes used, a complication that you certainly do not need right now.
Pregnancy Tips for Your Thirteenth Week – Workout Tips
Now that some of your energy is returning you may feel like ramping up your keep fit program. Regular exercise really is important during pregnancy but overdoing it can be easy to do with this new rush of energy so proceed with caution and with input from your medical team.
Remaining properly hydrated when you exercise is more important than ever now and so a great water bottle is something you should have with you at all times. You should drink before, during and after work outs but do not exceed more than 450 ml at once.
Plain old water really is the best thing to drink with workouts. Although there are now all kinds of flavored sports beverages out there that claim they do a better job of keeping you well hydrated, they contain too much other ‘stuff’ to risk ingesting right now. These sports drinks have not been ‘tested’ on pregnant ladies, for obvious reasons, so whether they are safe or not is unknown.
If you are one of those ladies who really does not like the bland taste of plain water you can spice it up by adding a little fresh fruit to a pitcher of water and then refrigerating it for a few hours. The sweet taste of the fruit will infuse into the water, giving it a nicer taste, but you will not be adding artificial substances or extra calories you do not need into the mix.
For Dad
By now almost everyone will know all about the Baby and the excitement level among your friends and family is likely to be pretty high. At this point in the pregnancy a lot of dads to be start to feel more than a little bit left out of everything as their newly energized partner often begins spending more time with her friends and family.
If that is the case for you it is up to you, for the most, to put yourself right back into the picture. Your partner may be leaving you out of things like shopping trips or nursery planning because she thinks that such things won’t interest you. She may also tell you a lot less about how she is feeling than she will her girlfriends of her Mum because some of the pregnancy symptoms she is experiencing are a little embarrassing for most ladies to want to discuss with their other half.
Letting your partner know that you would like some input into the color of the nursery walls, or to help her pick out some nice new maternity clothes might surprise her but the surprise will be a pleasant one (even if the idea of shopping really does not thrill you, she’ll love the support and interest. )