13 Weeks Pregnant - Fetal Size, Belly, Discharge

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

13 weeks pregnant

At 13 weeks gestation, the fetus turns 11 weeks after conception. It is already 3 full calendar months, and it is also the beginning of the 4th lunar month.

Fetal changes

The size of the fetus at the 13th week of pregnancy reaches 7 cm, and it weighs about 23 g. Its body gradually stretches in length, and the head / body ratio gradually decreases, so the head does not look so big anymore.

Many changes during this period occur in the digestive tract of the fetus. The unborn baby has fully formed the rudiments of all milk teeth, which are still deep in the gums and erupt only after 5-6 months of life. Very rarely, the lower incisors begin to grow in utero, and the baby is born with teeth.

Villi form on the intestinal mucosa, which will participate in the digestion of food. The fetus makes swallowing movements - it swallows amniotic fluid, and training digestion takes place in the digestive tract. The processed residues do not leave the intestine, but accumulate in it in the form of meconium, the original feces. In the pancreas, insulin is actively produced - a hormone that regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates.

From the 13th week of pregnancy, the prostate gland is laid in future boys, and all eggs (about 2 million) are formed in the ovaries of future girls, which will mature after birth.

The movements of the fetus at 13 weeks of gestation are active and not as chaotic as before. This can be seen on an ultrasound scan at 13 weeks of pregnancy. The kid feels parts of his body, the umbilical cord, makes grimaces and stretches. He does not see yet - his eyes are closed for centuries, but he already reacts to light. The mimic muscles are still formed in such a way that the baby only frowns and “gets angry”. The muscles that form the involuntary smile are still underdeveloped.

Tactile receptors have formed in the skin of the fetus, due to which it feels touch and pressure. An unborn child from 13 weeks of pregnancy reacts to the change in the position of the mother, and he himself changes his position in the uterus several times a day. Sweat glands have formed in the skin, and the first hairs on the head.

At this time, the heart of the fetus is already enclosed inside the chest, protected in front by the cartilaginous basis of the sternum, the rudiments of the ribs have appeared. Soon the baby will try to make training breathing movements.

Changes in a woman's body at 13 weeks of gestation

The waistline is smoothed out, and the belly at the 13th week of pregnancy in a woman gradually increases in size. Because of this, she can no longer wear the old skirts or tight-fitting dresses that become tight.

The most favorable time begins - the mother and her unborn child have already adapted well to each other. The pregnant woman is feeling well, and the uterus and the fetus itself are not yet so large that it is difficult for a woman to walk. Sometimes, due to some peculiarities of the location of the uterus, there may be pulling pains at 13 weeks of gestation in the groin folds. This is due to the tightening of the round ligaments of the uterus. In this case, a prenatal bandage can be salvation, and doctors also recommend that a woman not strain and rest regularly.

Discharge at 13 weeks of gestation from the genital tract is normally transparent or whitish, more abundant than it was before pregnancy. They cannot be confused with thrush, in which the consistency of the discharge resembles a curd mass, and they are accompanied by burning and itching.

Due to hormonal changes and structural features of the connective tissue on a woman's chest or abdomen, stretch marks may appear in the form of whitish or dark pink radial stripes.

Examination at 13 weeks of gestation

No special research is required for this period. An ultrasound scan at 13 weeks of pregnancy is prescribed only if the doctor sees a need for it, as well as for those who did not have time for the first ultrasound scan.

Regular monitoring of urine analysis allows early detection of signs of gestosis or pyelonephritis.

By this time, the woman should be examined by specialists:

• Oculist;
• Therapist;
• Gynecologist.

According to the indications, a consultation with a cardiologist or endocrinologist is sometimes prescribed.

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