Congratulations on reaching week 12 of your pregnancy!
According to some sources, you are officially in your second trimester of pregnancy. As I mentioned previously, there is some controversy as to when your second trimester actually begins. The debate occurs because of how people define what it means to be in the second trimester of pregnancy.
Here are the 3 major methods of calculating trimesters:
Developmental Stage – Some experts divide the first and second trimesters by the developmental stage of the baby. According to this theory, you are in your second trimester because at 12 weeks the baby is officially considered a fetus and all major organs are developed.
Gestational Method – As you can guess, this method calculates the trimesters based on the gestational timeline. If you divide 40 weeks by 3, then the 1st trimester lasts until 13 weeks 3 days.
Date of Conception – Calculating your trimester based on the date you conceived works like this: Divide 38 weeks after ovulation by 3 and the first trimester lasts until 14 weeks 5 days.
Regardless of what the sources say, it's generally accepted that you can officially celebrate the beginning of your second trimester now, so go ahead and celebrate!
Your Baby’s Development
Your baby has almost doubled in size in the past three weeks and is now about 2.5 inches long and 0.7 ounce. This means that your baby is about the size of an plumb or a small peach.
12 week fetus by lunar caustic on flickr.comThe biggest accomplishment in your baby's development this week is the movements that he is able to make including spontaneous movement of arms and legs. He can even suck his thumb and get hiccups, though you probably won't feel them for several more weeks. Fingernails and toenails are also forming this week.
Other developments:
- Face is beginning to look more like a baby
- The pancreas is functioning and producing insulin
- Vocal chords are developed and your baby may sometimes cry silently
First Trimester Recap
Just in case you missed anything, I'd like to go over a few key things we learned during the first trimester week by week series.
Here are the most important highlights:
Nutrition
I recommend that you do all of the reading you can about how to eat properly during pregnancy. Nutrition is so important, and can make a big difference in what complications you encounter during pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum.
You can start off by reading about The Brewer Pregnancy Diet.
If you’re interested in understanding how nutrition impacts your pregnancy and breastfeeding, I recommend the book Beautiful Babies – nutrition for fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and baby’s first foods.
Empower Yourself
It's so important to be proactive and informed about your care during pregnancy. This ranges from doing your research in choosing a care provider, to researching tests and procedures, and learning everything you can about labor and birth to prepare for that big day.
Learn how to take control of your care and all about the benefits of hiring a doula.
If you're up for an empowering article, read Mothers Own Birth – my article about how women should be in control of their pregnancies and births, not overbearing professionals.
Recommended Articles
- 7 Fun Ways to Announce Your Pregnancy
- Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy
- Heartburn and Indigestion During Pregnancy
Recommended Products
- Herbal Coffee – Kick the caffeine habit and stay alert with something that's much healthier during pregnancy.
- Bellybar Prenatal Nutrition – Delicious prenatal vitamins and nutrient rich energy bars.
- Belly Band – A wonderful modern accessory that will benefit almost any mom’s maternity wardrobe.
Was your first trimester of pregnancy difficult?
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Alongside her therapeutic work, Vanessa is also a certified birth doula. With her doula training, she offers compassionate support to individuals and families during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, ensuring a nurturing and empowering experience.
Vanessa's commitment to supporting individuals on their healing and transformative journeys shines through her expertise in trauma therapy and her compassionate approach to birth support. With her diverse skill set and passion for holistic well-being, Vanessa strives to provide comprehensive care and education.
