Week 15

You are 15 weeks pregnant and your baby weigh around 2.47 ounces, or 70 grams. Baby’s tiny heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood a day. And the skin that has developed is so thin, one could see through it to the blood vessels inside! By birth, baby’s heart will be pumping around 300 quarts of blood a day!

HOW DO YOU FEEL?

And what about you? At this stage in your pregnancy, your heart pumps up to 20 per cent more blood than usual. This is because you must supply your baby with the blood he or she requires. Your clothes are probably becoming a biton the tight side so you might want to look into buying maternity clothes.

Many pregnant women have mixed feeling about this; they can be overjoyed, yet afraid of the changes that are happening to their body. These feelings are perfectly OK. Thanks to your hormones, life can be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster these days.

FEELING SCATTERBRAINED?

These are strange times and do not feel alone! Some of the most organised women confess that pregnancy makes them forgetful, very clumsy and, often, unable to concentrate. The best advice? Have plenty of rest, don’t try to take on too much, have a laugh and take these “mental lapses” in stride –  they’re just temporary.

15 weeks amazing moments of pregnancy

14 weeks of pregnancy

Week 14

Now that you are 14 weeks pregnant, amazing things are happening between your baby and the amniotic fluid. This week, your baby has begun to urinate into the amniotic fluid. This means the amniotic fluid has to replenish itself about every three hours. For this reason, it’s vital that you drink lots of fluids to ensure a clean and happy wombs. Your baby’s lungs are also ‘working’-they are ‘breathing’ in the amniotic fluid.

BABY HAS EYEBROWS NOW

Baby’s hair is sprouting on the head, including fine little eyebrows. Lanugo, that fine, dark hair that grows all over your baby’s body in order to protect the skin, also starts to grow this week. Lanugo will continue growing until just prior to delivery.

There are also some reproductive developments taking place in your womb. For those who are pregnant with boys, the prostate gland is developing; while for those who are having girls, the ovaries are descending down from the abdomen and into the pelvis. And, hormone production starts because the thyroid gland has now matured.

THE SECOND TRIMESTER BEGINS

Congratulations  - now you have made it into the second trimester! You may notice some changes in your body and these are due to hormonal changes; your nipples may be darker and larger and a dark line, called the lines negra, may run from your belly button right to your pelvis bone. At this stage of pregnancy, your uterus will be about the size of a grapefruit.

13 weeks of pregnancy

Week 13

You are 13 weeks pregnant! Your baby now weights around 28 grams, or about one ounce. Baby’s intestines now starting to move from the umbilical cord to the stomach, and the villi are even starting to form in the intestines. Your baby’s pancreas is now formed and functioning and is already secreting insulin.

YOUR PLACENTA

As you get closer to the end of the first trimester of your pregnancy, your placenta has developed and is giving your baby oxygen, nutrients and waste disposal. The placenta also helps to maintain the pregnancy by producing hormones called progesterone and estriol. This week, your baby could put his thumb in his mouth, however the sucking muscles are not entirely developed. Tissue that will eventually form bones is developing around your baby’s head, arms and legs. Also, several ribs may be visible.

Try to make frequent prenatal care visits with your doctor. At these appointments your doctor will check:

• Blood Pressure
• Weight
• Fundal Height (Growth of the Uterus)
• Baby’s Heart Tones
• Urine
• Nutrition. Yous should be taking prenatal vitamins as they help in the growth and development of your baby.

Now that you are past many of the early pregnancy discomforts, you are entering into a great stage in your pregnancy. You are probably have renewed energy are beginning to ‘feel’ pregnant.

Your family and friends will start to notice your pregnancy soon. And if you’ve been hiding the news, it is a very happy occasion when you finally let everyone share in your excitement.