Your Pregnancy Week by Week: 13 Weeks

The following information -- and much more -- can also be found in the free weekly email Lamaze Pregnancy Week by Week. Sign up now to receive helpful information for your stage of pregnancy. Subscribers will be given the opportunity to complete a Lamaze Parent Satisfaction Survey after their pregnancy and receive a Lamaze Toys coupon. We want to hear about your birth experience and the impact that childbirth education may have had so that we can continue to make sure parents have the information they need for the safest, healthiest birth possible.

You're in week 13 of your pregnancy!

Friends, family, or even complete strangers may tell you not to exercise while you're pregnant for fear that you will harm the baby or go into labor too soon. However, years of research show that exercise is safe and beneficial for most pregnant women. Remember that in about 27 weeks or so, you will be performing an enormous physical feat - childbirth! Prepare your body and mind for the challenge by engaging in moderate physical activity on a regular basis.

What's New with Baby

Since last week, your baby has grown even more - his weight has again doubled, and he's grown in size, weighing in around 28 grams and at more than 7 cm long (about the length of a lime). Your baby's first stool, called meconium, is developing in his large intestine. This first stool is made up of cells, hair, and tissue that the baby is swallowing along with the amniotic fluid. He is a unique individual and has already developed his own tiny fingerprints!

What's New with You

By now, you're probably better at adjusting to changes than you were during those first few weeks of pregnancy. You feel more energized, you're able to sleep more deeply, and you may not feel as nauseous.

During the middle months of pregnancy, you can probably tackle most normal activities, just as you did before you were pregnant. It's as though your body has gotten the hang of what it's being asked to do. You and your baby have set up a nice, calm rhythm. You're both growing and getting ready for labor and birth in these golden, waiting months.

Words of Wisdom from Another Mom

'I found just being outside in the fresh air renewed my energy and helped my nausea. I made sure to get some fresh air every day, even if it was just walking to the mailbox. I especially liked walking in the park near my home. Being in nature is such a natural stress reliever for me and kept my nausea at bay.'

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