Week 13 of Your Pregnancy
Excited, daunting, overwhelming… these are all normal feelings for a mom-to-be! At 13 weeks, welcome to the start of your second trimester. Your baby is growing rapidly and is quite active. Its reproductive organs are developed, and liver and pancreas are beginning to function.
Your 13th week of pregnancy marks the start of your second trimester. Your baby is now developing the vocal cords, all other organs continue to mature. Inside your baby’s body, ovaries or testes have fully formed. But don’t scramble to buy blue balloons or pink ribbons just yet – it’s still a little early to determine if it’s a boy or girl1! Your baby’s liver will begin to produce bile and its pancreas will produce insulin1. Other developments include your baby’s vocal cords2, as well as eyes and ears3.
The sense of touch forms and your baby begins to play with the umbilical cord. Sometimes it might even suck the thumb.
Your Baby
Your baby is the size of a peach now! You can't feel its movements yet, but your b aby is already starting to stretch, kick and turn! The baby is now 6 centimetres tall and weighs about 30 grams. Your baby’s head will now start to grow at a slower rate than the rest of the body. By week 21 it will be around a third the size of the body, and at birth it will be a quarter of the size.
Your body
Your weight gain will increase gradually after these 3 months. You may sweat more often due to the increased energy consumption from your body.
Focus on Fibre: Insoluble and Soluble
Unfortunately, hormonal changes in our bodies during pregnancy can cause constipation5. This is why fibre is every pregnant girl’s best friend! To maintain regular bowel movements, ensure that you get at least 30g of fibre a day.
There are two types of fibre, and both are important for digestion. Insoluble fibre passes though our gut without being broken down – this helps to move other food along with it. For insoluble fibre, pick up6:
- Wheat bran
- Wholegrain cereals and breads
- Brown rice
- Fruit and vegetables
- Seeds and nuts
The other type of fibre is soluble fibre, which provide a source of food for the healthy bacteria in our gut. Sources of soluble fibre include6:
- Barley, oats and rye
- Beans and pulses
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Seeds
Can’t wait to get started? For better health and nutrition, try these food swaps to increase your fibre intake!
Questions about feeding and nutrition?
Our midwives, nutritionists and feeding advisors are always on hand to talk about feeding your baby. So if you have a question, just get in touch.
