Week 12
Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.The secrecy is over! You can tell the whole world that you are going to be a mom. In the 12th week of pregnancy, the critical phase is over and the risk of a miscarriage is drastically reduced. Here you can read interesting facts about pregnancy in the 12th week: Why fish should now land more on your plate, the little one is starting to do breathing exercises and the yolk sac has had its day.
12th week of pregnancy: This is how your baby is developing
A 12th week fetus is 43 to 51 millimeters tall and quite active. Bending your wrists and elbows and clenching your little hands into tiny fists is part of this in the 12th week of pregnancy. The development is also taking place in the mouth - the first tooth buds appear. In addition, in the 12th week of pregnancy, your baby can open its mouth to drink amniotic fluid and to yawn. Hiccups are also a problem at times. Both are important breathing exercises.
The little one now weighs up to 14 grams - about as much as three pieces of chocolate. It is now completely nourished through the placenta, the yolk sac has had its day in the 12th week of pregnancy.
12th week of pregnancy ultrasound: That can be seen
The unborn child becomes more and more visible to the baby: The 12th week of pregnancy lets the eyes move further into the center of the face, the eyelids are also closed. The little snub nose can be seen in profile, the ears have moved upwards - just a real little person.
However, the head is still huge compared to the rest of the body, the forehead has a proud diameter of 20 millimeters in the 12th week of pregnancy. The thyroid begins to produce hormones on its own.
Something is also growing “at the other end”: the genitals become visible. However, a girl's clitoris and the male penis are still very similar - so what it will be cannot yet be seen.
12th week of pregnancy: That will change for you
You can breathe a sigh of relief: The sensitive phase in which your child was very susceptible to external influences is over. At the end of the third month, the risk of a miscarriage is reduced. The 12th week of pregnancy is therefore also the right time to simply tell the good news to friends, relatives, ... everyone. The nausea should also slowly go away. The days will be less strenuous.
At 12 weeks gestation, your uterus is about the size of a man's fist. If you are very slim, you can feel its hard surface above the pubic bone. If it is already your second child, your stomach may bulge a little in the 12th week of pregnancy. With the first pregnancy, however, there is still not much to see in the 12th week of pregnancy.
Your thyroid also changes in the 12th week of pregnancy: size and production increase as your child depends on your iodine supply. In order to meet the increased demand, you should now regularly add sea fish (mackerel, saithe, cod, etc.) to your diet. Algae are also good sources of iodine - you should still avoid sushi. After all, raw fish is not a good idea during pregnancy. If you would like to cover your iodine requirements (additionally) with food supplements, you should only do this after consulting your doctor.
12th week of pregnancy: That is important now
Drastically reduced from the 12th week of pregnancy: the risk of miscarriage. Now is the time when you can have some examinations done, for example to clarify genetic abnormalities in your child (such as trisomy 21). You can do that, but you don't have to - each parent couple has to decide for themselves.
Usually the first step is the so-called neck fold measurement. This is carried out between the 11th and 14th week of pregnancy and is part of the so-called first trimester screening. Here, a probability is calculated from various parameters (thickness of the child's neck fold, maternal blood values, etc.) as to whether a genetic peculiarity could be present in the unborn child. If this calculated value is very high, there is the possibility of further examinations, such as a chorionic villus sampling or amniotic fluid examination. In both cases, child's DNA is taken from your body and examined for irregularities.
Chorionic villus sampling, neckfold measurement and amniotic fluid examination are not services provided by statutory health insurers, but so-called IGeL services (individual health services). The costs for this have to be borne by yourself, as long as the gynecologist does not see an increased or unconditional need for it.
Midwife tip
Have you noticed that your vagina is producing more discharge? Some women are frightened and immediately think of a vaginal infection with fungi or bacteria. In fact, thanks to the hormones, the vagina is supplied with more blood and therefore secretes more fluid. Don't worry about a clear to whitish, odorless discharge. It looks different if the color is greenish, brown or even yellowish or has an unpleasant smell. This can be an indication of an infection - not only in the 12th week of pregnancy, of course. If this is the case, it is best to have the discharge clarified.
