Pregnancy Week 12

Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. –-Charles Swindoll

What happens to you?

You may have headaches. Women who had frequent headaches before you were pregnant and/or while you were taking birth control pills, you'll probably have headaches during your pregnancy. Check with your doctor or midwife before taking an pain medication. Ibuprofen (Advil, Nuprin, Medipren) and aspirin are all medications that you should not take while you are pregnant. Ask your doctor if you can take acetaminophen (Tylenol) when you have a headache. You can also try lying down in a dark room with a cool cloth on your forehead or on the back of your neck. This can sometimes diminish the pain of a headache. There is also a condition in which women get severe headaches or migraine headaches from sleeping too much. Try to decrease your nighttime sleep, and increase your rest during the day with a short nap.

You may actually start feeling better from your extreme tiredness and nausea this week. However, it could hang on for several more weeks. Your abdomen may start expanding, especially if this is not your first pregnancy. Your placenta will take over the production of hormones around this time.

What happens to the baby?

The baby's brain is not the same size as it will be at birth, but it does have the same basic structure. Your baby has its reflexes now. The fetus weighs about 14 grams now and is approximately 3.54 inches in total length. If your practitioner uses a Doppler (special stethoscope), you may be able to hear your baby's heart beat at this office visit. It will sound very fast. Some say that they hear clicking or the sounds of horse hooves.

Return to Pregnancy Calendar or continue to Week 13