12-Week pregnant: Development and diet

WEEK 12 DEVELOPMENT

Good news – the end of the first trimester is when most mothers-to-be report their nausea disappearing overnight. Second great news – if you have been anxious to feel your child move, it generally starts around the 4th month of your pregnancy. Don’t worry if it doesn’t happen immediately, especially if you are a first-time mum. You just might not know what it feels like. It isn’t a huge earth-shaking sensation, more like light, butterfly-wings flapping inside you. When you do feel it, you can rub your belly to say hello right back!

As your first trimester is ending you can now see the face of your little one. And frankly, what a gorgeous face it is! His bone marrow is producing its own blood cells, but the liver and spleen (which makes red blood cells) will make most of the blood cells until right around birth. After birth, it will continue this exclusive role during the entire life of your child. If your little darling is a boy, his penis is already apparent and visible on ultrasound. If you want to wait until he or she is born to know whether you’re having a son or a daughter, make sure you let everyone around your health care team know so they don’t spoil the surprise.

NUTRITION

Hungry? While you didn’t need more calories than before you were pregnant or during your first trimester, you’ll soon need around 340 extra calories during your second trimester to support your growing child. Getting these extra calories by eating nutritious meals and snacks from the five food groups (fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy, and meat/fish/protein foods) will help your child grow and develop healthily – both in your womb and in later life. But what does that number of extra calories look like in healthy food? About 340 calories can be supplied by 1 serving of whole grain bread, topped with 60 g of turkey breast, 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise, some greens and tomato slice. Add a small piece of fruit and ½ glass of milk to drink. This healthy ‘mini-meal’ contains about 340 calories.

TIPS

A lot of women wonder what can happen if they get ill while being pregnant. A cold or a stomach upset usually has no effect on an unborn child. It is just important to inform your gynecologist about any illness because they will know exactly which treatment and which medicine will help a mother-to-be without affecting the child. Don’t try to choose medicine on our own.