Week 12

By 12 weeks, you may start to notice a bump starting to form, although it is also very normal to not have any bump at this stage, especially if this is your first pregnancy.¹

At the end of the first trimester, your body is increasing the amount of blood around your body. In fact, your body produces up to 50% more blood during pregnancy! To cater to this, progesterone relaxes blood vessels so that increased blood can be directed to your growing baby.^1,3

However, a side-effect of this is dizziness and faintness as your overall blood pressure will reduce. To mitigate this side effect, don’t stand up too quickly, and make sure if you’re exercising you stay hydrated and listen to your body.¹

• Nausea (with or without vomiting) known as “morning sickness” but can occur at any time of the day
• Frequent urination
• Bloating and gas
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Heightened sense of smell
• Low libido (sex drive)
• Weight gain or bump forming

That tiny poppy seed embryo from 8 weeks ago has now grown to the size of a lime and has doubled in weight from last week to around 14g!¹

The most amazing development in the 12th week of pregnancy is that your baby now has the ability to make white blood cells within their bone marrow. These immune cells will help protect them from infections and viruses once they are born.¹

By 12 weeks, you should be scheduled for your first antenatal scan and you should be able to see long arms and legs, and their big head, as it now makes up half of their size!⁴

• Consistently taking folic acid is recommended,⁵ or if you haven’t already, consider taking a prenatal supplement that has the recommended amounts of vitamin A and D, iron and calcium⁶
• Staying active and keeping a healthy weight can help support fertility and overall health⁷
• Try to avoid alcohol consumption and smoking – both are known as risk factors for miscarriage^8,9
• Nourish your body with pregnancy-safe foods (if nausea and morning sickness allow)    
  You should try to avoid foods high in mercury, such as mackerel and tuna, raw seafood, undercooked meat, poultry and eggs, unpasteurised foods and cheese with a mould rind such as brie, unwashed fruits and vegetables, and any type of herbal tea¹⁰
• Limit caffeine consumption to no more than 200 mg per day¹¹          
  As a guide:          
  1 mug of coffee contains 100 mg of caffeine          
  1 mug of tea contains 75 mg of caffeine          
  1 can of cola contains up to 40 mg of caffeine          
  1 bar of chocolate contains up to 50 mg of caffeine   

During your first antenatal scan, your sonographer will be looking to identify the required structures to first confirm the pregnancy is in the correct location within the uterus, and they should be able to distinguish how many weeks pregnant you are. This first scan can sometimes be referred to as the “dating scan”.

When performing the scan, with a pregnancy at 12 weeks the sonographer will look for:

• A gestational sac within the uterus, this is referred to as an intrauterine sac
• Within the gestational sac, there should be a clear foetus with a heartbeat
• For 12 weeks, the foetus should measure approximately 5.2 cm from the top of the head (crown) to the bottom of their buttocks (rump)
• Any indication of abnormalities, including any heart defects and increased nuchal translucency (fluid at the back of the neck), as these may require more monitoring during your pregnancy

If you’re concerned about your first antenatal scan, speak with your healthcare provider for further support and information.