Week 12
Your baby is about 4.1 cm (1.6 in) from crown to rump and weighs about 7 g (a quarter of an ounce), about the length of a large strawberry. Babies vary. Reflexes are starting to work, the intestines are settling into the belly, and the kidneys have begun to make urine.
For you, the uterus is starting to rise toward the top of your pelvis. Clothes may feel snug at the waist even before there is a visible bump. Many people find nausea begins to ease over the next few weeks.
This week is about the first-trimester screening scan, often called the nuchal translucency scan, and what its results mean. It is also a good week to think about telling family, friends and work, and to look at how much weight is healthy to gain.
Day 78 · 11 weeks 0 days
What the nuchal translucency scan measures
Between about 11 weeks and 13 weeks 6 days, you may be offered an ultrasound called the nuchal translucency (NT) scan. "Nuchal" means the back of the neck, and "translucency" refers to a small pocket of fluid that shows up there on the screen.
All babies have this fluid at this stage. The sonographer measures its thickness in millimetres. A thicker layer is linked with a higher chance of chromosomal conditions such as Down syndrome, and also with some heart differences. A thicker measurement does not mean something is wrong. Many babies with a larger reading turn out to be healthy. The scan needs your baby to be in a good position, so it can take a while. You may be asked to walk around, cough or change position. Most NT scans are done through the belly, though occasionally a vaginal scan gives a clearer view.
The same scan also checks the heartbeat, confirms your due date, counts babies and looks at early anatomy, like the skull, hands and stomach. For many people it is the first time the baby looks unmistakably like a baby. Try this: If your scan is booked, ask whether your partner or support person can come and whether you can take home a picture.
Day 79 · 11 weeks 1 day
Reading a combined screening result
The NT measurement is often paired with a blood test, taken on the same day or a little before. Together they make up the combined first-trimester screening test.
The blood test looks at two hormones made by the placenta, called PAPP-A and free beta-hCG. The lab combines these levels with the NT measurement and your age to work out a chance, written as a ratio. For example, "1 in 2,000" means that of 2,000 people with the same result, one would have a baby with the condition.
Each program sets a cut-off, often around 1 in 150 to 1 in 300. Below it, the result is reported as low chance. Above it, it is called higher chance, and you will be offered more testing, such as NIPT or a diagnostic test. The combined test finds about 85 to 90 percent of babies with Down syndrome. It also flags about 5 in 100 pregnancies as higher chance when the baby is not affected. That is why a higher chance result is a reason for a conversation, not a diagnosis.
Some places offer NIPT first instead, or combine both. Ask how your local program works.
Try this: Ask your care provider how and when you will get your result, so you are not left waiting by the phone.
Day 80 · 11 weeks 2 days
Your baby is practising reflexes
If you could watch your baby closely right now, you would see a lot going on. Fingers open and close. Toes curl. Touching the palm makes the fingers start to grip, an early version of the reflex your newborn will have. Your baby can also open the mouth, move the tongue and swallow small amounts of the amniotic fluid. That fluid passes through the gut, and the kidneys are now producing urine, which goes back into the fluid. This cycle helps the lungs, gut and kidneys develop.
Something remarkable is also finishing up in the belly. For several weeks, part of the intestines grew out into the umbilical cord, because there was not enough room inside. Around now they move back into the abdomen, where they belong.
The bones of the face are forming, and the outer ear is taking shape low on the sides of the head. The eyelids are fused shut to protect the developing eyes and will stay that way for a few more months.
None of this can be felt yet, but your baby is rarely still for long. Try this: Before your next scan, write down one question about your baby's development to ask the sonographer or your care provider.
Day 81 · 11 weeks 3 days
Telling family and friends, in your own way
When you do decide to share your news, there is no right script. A phone call, a visit, a card, a scan photo at dinner: choose what feels like you. Reactions are hard to predict. Most people are happy for you. Some may be surprised, worried or slow to respond, especially if the news brings up their own memories of fertility struggles or loss. It can help to tell someone with a complicated history privately, so they have space to react. You may also get more advice than you want. A simple "Thanks, we're working that out with our midwife" can end a conversation kindly. If you have other children, keep it simple and age-appropriate. Young children have little sense of time, so some parents wait until the bump shows. Linking the due date to a season or a holiday can help: "The baby will come after the snow melts." Expect a mix of excitement and questions, and let them know there will still be plenty of you to go around. If you are not ready yet, that is fine. Your timeline belongs to you. Try this: Make a short list of the people you want to tell first, and how you would like to tell each of them.
Day 82 · 11 weeks 4 days
How much weight is healthy to gain
Healthy weight gain in pregnancy depends mostly on your weight before you were pregnant, measured by body mass index (BMI). Widely used ranges for a single baby are:
- BMI under 18.5: about 12.5 to 18 kg (28 to 40 lb)
- BMI 18.5 to 24.9: about 11.5 to 16 kg (25 to 35 lb)
- BMI 25 to 29.9: about 7 to 11.5 kg (15 to 25 lb)
- BMI 30 or more: about 5 to 9 kg (11 to 20 lb)
Ranges are higher for twins. Much of the gain is not fat at all: it is the baby, placenta, amniotic fluid, extra blood, a larger uterus and breast tissue.
In the first trimester, most people gain only about 0.5 to 2 kg (1 to 4 lb), and some lose a little because of nausea. You do not need extra food yet. "Eating for two" is a myth. From the second trimester, you need only about 340 extra calories a day, roughly a snack, rising to about 450 in the third. Your care provider may weigh you at visits or may not. Either way, steady gain matters more than any single number.
Try this: Ask your care provider which range applies to you, so you have a realistic target rather than a guess.
Day 83 · 11 weeks 5 days
Cravings are common, and usually harmless
Pickles at midnight, a sudden need for citrus, or a dish you never used to like: food cravings are one of the best-known parts of pregnancy. Many people also go off foods they used to enjoy, such as coffee, meat or anything fried. Nobody knows exactly why. Hormones, a sharper sense of smell and changes in taste all seem to play a part.
Most cravings are fine to follow in moderation. If you want something sweet or salty, have a portion and pair it with something more filling, like fruit with yogurt or crackers with cheese.
If an aversion rules out a whole food group, look for a swap. If meat turns your stomach, beans, eggs, tofu or dairy can fill the gap. If vegetables are hard to face, try fruit, soups or smoothies for a while.
A craving for things that are not food, such as ice, clay, chalk, soil, starch or soap, is called pica. It is less common, it can be a sign of low iron, and some of these substances can be harmful.
Call your care provider if you crave or eat non-food items, or if aversions leave you eating very little.
Try this: Next time a craving hits, have a portion of it alongside a food with protein or fibre.
Day 84 · 11 weeks 6 days
Planning how to tell work
Many people tell their employer around the end of the first trimester, but timing is your choice. You may want to tell sooner if your job involves physical risks, if you need time off for appointments, or if symptoms are affecting your work.
In many places, laws protect pregnant workers from unfair treatment and give rights to time off for prenatal care and to parental leave. These rules vary a lot, and some depend on giving formal notice by a certain point. Look up your local employment rules and your workplace policies before the conversation, so you know where you stand.
Think about safety too. Tell your employer early if your work involves heavy lifting, long hours on your feet, chemicals, radiation, extreme heat or close contact with infections, such as in health care or child care. You can ask for a review of risks and for changes to your duties.
When you tell your manager, have a rough idea of what you need: flexibility for appointments, a plan for heavier tasks, or simply time to work out leave later. You do not have to have every answer.
Try this: Spend 15 minutes today finding your workplace's policy on pregnancy and parental leave, and note any notice deadlines.