Your baby is now fully formed and looking like a human being. Your baby is around 7.5 cm long — about the size of a peach — and 30g. Now they are active in your uterus and can move their arms and legs, suck their thumb, and make a fist.
Their organs start to function, liver and pancreas also start functioning . Their vocal cords are developing, and they have silky hair on their brows and head. They're developing a penis or clitoris, but they're too little to see on an ultrasound.
The kidneys produce urine, which becomes amniotic fluid. The baby tries to breathe and swallow the fluid.
You have officially reached the second trimester of pregnancy at 13 weeks. If you feel morning sickness persists, consult your healthcare provider or midwife about how to manage it.
Your bulge may become visible, and you may feel the ligaments in your tummy and groin stretching.
You may observe prominent veins, especially in your breasts. You may also see these symtoms you get tired, have food cravings or food aversions, or have heartburn, indigestion or constipation.
The chances of miscarriage decrease when you enter the second trimester.
When the second trimester starts , chances of miscarriage reduced. Many people decide to announce their pregnancy at this time.
You do not need to inform your employer that you are pregnant. If you intend to take maternity leave, you must give your employer 10 weeks' notice. It's important to plan ahead of time how you'll manage life with a newborn. If you haven't previously done so, now is an excellent opportunity to learn more about your parental rights and responsibilities.
If you haven't previously had prenatal screening or diagnostic testing, now is the time to schedule them if you desire. If you are concerned that your baby may have Down syndrome or another genetic disease, you can have a nuchal translucency scan (an ultrasound) or chorionic villus sampling (CVS) at 13 weeks.