12 weeks pregnant symptoms and your baby's development inside the womb

Mommies welcome to week 12 or month 3 of your first-trimester pregnancy! Learn the signs and symptoms of week 12 pregnancy and other information from this article.

How big is your baby now?

Your baby is as big as a rambutan fruit now. It has a length of 5.3 cm and can weigh 13.8 g.

Your baby’s development

In this week-by-week pregnancy guide, you’ll learn that:

• Your baby is preparing for yet another rapid growth phase focusing on organs and tissues.
• At 12 weeks he is beginning to develop reflexes. He now flexes his tiny toes and hands, which may look like he’s waving back at you during ultrasounds!
• He can now curl his fingers and toes and even open and close his tiny hands.
• Your baby’s tastebuds are quickly maturing.
• His fingernails and toenails start forming.

12 weeks (3 months) pregnant symptoms: Body and Belly 

Your uterus starts to levitate, so your bladder would not experience more pressure. In this situation, going back and forth to the comfort room would also be diminished.

At this phase, most preggy mommies cannot feel any tiredness. However, some can still experience fatigue.

If there are noticeable brown patches on your face or neck, do not worry because it is only normal. This patching is called “chloasma” or “mask of pregnancy”.

It is also customary to have linea nigra, or brown line that shows on your belly skin, starting from your belly button through your pubic area. It happens to your three months pregnant belly.

It may start to show when you are 12 weeks pregnant or so. The hormonal changes result in chloasma and linea nigra which produce more melanin in your skin.

If you have not started to consult a doctor, most pregnant mommies start their first prenatal checkups during their 12th-week pregnancy.

12 weeks (3 months) pregnant signs and symptoms: What to expect

Here are the symptoms you might experience during 12 weeks of being pregnant: 

1. If you are one of the lucky few with nary a loss of appetite or nausea, you are indeed fortunate! In this week-by-week pregnancy guide, know that weight gain during the first trimester should be slow and steady, but if you’ve been overindulging, do take heed of the recommended weight gain by your gynecologist.
2. If you have been losing your appetite and be constantly tired, it’s common to lose weight or gain minimally. By the end of the first trimester, once all these symptoms clear, you’re well on your way to the honeymoon period of your pregnancy.
3. As your uterus expands, you may occasionally experience mild cramps when there’s a sudden change in movement e.g. coughing or moving from lying to a sitting position. Muscle cramps are normal but do take note if the cramps are severe and prolonged causing major discomfort.

Notable changes in your breasts, 12 weeks pregnant symptoms 

Areolas tend to shade darker in this phase. The breast tenderness or soreness could continue until your second trimester.

Things you may do to alleviate or relieve the pain:

• Use a bra that fits your breasts. Make sure that its size is appropriate for your measure.
• Ice packs, cool cabbage leaves or bags, or frozen peas could relieve your breast pain while lying on the bed.
• Look for small and silicone breast soothing products that can be refrigerated and inserted into your bra.

Taking care of a pregnant mommy

1. Make sure not to exceed your gynecologist’s recommend weight. Eat what is enough for you and balance your diet.
2. What to eat and drink during 3 months of pregnancy.
3. At this stage, your placenta starts to work on bringing oxygen and nutrients through your umbilical cord and removing waste products.
4. Your baby inside your womb eats and drinks what you eat and drink most. So, it is better to eat nutritious foods.
5. Do not drink highly caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea, and energy drinks. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages and taking drugs not prescribed by your doctor.
6. Consult your doctor or midwife regarding the medicines you take, if there are, and if it is safe to take them. These include medications prescribed to you, natural supplements, and medicines from chemists and supermarkets.
7. Avoid smoking cigarettes or inhaling secondhand smoke.

To do’s of 3 months pregnant

• Make sure to follow your balanced pregnancy diet that includes proteins from meat, fish, or plant-based substitutes. You can also try varieties of veggies and fruits every day for vitamins and minerals and calcium-rich foods like low-fat dairy, beans, nuts, and tofu.
• If you have not started your exercise yet, try Kegels. Kegels exercise helps strengthen your pelvic floor muscles that support the uterus and bladder. Kegels has many benefits, for example, voluntarily urinating during or after pregnancy.
• It is also good to start your pregnancy journal. You may start writing about your exciting pregnancy milestones that you can review after giving birth.

A healthy 12 weeks or 3 months pregnancy

You need to be mindful of what you eat and refrain from gaining weight because you dramatically increase mass when pregnant.

Excessive weight gain may result in complications like gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and back and leg pain.

However, do not skip meals because your body needs to eat. Take plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. Avoid eating junk foods. Instead, eat snacks like yogurt and dried fruits that contain protein, calcium, and minerals.

Seek advice from your doctor in taking prenatal vitamins if you have not taken any.

Your Checklist

• Your breasts may be screaming for space at this point. It’s time to get fitted with comfortable support bras to tide you over the next few months (until you get bigger). Head to the lingerie department to get measured.
• If you have been living in pants, jeans, and shorts, it’s about time to get maternity clothes that can accommodate your growing belly. Make sure they are comfortable enough to accommodate movements such as sitting especially around the hips and thigh areas.
• You may want to start hunting for a confinement nanny as early as now to give an allowance for the actual search and hiring process.

When do you need to call a doctor?

It is almost impossible to have a miscarriage in week 12, but it is still important to be precautious of the warning signs that may signify problems. These are the problems that may occur:

• Bleeding with pain
• Spotting that lasts up to 3 or more days
• A whole day of severe pain or cramps.  

In this stage, you would know if it is expected that you feel morning sickness. If you are experiencing severe nausea and vomiting over 2 to 3 times a day, seek your doctor’s help. 

Your next week: 13 weeks pregnant

Your previous week: 11 weeks pregnant

Republished with permission from theAsianparent Singapore

Updates by Nathianielle Torre

Here at theAsianparent Philippines, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advise or medical treatment. theAsianparent Philippines is not responsible to those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend to consult your doctor for clearer information.