Congratulations! you've entered the final week of the first trimester. By pregnancy week 12 your baby has grown from 4 to 6 cm in length, has developed movable wrists and elbows, while their tiny eye-lids remain slightly shut. In fact, your baby has grown in excess of 50 percent in less than 7 days – but as we'll discover quickly; that's not the only thing growing!

Many expectant mothers and medical professionals typically set time-lines that allow them to chart the growth and development of their babies. One of the most critical guidelines is reaching the first trimester which is accomplished after pregnancy week 12. However, during this week the baby experiences an amazing growth spurt – increasing its weight by nearly 58 percent. This growth spurt is thanks in part to those extra calories your body needs. Feel free to have that extra scoop of ice cream – that tiny baby needs those calories!

Baby’s Development

By this time, the baby's arms have grown to a proportional size to the rest of their tiny body. Typically, the legs are a bit slower to develop. One amazing fact is that by this time, the entire body surface of your baby can respond to the lightest touch! Also, at the 12 week mark your baby's skeleton is starting to transform from soft cartilage to hard bone. Here is an interesting fact, when the baby is born, they will have over 300 parts of cartilage and bone that make up their skeletal system however, as the baby grows and their bones being to fuse, that number will shrink by 30% - only 206 bones.

Another important development is occurring during week 12 of your pregnancy. Your baby's intestines and other internal organs are developing. Their tiny kidneys are starting to excrete urine and they begin to discover the power of their muscles; practicing reflexes like curling their toes and fingers, and even beginning to make sucking movements with their little lips!

Mother’s Development

Although it might seem as if you're beginning to feel like you've been pregnant forever, the fact is you're one-third of the way there. Since that quickly developing baby inside of you is experiencing a growth spurt; there is a reason for this. Your body is literally supporting their life. It's typical that during week 12 that morning sickness and feeling like you're forever tired will slowly fade away. However, the drawback to beginning to physically feel a bit normal could be a hormonal rollercoaster.

Expectant mothers typically can expect to increase emotional sensitivity once the first trimester has been achieved. This is due to the growth that your baby is experiencing and your body’s need to quickly adapt to these physical changes. Nobody has discovered the magical pill that will take these crazy feelings away (yet, but trust me when I say that person would win the Nobel Peace Prize when they do!), however a good way to deal with changes in hormones is to focus on the positive; like reviewing the first image scan of your baby and trying to figure out what name would fit your little angel best.

Fun Facts

Every year, nearly 50 million people in the United States suffer from allergies or other respiratory illnesses. The statistics indicate that slightly more than half of these people are women. This introduces and interesting issue about expectant mothers with Asthma or Allergies. During your first pregnancy visit, the doctor most likely asked you about any medications you take and has perhaps given a 'go-ahead' to take some of them. However, it's important for you to do the very best to determine if something 'just isn't feeling right' and let your doctor know so they can make changes to medications if needed. Remember – everybody has the right to breathe easy – even expectant mommies.