Which means 13th week of pregnancy and what month it is? What is Prenatal ultrasound”And why the question about them is often asked forum in context 13 weeks pregnant? Can you feel your baby move? What changes does it bring the thirteenth week, Regarding stomach future mother and size child? Is standard USG w 13 weeks pregnant enough to fix the sex of the child?
The thirteenth week of pregnancy closes the first trimester, which is crucial for the development of the organs of the new organism and is burdened with the highest risk of miscarriage. It is high time for the first obligatory ultrasound examination, thanks to which you can check whether the child is developing properly. In the 13th week of pregnancy, the abdomen grows and becomes visible due to the enlarging uterus, and the accompanying gastrointestinal complaints may be mistaken for the baby's movements.
13 weeks pregnant: what month is it?
The 13th week of pregnancy is the third month, or rather its end, and at the same time end of I. trimester of pregnancy. In other words: expectant mothers already have 1/3 of their pregnancy journey behind them. Of course, when determining the age of pregnancy, you should remember about its actual age, which is estimated not only by the date of the last menstruation, but also by ultrasound of the first trimester.
Many mothers-to-be will feel relieved because the thirteenth week of pregnancy is also the time the risk of miscarriage decreases. The process of shaping the organs of the embryo, and later the fetus, which takes place in the first trimester, makes it very susceptible to the unfavorable influence of external factors - both toxins present in the woman's body, as well as excessive effort or high stress can be dangerous.
At this stage, it is worth undergoing the recommended prenatal tests that will allow you to assess the development of the fetus and assess the risk of abnormalities in this regard. The size of the baby in the 13th week of pregnancy allows you to perform an ultrasound through the abdomen. Around this time, the development of the fetus begins to be so individual that its size alone is no longer sufficient to precisely determine the age of pregnancy. From the 13th week on, other parameters are also taken into account, including the circumference of the fetal head (HC) and the length of the femur (FL).
Prenatal ultrasound in the 13th week of pregnancy
Ultrasound in the 13th week of pregnancy is sometimes referred to as "prenatal" (or genetic). It is about compulsory ultrasound examination of the first trimesterwhich should be done from 11,0 to 13,6 weeks of pregnancy. Prenatal ultrasound is so called because in the 13th week of pregnancy, one of its main goals is to assess the risk of genetic "errors" and related fetal defects. As a basic, non-invasive prenatal examination, it is reimbursed under the National Health Fund. Future mothers need not be afraid, because it is an ordinary ultrasound examination performed through the abdominal wall.
At week 13, a number of different parameters are assessed during prenatal ultrasound, including:
- the translucency of the fetal nape of the neck (NT) he smelled translucency),
- fetal head circumference (HC) head circumference),
- the size and location of the internal organs.
The results are considered reliable when the child (fetus) is 45 to 84 mm long (CRL). Along with ultrasound at this stage it is recommended additionally double test, i.e. measurement of the concentration of PAPP-A and beta-hCG proteins in the blood of the mother-to-be. It is a screening test, reimbursed for pregnant women after 35 years of age, as well as for younger women with medical indications.
95 percent prenatal ultrasound conducted research does not show any changes that should worry expectant mothers. In other cases, it may be indicated further diagnosticsrequiring the use of more invasive methods.
Baby at 13 weeks of pregnancy
The size of the child in the 13th week of pregnancy can be compared to a small lemon - at the beginning of this week, the CRL (length from the top of the head to the buttocks) is 5,5 cm, and at the end it increases to 6,6 cm (CRL). The fetus then weighs an average of 73 g. At the 13th week of pregnancy Outside parts of the body of the fetus are largely developed and the main organs fully developed, though not mature enough to function outside the uterus.
Baby in the thirteenth week may even have hiccups during pregnancy. Although the head is still the dominant part of the body, the increasing development of the torso causes the proportions to change. The fetus is constantly moving, but at the 13th week, still not feeling the baby movement yet. Its feet are so small that it is impossible to kick it clearly, and the handles are not able to grasp it precisely. What some women mistake for the movements of their babies in their 13th week of pregnancy is the changing position and stretching of the uterus.
13 weeks of pregnancy: baby's sex on ultrasound
In theory, the sex of the baby in the 13th week of pregnancy should be possible to determine. In practice, however, it happens that his sexual organs are still invisible (i.e. too small or obscured at the time of examination). In the first trimester, it is difficult to be 100% sure, but a better chance of assessing the child's sex is given by 3D ultrasound, especially 4D.
During the 3D or 4D ultrasound, future parents can see a three-dimensional image or film on the monitor, which shows the fetus much more accurately than in the 2D technique. However, there is no guarantee that the baby in the uterus will be in a comfortable position while the ultrasound is being performed so that sex can be assessed by the 13th week of pregnancy. An alternative that eliminates this problem is testing for free fetal DNA present in the mother's blood, thanks to which the sex of the baby can be found at the earliest.
13 weeks of pregnancy: abdomen, uterus and placenta
Even slim ladies who have not given birth before will begin to notice in the 13th week of pregnancy that their stomach it changes - grows and hardens slightly. The figure and weight of the expectant mother as well as the position of the fetus in the womb also determine the extent to which the abdomen becomes visible.
The 13th week of pregnancy is the time of increased placenta growth, which mediates the physiological exchange between the mother and the fetus. Earlier, i.e. at the stage of embryonic development, the new organism took nutrients from the yolk sac - as it gradually disappeared, this role was taken over by the placenta, moreover, producing hormones necessary during pregnancy (including chorionic gonadotropin, progesterone and estrogens) and removing products from the fetal blood. metabolism. Another important function of the placenta is to provide the fetus with immune protection (a barrier to bacteria or viruses and antibodies from the mother's blood).
Symptoms at the end of the first trimester
The end of the first trimester prompts many women to look at the symptoms they feel. Many of them are pregnant at the 13th week of pregnancy morning sickness ends. Instead, there is heartburn or constipation, which is caused by progesterone, which slows down the intestinal peristalsis. The abdomen at week 13 may be aching, which is caused by the growing and changing position of the uterus. Increased nutrient uptake thanks to the placenta can lead to even greater sleepiness, fatigue and irritability in the mother.
Bust in a matter of weeks grows even by several sizes. Much space in the pregnancy forum at week 13 is devoted to questions about condition of hair, skin and nails. The so-called pregnancy glow (pregnancy glow) is associated with better blood supply to the skin, hormonal changes and an exceptionally healthy lifestyle for most pregnant women. It is not uncommon to actually get the impression that the skin is radiant, and hair grows more intensively.
On the other hand, the hormonal storm can also have the opposite effect: in the 13th week of pregnancy, in many forums for mothers-to-be mentions suddenly appearing acne or scaly skin. These types of symptoms are usually temporary, because the stage of rapid changes in hormone levels is just about to end, thanks to which most of the unpleasant ailments present in early pregnancy should disappear in the second trimester.
Consultation:
Ph.D. n. med. prof. IMID Tadeusz Issat - Head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic at the Institute of Mother and Child;
Maria Krowicka-Wasyl - resident physician in the course of specialization in gynecology and obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Institute of Mother and Child.
Źródła:
Fetal Size and Dating: Charts Recommended for Clinical Obstetric Practice, ULTRASOUND, August 2009, Volume 17, No. 3
Estimating Fetal Gestational Age, Radiology Key
Fetal Development, Perinatology.com
