13 weeks :)

Well, here are at 13 weeks, just days away from officially entering the second trimester.  You know, after a few first trimester losses, you begin to think that you'll never get passed that hurdle, it's amazing to think that we are just days away from it.

On May 29, we will be finding out the sex of our baby.  That is unless we have one of those stubborn kids who refuses to cooperate ;)  In the meantime, this is where we are at, 13 weeks into this pregnancy!

At 13 weeks, the average fetus is the size of a peach :)

Baby's Growth and Development at 13 Weeks Pregnant

By your 13th week of pregnancy, your baby's organs, nerves, and muscles have formed and are beginning to work together. It's time to focus on growth!

• Eyes and ears are clearly defined. Your baby's eyelids are fused together to protect her still-developing eyes.
• Tissue, which will harden into bone, is developing in your baby's head, arms, and legs. Tiny ribs might be visible.
• She's already on the move! Your baby might be moving her body in jerky motions as she flexes her arms and kicks her legs, but you won't feel her move for at least several more weeks.

• Vocal chords develop.
• Your baby's circulatory system helps clear toxins from her body.
• When you're 13 weeks pregnant, your baby's head probably is about half the size of her body.

Your Changing Body When You're 13 Weeks Pregnant

By your 13th week of pregnancy, you are nearing the point when early symptoms of pregnancy should begin to subside. Possible discomforts of late pregnancy are well in the future. This is a great time to enjoy your pregnancy!

• At 13 weeks pregnant, you might feel, like many women, that you can relax more because the risk of miscarriage goes down greatly by this point.
• The changes in your body might become more obvious to others.
• The top of your uterus, called the fundus, now is expanding beyond your pelvis.
• Hormones released by your placenta, ovaries, adrenal glands, and pituitary gland guide the growth of your baby as well as changes within the organs in your own body.
• By your 13th week of pregnancy, your blood pressure drops as your circulatory system quickly expands. This may continue through the 24th week of pregnancy before returning to pre-pregnancy levels.
• Your blood supply increases, but most of it is plasma, or the fluid of your blood. Red blood cells, which take longer to develop, catch up around the 20th week of pregnancy.
• Short of breath? You might notice that you're breathing a little faster or have shortness of breath. This is normal. Why? Your body reduces the carbon dioxide level in your blood in order to carry more carbon dioxide from your baby. Your breathing volume and rate adjust to this change, leaving you slightly short of breath.