12 Weeks Pregnant - the first ultrasound!

Weekly pregnancy updates from a childbirth educator, doula and mum to 2 little girls. Come and join me on my journey as I share how I'm feeling, how baby is developing, what I'm doing to prepare, and some favourite resources!

We got to see our baby!! Clearly there could be no other highlight this week! The 12 week scan showed a happy health baby, developing well and with a good strong heartbeat. We all went as a family, and the girls were thrilled to see. L (14 months), said “bebè” for the first time (the Italian for baby). She’s not saying many words yet, so that was really special. And then she couldn’t help herself as she watched the baby move around and let out an “Awww!” 🥰 Made my heart melt 🥰 Actually, it also made me laugh out loud since it was so appropriate but also unexpected from her -- I apologised to the sonographer for my laughing belly moving under her hand but she was laughing too and didn’t mind at all!

What symptoms am I feeling?

This week was the week I started feeling dizzy at times if I stand up quickly from a sitting position. We have increased blood flow through our bodies when pregnant, which can lead to lower blood pressure and thus dizziness. Dizziness can also be due to hormone changes -- or of course dehydration, so make sure to drink plenty of water! It’s not necessarily a sign of anything much -- often just our body adjusting to being pregnant and needing to take some movements more slowly. It’s always good to mention anything “different” to your care provider though! I had this dizziness when standing up suddenly in both my previous pregnancies without it being a cause for concern, so I’m assuming it’s the same story. If I felt dizzy at other times, outside of my normal (and honestly if I’m careful I’m not feeling anything), I would be contacting my provider, but as things stand I’ll just wait to bring it up till my booked appointment in a few days. The main thing to check here is that blood pressure is normal. Later in pregnancy, dizziness that isn’t related to blood pressure could also be a symptom of low blood sugar, and hence possibly gestational diabetes.

How has baby been developing this week?

Baby is now 5-6cm long on average and weighs about 8 grams. Kidneys are functional, and baby is practicing swallowing amniotic fluid and then urinating. The stomach is producing gastric juices, and sex organs are developing and starting to be distinctly male or female. Teeth have developed in the gums. It’s just so amazing how much is going on each week, especially during the first trimester! It might be my third time around, but still it was incredible to see on the ultrasound how much baby has developed in these first 10 weeks since conception. Clearly defined fingers, toes, profile, and so much more... wow!

What am I doing to prepare?

I’m continuing reading “The Hypnobirthing Book” by Katharine Graves, and also watching Jess Michael’s videos on how to use The Birth Sling. This is my first pregnancy with The Birth Sling and I’m excited! 🤩

A favourite resource:

I know I already listed this last week, but I'm going with KG Hypnobirthing again. I didn’t mention last week that there are quite a few free resources available on the website if you sign up to their email list. I also discovered this week that in their shop they have a FREE series of audios of Relaxations to Release Birth Trauma, their gift to the parents who have had to deal with birth trauma and are now pregnant again. This is well worth mentioning, since unfortunately birth trauma is a reality for so many parents -- and most of it needlessly so. If this is your story, my heart breaks for you, and I hope that these audios will help you process the past and look forward to the future ❤️

And that’s it for this week! 🌿💛

[Image: our baby at 12 weeks]