Week 13: Welcome to the second trimester — the most comfortable stretch.
Expert tip
This is a great time to start pregnancy exercises — swimming, prenatal yoga, and walking are all excellent.
Baby's development this week
- Intestines move from umbilical cord into abdomen
- Fingerprints forming — unique from birth
- Vocal cords forming
- Bone density increasing
Science fact
The placenta produces more progesterone than the corpus luteum ever could — reaching levels 10x higher than non-pregnancy peak. This is why second trimester often feels dramatically better.
Your symptoms this week
Increased appetite returning
trust your hunger cues, but aim for nutrient density
Reduced nausea for most women
Try ginger tea, crackers before getting up, or vitamin B6 (10mg 3x/day). Small meals every 2 hours help.
Skin and hair changes
often positive (thicker hair, clearer skin)
Changes in your body
- Second trimester begins — nausea often subsides
- Energy levels typically improve
- Libido may increase as hormones stabilize
- Uterus becoming visible as a bump
Mental health this week
The second trimester
Nutrition focus
- Calcium and vitamin D together — D enables calcium absorption; take together
- Oily fish 2x per week for DHA: salmon, sardines, mackerel
- Avoid liver pâté throughout pregnancy — vitamin A toxicity risk
Appointment / test
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is offered until week 13 for high-risk pregnancies as a diagnostic (not screening) test.
This week's checklist
Start researching childbirth classes and hypnobirthing
Book anatomy scan for 18–22 weeks
Consider discussing birth preferences with your midwife
Track your pregnancy week by week
Interactive guide · 40 weeks · Fruit size visualizations · Personalized tips
Explore Week 13 in the Interactive Guide →