Week 12: Pregnancy Week by Week

Week 12: What to do when your clothes don't fit

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched ... but are felt in the heart.

-Helen Keller

What's Happening in Your Body?

Around this time, many women begin to notice a distinguishable bulge on their abdominal region. Your stomach may feel firmer to the touch as well. Your uterus is now about the size of a grapefruit.

What's Happening with Your Baby?

Your baby is now between 2 and 3 inches long, just about the size of the palm of your hand. She still weighs less than an ounce. By the end of the twelfth week, your baby's external genital organs are formed and recognizable.

Nothing Fits!

What to wear becomes an issue for many women almost right away. You may find that many of your closer-fitting clothes don't work anymore or are just plain uncomfortable. Most maternity clothes are created for women who are in their second trimester, at the earliest. This leaves some women in a real "I've got nothing to wear!" bind. Find out what to do when Nothing Fits!.

Nourish Yourself

For dinner this week, try Time Out for Teriyaki served atop mounds of rice. It's a perfect blend of carbohydrates, vitamin-rich vegetables, and protein to fuel your body and the growing body of your baby. Use any combination of vegetables. This dish is wheat-free and dairy-free.

Body Wise

It's important to keep your muscles strong during pregnancy. This can help to improve your circulation and increase energy, while also preparing your body for the eventual hard work of labor.

Here is an exercise that can tone the front of your thighs and your buttocks:

Stand with your legs about hip-width apart, hands on your hips. Bend your knees into a squat position, as if you were about to sit back on a chair with your bottom sticking out behind you. Bend as far as you can without lifting your heels from the floor. As you bend, reach both arms out in front of you. Then return to the original standing position with your hands on your hips. As you reach the standing position, consciously squeeze your buttock muscles together.

Modification: Instead of returning your hands on your hips, pull your arms back with bent elbows and your hand in fists alongside your body as you stand, tightening your upper arm muscles.

If you are used to working out with weights, you can hold light dumbbells in your hands as you do this exercise. As you squat, allow your arms to straighten alongside your legs, reaching toward the floor. As you stand, bend your arms into a bicep curl. Before working out with weights, or doing any other exercise during pregnancy, be sure to consult with your practitioner.

Natural Soothers

As your pregnancy unfolds, you may discover that you've got thicker hair and stronger nails. You may also see changes in your skin. For some women this means they suddenly have a beautifully clear complexion, while others will find themselves with acne for the first time in their lives. If you do get pimples, try dabbing a little undiluted lavender oil on them (lavender oil is one of the few essential oils that are safe to apply directly to the skin). For inflamed pustules, use one drop of tea tree oil. Try to keep your skin extra clean and indulge in an occasional clay mask or facial.

Higher Ground

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Large and Lovely

Now I know my body

Is really a vessel,

Able to transform itself

At the service of life,

Able to stretch big

With life,

To swell small breasts

Large with milk,

To grow narrow pelvis

Open for birth,

To reach open arms

Out for comfort.

-Peggy O'Mara

Image by Durga Yael Bernhard

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