This week your baby’s fat stores are beginning to develop under their skin. The fat will provide energy and help to keep your baby warm after birth. Their retina has become more sensitive to light and their eyes are looking forward now but they are still firmly closed.

Your baby’s development

Your baby is now approximately 12cm long.

Your placenta, which provides nutrients and oxygen to your baby, is growing to keep up with their increasing needs.

Their kidneys are now working well so, like you, they are urinating several times per day.

Your Body

It’s around now that you may be starting to ‘show’. You may even be putting on a little weight. While this may be a little alarming to you at first, you should simply focus on your nutrition. If your BMI is over 30 prior to pregnancy, or you are concerned about your weight gain during pregnancy, consult your midwife or healthcare professional.

Your skin will also begin to show signs of change. To prepare your body, your skin starts to stretch, especially around your breasts and abdomen. This may cause itchiness, however the use of moisturisers can help to minimise the issue and the eventual stretch marks.

Darkening or brown spots may start to appear on your face and other red splotches may show up. These are caused by dilated blood vessels; however they usually disappear shortly after the birth.

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Please note: These pregnancy week-by-week articles, are meant to give you a general sense of the growth and development going on within you. However, it’s important to remember that every baby develops differently, even during pregnancy.