Jen's Pregnancy Diary: Week 12

What a magical week this has been. We went on our trip to Zakynthos and it was wonderful. The weather was mixed and it was a little colder than we hoped but it was lovely to be together as a family and not have to worry about work or normal day to day things. 

Unwinding in Greece

We stayed at Alykanas Village Hotel and it was a real family resort. We went all inclusive and we were spoiled with choice at each meal. Unfortunately my sickness is still pretty bad so I could not enjoy it as much as I would have liked. I did eat little bits of the yummy things (putting a spoonful of each dish on my plate to do a taste test and see what one my body would allow) There was lots of running to throw up but it was great to relax. 

The apartments were a perfect family destination. There were several pools. One dedicated mini water park with slides and a ship to play on. Super child friendly. They had a kids club running events. The all inclusive meant the kids could potter over and grab a drink or ice cream whenever they wanted. We could also walk straight from the snack bar down onto the beach. On our strip of beach there were lots of water activities. Paul and Seth enjoyed jet skies and we all took out a 4 person pedal boat. The weather wasn't great this week so the pools were cold but if you travelled earlier in the year I am sure it would be a big hit with kids and adults of all ages.

Seth got stuck into the Greek food but Leon basically survived the week on chips, cucumber, bananas and ice cream (even though there were many options – he insisted they didn’t taste like normal food!!!! Kids!) 

Both boys enjoyed meeting lots of local animals, including one really friendly cat who had two tiny kittens. The animals were well fed this week anyway!  They also found frogs, lizards, dogs and enjoyed some pony riding. 

The big news of the week was Leon learning to swim. He is chuffed with himself! And of course we are super proud. 

Seth and Leon relaxing in Greece 

I spent a large part of the week curled up reading. I haven’t read a book for pleasure in a long time. My Map of You by Isabelle Broom was candy floss for the brain, just a nice light book. Not like my usual ones for courses or work. Nice romantic story with a few twists. Few passionate moments to spice things up too! The author described the island perfectly and you could experience a little holiday from home when reading. 

When we returned the kids of course told everyone their highlights.... finding a frog on the beach, the Greek dancing night, the cats....and...oh yes and Mam having to jump out of a taxi and spew all over the place LOL They were suitably impressed with the viscosity it came and the gross factor had them chatting about it for days. Thanks lads!

I’m still in that - she could be pregnant or maybe she’s just fat stage - so I’m not sure what people thought of my in my swim suit but sure what can you do!  

We will all be hitting the ground running now that we are back. It’s amazing how fast the week goes. 

Until next time....Jen x

Week 12: What is Happening to Baby this Week: 

© 2009 Tony Hisgett, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

• Your baby is the size of a plum this week
• They have doubled in size over the last few weeks
• Baby's bone marrow is making white blood cells
• Your baby's digestive tract is starting to practise and is doing contraction movements of the muscles (these are the muscles that will push food through the digestive track when baby is born).
• Your baby can suck on their thumb now and scratch their nose
• From now until 18 weeks is an important time in your baby's brain development 
• You should be able to hear your baby's heartbeat at an ultrasound appt this week. 

Week 12: What Might be Happening to Your Body

• You are usually starting to feel better by week 12 - your energy levels may be increasing again and that fatigue and exhaustion is diminishing. 
• Many women start to relax into their pregnancy by this week as they pass through the first trimester
• Some women may notice changes to their facial skin - with patches of pigmentation on their cheeks, nose or forehead. It is not dangerous and nothing to be worried about. To lessen the changes use a good sunblock regularly as it's more likely to happen to women who are exposed to a lot of sunlight. 

Week 12: Pregnancy Tip 

Now that your energy levels are beginning to improve and hopefully any nausea is clearing up, you may want to get back to exercising again (if you had to put it on hold). Staying active is important throughout your pregnancy and exercise is recommended for most women.  If you have any doubts do check with your GP but in general exercise such as swimming, Pilates, Yoga or walking are encouraged for healthy low risk women throughout their pregnancy. Don't overdo it though, and make sure to drink lots of water and listen to your body as you get back to activity.