13 weeks and 4 days pregnant

Whether your baby’s legs are crossed or uncrossed, it is very difficult to tell from an ultrasound at this stage whether your baby is a boy or girl: male and female look too similar to reliably tell them apart.

Your baby’s central nervous system, consisting of the brain and spinal cord, now has all its basic components.

The core development of your baby’s central nervous system has taken place, and it will now progress further using four overlapping processes. The number of nerve cells increases and their positions alter during migration – a process by which cells move to their final locations and develop specific functions. The connections between individual nerve cells become more organized, and the fibres become insulated.

The growth of the nervous system now enters its most active phase. Reflecting this, the head accounts for half of the entire length of the baby. Both the nerves and their supporting cells increase in number. Although most of the nerve cells are produced during pregnancy, the supporting cells continue to increase in number during your baby’s first year. The supporting cells assist in the migration process, which is largely completed by 22 weeks.

Can I carry on jogging?

There’s no reason why not if you were a regular runner before you became pregnant, but do take it easy – now is not the time to run a marathon!

You need to avoid becoming overheated so don’t jog on hot days and drink plenty of water, regardless of the temperature. Wear a good sports bra to support your growing breasts. Whenever you can, run on soft surfaces, such as grass, to reduce the stress on your joints, especially your knees.

Jogging is a good aerobic activity during pregnancy in the early months, but is only advised if you’re used to running. Don’t take it up as a new activity in pregnancy.

Pork is an excellent source of protein, vitamin B6, and zinc – which are all essential nutrients for pregnancy. Pork has a reputation as a fatty meat, but this is not deserved; it is probably due to the fact that some cuts can be fatty, such as spare ribs, bacon, and ham, but many cuts of pork have less saturated fat than beef.

The key to eating healthily is to look for the leanest cuts. These usually have the word “loin” in the name, such as tenderloin or top loin chop. Pork tenderloin is, in fact, lower in fat than skinless chicken breasts. A serving of pork should be approximately 85g (3oz).

Pork is healthy and delicious, and quick and easy to prepare. Sprinkle some salt on lean pork chops, grill, and serve with some apple sauce on the side; your craving for something both salty and sweet can be met in a healthy way. Always make sure that the pork is prepared on a separate chopping board from other foods and thoroughly cooked.