Welcome to Week 12 my own personal week by week pregnancy guide. If you are just joining us today, feel free to look at previous weeks at the bottom of the page. Otherwise, enjoy this week’s edition.

You are almost through the first trimester. This is great medically for various reasons, but what does it really mean for you? First of all, you are almost out of the most dangerous part of the pregnancy as the rate of miscarriage gets drastically diminished after the first trimester. Which is why so many women wait until this point to start sharing their good news.

In terms of comfort, this is when your baby starts to grow out as opposed to down, so for the next few months he won’t be sitting on your bladder and you won’t feel the need to run to the bathroom every five seconds. Unfortunately, during the third trimester that urge will come right back. Enjoy in the meantime! Also, this means you are going to start showing and have a baby bump as your tummy expands out. Some women are lucky and have a small protrusion that could not possibly be mistaken for anything other than a baby, eliciting congratulations from everyone they encounter. For the rest of us, this bump looks like we have had a few too many donuts recently. In the next few weeks to a month this will take care of itself and you will have a definite baby in there so don’t despair.

Morning sickness should also start getting better, and in a few weeks you may not have it at all. Some women stopped getting it over a month ago. And remember, every pregnancy is different.

If you are working, think about when you would want to sit down with your boss and tell them the good news. Waiting through the first trimester is normal for a lot of people. Any later than that and it may cause tension as you are giving him and the company less time to plan and prepare for your impending leave. This is also a great time to assess whether your leave will be temporary or permanent. Being a stay at home mom is not for everyone aside from financial burdens it may bring. Evaluate if this may be for you, and then go over your financial situation to see if it is even a feasible option. I would suggest doing this before you speak with your boss so you can go in with a game plan.

Otherwise, unless there are complications, you have smooth sailing ahead.

If you missed a few weeks, feel free to peruse the different sections below.