Chorevia

Day 95 of 280 · 13 weeks + 4 days

Gums

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 5 sources · Plain-text version

Swollen, bleeding gums and nosebleeds are on this week's list. Today you check at the sink, write down what you find, and add it to the visit list.

Size this week
about the size of a peach
Length this week
around 7.4 cm from head to bottom
A woman in a loose grey t-shirt leaning towards a bathroom mirror in warm lamplight, toothbrush in hand, checking her gums, a glass of orange juice on the sink shelf, the faintest hint of a bump.

Thirteen weeks and four days. A small one today, done at the bathroom sink: pink in the spit when you brush is common around now, and worth a line on the list for your next visit.

Your baby

One ripe peach on a plain pale wooden table, soft window light.

Around now your baby is around 7.4cm long, about the size of a peach (NHS). The final changes are happening on the outside, while the ovaries or testes are fully developed inside (NHS). By next week the head is becoming rounder and more in proportion with the body (NHS).

Your body

Swollen and bleeding gums and nosebleeds are both on the NHS's list of common signs this week (NHS). MedlinePlus treats the two together and gives the same four tips for both: drink plenty of fluids, get vitamin C from orange juice or fruit, use a humidifier, and try a saline nasal spray (MedlinePlus).

The same list has company. Greasier, spottier skin, thicker and shinier hair, and darker patches on the face (chloasma) are all this week's possible signs too (NHS). Most skin, hair, and nail changes in pregnancy are normal and resolve afterward (MedlinePlus).

Try today

  1. The gum check

    Time: 3 minutes, tonight

    1. Brush as usual, gently, and look at what you spit out. Pink or red means the gums bled.

    2. Write it down, along with whether you've had a nosebleed this week; both are on this week's list (NHS).

    3. Add the line to your questions for the next visit. Whether you need to see a dentist, and what's safe there, is one to ask your provider.

    4. Tonight, do the MedlinePlus four: a glass of water, some fruit or orange juice for vitamin C, a humidifier if the air is dry, and saline spray if your nose is the problem (MedlinePlus).

    5. Check again in a week and see whether the note changes.

    Make it work:

    Don't brush harder to "toughen them up". Gentle is the point, and the note is for your provider, not a reason to skip brushing.

Watch for

  • Normal

    itchy skin with a visible rash from dryness; avoid perfumed products on itchy skin (MedlinePlus).

    Call your provider

    for persistent itching without a rash, which should be reported because it may indicate cholestasis (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    a nosebleed that stops on its own (NHS).

    Call your provider

    for a headache that persists despite medication and fluids, or comes with blurred vision or dizziness (CDC).

  • Normal

    being a little more breathless on the stairs than before.

    Call 911

    or go to an emergency room right away for severe chest pain or shortness of breath that does not go away (MedlinePlus).

For you

None of this is something you did. Gums, nose, skin, and hair all sit on the same NHS list for the same reason: your body is changing on a schedule you didn't set (NHS). Hair and nails may grow faster and feel stronger during pregnancy; many women lose some hair after delivery, and both return to normal over time (MedlinePlus). If the face patches bother you, a hat and sunblock keep the sun from darkening them, and most fade within a few months of the birth (MedlinePlus).

If you're the partner: a humidifier is a thing you can buy, set up, and fill without being asked. It's on the list; it's a good one to own.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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