About The Twelfth Week

The Twelfth Week is named after the point at which most American women are expected to be back at work after giving birth, a deadline set by employment law rather than by biology. We write about the gap between what the body is doing and what women are told.

One question per article, answered in the first paragraph, followed by the research and its limits. We cite primary sources, date every article with when it was last checked, and update pieces when the evidence moves.

Nothing here is medical advice, and we do not sell anything on this site. Take what is useful to your own clinician.