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You are now in the second half of your first trimester at week seven. You are now actually one month and three weeks pregnant. So you now have about seven months and one week left to complete your exciting journey of pregnancy.
Your baby’s genitals are developing, but it is too early to detect the sex of the baby.
The retinas are forming, but your baby’s eyes are still not visible.
All the vital organs and systems have started developing at the end of this week.
Your baby’s genitals are developing, but it is too early to detect the sex of the baby.
The retinas are forming, but your baby’s eyes are still not visible.
All the vital organs and systems have started developing at the end of this week.
The upper limb and lower limb develop rapidly at this stage. Your baby’s hands previously looked like paddles with notches. But by the eighth week, it divides further. This causes it to become webbed. Amazing right? This is one of the numerous wonders of fetal development.
The arms and the leg also increase in length during this period. This increase in length causes the hand and the legs to grow towards each order. Bone formation begins to take place in the lower limb. This process of bone formation had already occurred at the upper limb during the seventh week of development.
At this stage, your baby’s hands and feet begin to move. You would not be able to feel these movements just yet. During the early weeks of development, your baby would have a tail-like structure. This is called a caudal eminence. This reduces gradually as the pregnancy advance. At the eighth week, it would have disappeared entirely.
Your baby’s body is growing rapidly. Your baby at this stage now looks more human. However, the size of your baby’s head surpasses the size of the rest of the body. The head of your baby would make up almost half of its body. In the eighth week, your baby now has a neck.Â
Your baby now has almost all of its complete facial features. Your baby’s ear will begin to assume its final shape at this stage. Your baby is getting ready to see you because the retinas which are responsible for vision are developing. The retina is also responsible for the variation in the eye color of humans, but at this stage, they will not have a definitive eye color yet. The eyelids also become more obvious. The nose and lips are developing at this week as well.
Your baby’s heart is working seriously by this time. You can hear a heartbeat during an ultrasound scan. The amniotic fluid that surrounds your baby begins to increase in volume. This increase in amniotic fluid and the rapid growth of your baby will cause your uterus to become bigger. Sexual organs will begin to develop at this stage but the sex of your baby can not be determined at this time.Â
At week eight, your baby is about 0.63 inches. This roughly equates to the size of a raspberry.
At 8 weeks pregnant, you have about 32 more weeks to complete your pregnancy journey.
Morning sickness is a well-known pregnancy symptom. Nobody knows what makes you feel nauseous. It could be due to rising progesterone levels or the increased amounts of hCG and estrogen in your body, or the relaxing of the digestive tract muscles, making digestion less efficient.
Try to eat frequently but only a tiny amount at a time since this will aid your body in combating another persistent ailment that may hit you soon: heartburn during pregnancy.
The excellent news is morning sickness usually wades off by week 12 to 14, so hang in there — it’ll only be four to six weeks before you feel better!
The weight gain during this time will be subtle. Most of the changes in your body are noticed by only you. However, you may start noticing your clothes are becoming a little bit tighter.
Feeling nauseated is a very common occurrence. Although referred to as morning sickness, the feeling of nausea may happen throughout the day. This may cause you to salivate and spit more often.
This is due to an increase in pregnancy hormones and the numerous changes in your body. You become easily tired and would sleep more often.
This is an effect of progesterone. Progesterone causes the gateway between your stomach and your esophagus to become weakened. This causes the reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus, thus the burning sensation in the chest.
Constipation and frequent urination
Your uterus is becoming enlarged but is still in the pelvis. The uterus thus presses against the rectum and the bladder. This causes you to be frequently constipated and to urinate frequently.
The slightest offending odor will upset you. Others may not perceive this offending smell, but you may. One of the perks of having a heightened sense of smell is the ability to perceive pleasant meals from really far distances.
The weight gain during this time will be subtle. Most of the changes in your body are noticed by only you. However, you may start noticing your clothes are becoming a little bit tighter.
Feeling nauseated is a very common occurrence. Although referred to as morning sickness, the feeling of nausea may happen throughout the day. This may cause you to salivate and spit more often.
This is due to an increase in pregnancy hormones and the numerous changes in your body. You become easily tired and would sleep more often.
This is an effect of progesterone. Progesterone causes the gateway between your stomach and your esophagus to become weakened. This causes the reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus, thus the burning sensation in the chest.
Constipation and frequent urination
Your uterus is becoming enlarged but is still in the pelvis. The uterus thus presses against the rectum and the bladder. This causes you to be frequently constipated and to urinate frequently.
The slightest offending odor will upset you. Others may not perceive this offending smell, but you may. One of the perks of having a heightened sense of smell is the ability to perceive pleasant meals from really far distances.
Most women will have their first prenatal visit between weeks seven and eight. Your first ultrasound scan will be done when you visit the prenatal clinic. Also, questions concerning your past pregnancies and their outcome are asked. Your blood and urine samples are also taken for some tests. Your blood pressure is also measured.
Your height and weight are taken, and your Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated using the figures gotten.
You must take your vitamins and supplements. Also, other medications prescribed by your caregiver should be adhered to strictly. Medications or supplements such as folic acid, calcium, vitamin D are very important. An absence or reduced amount of folic acid in the body may cause baby to have some birth deformities.
Your baby’s bone formation has begun, you must take vitamin D and calcium supplements. Iron supplements will prevent you from becoming anemic as the pregnancy progresses.
Eat foods that protein and healthy fats. Avoid eating junk no matter how much you crave them. Junks may cause you to become overweight, which is bad for you and your baby.
Drinking water helps with bloating. Water also serves to keep you hydrated. Water will also cause the occurrence of constipation.
Alcohol, cigarettes smoke, and cat feces will affect your baby in a bad way. Stay away from an environment where people smoke. This is because second-hand smoking is more dangerous than smoking. Get someone else to help you with your cat’s litter. The cat feces can cause toxoplasmosis. This may cause your baby to have congenital disabilities.
 Miscarriage: Excessive bleeding and abdominal pain are some of the symptoms. So if you experience any of these symptoms, your healthcare provider should be notified immediately. Also, avoid taking medications carelessly. Some medications can induce an abortion.
Ectopic pregnancy: At this stage, an ectopic pregnancy is now much more dangerous. The baby is developing properly but is in the wrong position. One major site of an ectopic pregnancy is the fallopian tube. Your baby’s growth will endanger your life because of how small the fallopian tube is. Continuous fetal development in the tiny fallopian tube will lead to a rupture eventually. Â
Most ectopic pregnancies might progress without any symptoms. This is what makes it a silent and very dangerous killer.Â
Urinary Tract Infection: The possibility of getting a urinary tract infection increases after the sixth week. Having a burning sensation during urination is a major symptom. Also, lower abdominal pain any accompanying such burning sensation. Consult your caregiver if you have these symptoms. Do not attempt to hold in urine whenever you feel pressed. This increases your chances of coming down with a UTI.
Excessive vomiting: Referred to as Hyperemesis Gravidarum. This could be a sign of either a molar pregnancy or multiple pregnancies. A molar pregnancy is a pregnancy where there is no baby. In molar pregnancies, all the pregnancy symptoms heightened too.
The same thing also applies to multiple pregnancies. A molar pregnancy is not a good thing. Consult your caregiver if you feel concerned. This is because the symptoms you may view as excessive might not be considered so by your caregiver.
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