So I am now 8 weeks...
This is what it has to say about what is going on along with my comments in red:
Average size: .63 in, .04 oz (about the size of a Raspberry)
Your baby is doing a lot of growing during pregnancy 8 weeks. Up until this point in time your baby had a small tail... that starts to disappear this week, and your little one will soon have eyelids to cover their blossoming eyes. While the arms and legs are also lengthening, the fingers and toes are likely to still be webbed. Your baby's brain is also maturing during pregnancy week 8 (I started the DHA supplement to assist with the brain development yesterday) as nerve cells begin to connect with one another, forming the groundwork for communication later in life.
Did you know the tip of your baby's nose is even formed by pregnancy 8 weeks? The lungs are also working hard at maturing by pregnancy week 8, though they won't be fully mature until near term. However, tubes leading from your baby's throat to the lungs begin to form branches.
By week eight your baby should also have distinct elbows, which allow the arms to curve around the chest. Your baby's organs continue to develop with lightning quick speed. Before you have time to even blink an eye your little one will resemble a miniature human being, complete with ten fingers, ten toes, skin and all the body parts we all have!
You are definitely starting to grow by 8 weeks pregnant inside as your uterus continues to expand (I swear that I can sometimes feel this), however it is likely that you still are not showing much on the outside . This is particularly true of first time moms, though as we mentioned you will likely start feeling some tightening along your waistline (I have actually lost 2 pounds, but my jeans feel tighter around the waist). You may want to start looking for maternity jeans.
Your healthcare provider might tell you that your uterus is now about the size of a grapefruit (see picture above...that's HUGE) by pregnancy at 8 weeks. That is a lot of progress from its pre-pregnancy state, where it was smaller than a plum (the size the baby will be in 4 weeks at our 12 week appointment on June 2, 2009)!
Women who have been pregnant before often report showing sooner than they did with their first pregnancy. While it is not uncommon to not start showing until the fifth month (August for me) the first time around, many moms report that they started showing as early as eight weeks with their second and third pregnancies. If you are carrying twins or triplets (YIKES! We only saw one baby at the first sonogram so I think we are good.), you will start showing sooner than your singleton peers, as your babies will be taking up a lot more room in the uterus. You are probably consumed with fatigue (to say the least...I have to take a nap everyday when I come home), and still battling some nausea (knock on wood, nothing since week 5...I keep asking myself, "Am I really pregnant because everyone else is complaining about this nausea thing and I haven't had a whole lot"...but at the same time, I have been keeping something on my stomach at all times or else I feel sick). Remember that the symptoms associated with early pregnancy pass with time, and most women go on to find their pregnancies rewarding and enjoyable (That's me SO FAR!...I hope this does not jinx me!).
Well, off to bed. Long day ahead of me tomorrow with TONS of end-of-year testing for all of my wonderful second graders!
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