Week by week pregnancy guide: You and your baby at Week 8

How Big is Your Baby?

Your Baby’s Development

In this week by week pregnancy guide, you’ll learn that:

• Although you are still a while away from feeling his movements, your baby is pretty active. He can do a lot now, including flexing his wrists.
• His facial features are becoming more defined, and his ears, upper lip, and the tip of his nose are quite visible.
• His emerging fingers and toes are now only slightly webbed.
• Although still pretty tiny, your baby is beginning to form his tastebuds.
• His tadpole-like tail is beginning to disappear.

Pregnancy Symptoms

• The hormones in your body have likely heightened your sense of smell. You are perhaps finding that most smells are causing a strong sense of aversion.
• While other parts of your body may not yet be showing signs of pregnancy, your breasts most certainly are! They are bigger and heavier because the milk-producing lobules in your breasts have started to expand.
• You are perhaps still feeling fatigued and nauseated.
• You’re starting to feel early pregnancy cramps. The ligaments in your abdomen are stretching because your uterus is expanding.
• You’re experiencing tummy issues. This is quite common and you should not be overtly worried about ingestion, constipation, bloating, or even heartburn troubles. But do take care. If you find them bothersome, call your doctor.
• Another thing that is happening is that the amount of blood circulating in your body is also steadily increasing. At the end of your pregnancy you will probably have an extra litre and a half of blood in your body.

Pregnancy Care

• Even though your appetite may be limited, you should eat right and eat healthy. With the baby growing at such speed, both of you need all the nutrients you can get.
• One of the most important takeaways in this week by week pregnancy guide is to get enough calcium. And remember to take Vitamin D as well.

Your Checklist

• Get started on looking into infant care as early as now, especially because there is a long waiting list.
• This may not be a good time to take up prenatal yoga or at least start some medication. Remember, it’s important to relax and not stress yourself out.
• You might have had to postpone or cancel some travel plans because of acute fatigue and nausea, so here is something that you can do to cheer yourself up: start planning your baby moon well in advance.

Your next week: 9 weeks pregnant

Your previous week: 7 weeks pregnant

Do you have questions on this week by week pregnancy guide? What are your current concerns, mums? Leave us a comment below!