Welcome To Week 8 Of Your Pregnancy!

What Is Happening During Week 8?

Your baby is continuing to grow rapidly.  The fingers and toes have begun to develop. Baby’s arms and legs are becoming more defined and are growing in length. Little webbed paddle shaped hands and feet can be identified, although the hands tend to mature faster than the feet.

The joints of the upper and lower limbs are now visible. On an ultrasound you can visualize your baby flexing these joints. These movements are still only random. The eyelids continue to form and will eventually completely cover the eyes.

This week baby’s ears and nose begin to take on a form we can recognize. The digestive tract continues to grow and the circulatory systems has become more sophisticated. Neural pathways are also developing.

Heart Beat & Size:

During week 8, your baby’s heart can beat from 150 to 170 beats per minute. Your baby is just over 1/2 an inch long and about the size and shape of a kidney bean and weighs about 1/4 of an ounce.

How Are You Feeling?

You are likely still feeling nauseous and tired caused by all the physical changes that are taking place. Extreme fatigue at this stage is normal. You may want to get some more sleep and take naps if you want. Trying to do some gentle exercise every day will help balance your energy levels.

Urinating More Often?

As your uterus begins to enlarge it puts pressure on your bladder, this combined with increased hormone levels such as progesterone may stimulates your bladder muscle so you may feel the need to urinate more often.

You may also notice increased amount of saliva and a bitter taste in your mouth. It is not entirely clear why this happens but is another symptom associated with morning sickness.

The hormone progesterone can cause the mucous passages of your nose and sinuses to swell causing congestion. Drinking plenty of fluids and a healthy diet can help with your symptoms by providing you with necessary nutrients and vitamins. This same increase in mucous can be experienced within the vagina but as long as it remains white and odorless you have nothing to worry about.