Your baby. Your baby is now 1.3cm long. They still look a bit like a tadpole, but the tail is getting shorter and will eventually disappear. The eyes and nose are visible, the inner ear and the tongue are developing, and the roof of the mouth is coming together with the upper jaw.
8 weeks pregnant belly
At week 8, you're still not showing yet. Most first-time pregnancies don't show until around week 12. If you've had previous pregnancies you may show earlier as a result of stretching of the muscles in your uterus and belly. Until then, enjoy your svelte figure.
So what does a baby look like at 8 weeks? Baby's arms, legs, fingers and toes are all becoming more defined, and baby is less curled up, so you can see their constant little twitches and bounces. There is now an identifiable nose and upper lip, and wee little eyelids and ears.
Your baby's hands and feet, once simple buds, are starting to form tiny fingers and toes, and those arms are able to flex at the elbows and wrists. At this point, eyes begin to develop pigment, and genitals are forming too, although it's still too soon to know your little one's biological sex.
While your babe isn't exactly causing you to show yet, chances are your clothes are feeling a little tight around the tummy. That's because your uterus, usually the size of a fist, has grown to the size of a large grapefruit by week 8 of pregnancy. Admittedly, that's still pretty small.
Do not eat raw or undercooked meat, chicken, or fish (such as sushi or raw oysters). Do not eat raw eggs or foods that contain raw eggs, such as Caesar dressing. Do not eat raw sprouts, especially alfalfa sprouts. Do not eat soft cheeses and unpasteurized dairy foods, such as Brie, feta, or blue cheese.
The fetus becomes a neonate or newborn at birth. It may not be common to hear a pregnant person speak about their embryo or fetus in those terms, but we can all choose to use the words we are most comfortable with.
Boys' and girls' genitals develop along the same path with no outward sign of gender until about nine weeks. It's at that point that the genital tubercle begins to develop into a penis or clitoris. However, it's not until 14 or 15 weeks that you can clearly begin to see the differentiated genitalia.
It's typically done between 7 and 8 weeks to verify your due date, to look for a fetal heartbeat, and to measure the length of the baby from “crown to rump.” At this ultrasound, you'll also learn whether you're having one baby, pregnant with twins, or more!
The first trimester is the most crucial to your baby's development. During this period, your baby's body structure and organ systems develop. Most miscarriages and birth defects occur during this period. Your body also undergoes major changes during the first trimester.
Picture of First Trimester (8 Weeks)
All major organs and external body structures have begun to form. Your baby's heart beats with a regular rhythm. The arms and legs grow longer, and fingers and toes have begun to form. The sex organs begin to form.
Hearing a Fetal Heartbeat
A stethescope or handheld doppler devices may be used to hear the heartbeat beginning around 8 weeks. However, it may take until 10 to 12 weeks or so to be audible.
In week 8 of pregnancy, you might notice your body is starting to change as your baby grows. Your uterus is now about the size of a large orange. As the uterus expands it starts to take up more room in your pelvis.
Hormonal changes in early pregnancy may leave you feeling bloated, similar to the feeling some women have just before their period. That's why your clothes may feel more snug than usual at the waistline, even early on when your uterus is still relatively small.
Quickening is when a pregnant person starts to feel their baby's movement in their uterus (womb). It feels like flutters, bubbles or tiny pulses. Quickening happens around 16 to 20 weeks in pregnancy, but some people may feel it sooner or later.
Just like newborns, fetuses spend most of their time sleeping. Indeed, throughout much of the pregnancy, your baby sleeps 90 to 95% of the day. Some of these hours are spent in deep sleep, some in REM sleep, and some in an indeterminate state—a result of their immature brain.
The fetal brain begins to develop during the third week of gestation. Neural progenitor cells begin to divide and differentiate into neurons and glia, the two cell types that form the basis of the nervous system. By the ninth week, the brain appears as a small, smooth structure.
At 9 weeks of pregnancy, your baby has grown to about 22mm long from head to bottom.
Most miscarriages - 8 out of 10 (80 percent) - happen in the first trimester before the 12th week of pregnancy. Miscarriage in the second trimester (between 13 and 19 weeks) happens in 1 to 5 in 100 (1 to 5 percent) pregnancies. Pregnancy loss that happens after 20 weeks is called stillbirth.
Feeling queasy? Morning sickness affects two out of three pregnant women during early pregnancy. It can occur at any time, day or night and is usually at its worst around week 8. By 16 to 209 weeks most mums are relieved to feel the symptoms fade.