Pic: Sparx Media
Article originally in
Parent24
How's the foetus?
Your baby is the size of a small butter bean, about 30mm from crown to rump. Week 8 is the beginning of a very busy developmental stage. Your baby is no longer called an embryo but is now a foetus. Congratulations! The blob is now a baby. Your baby is developing the details:
• Elbows begin to form and there are distinct fingers and feet with tiny notches for toes.
• Intestines start to form in the umbilical cord.
• The ears, eyes and tip of the nose appear.
• Taste buds and fingernail beds appear.
• Milk teeth develop under the gums and the palate is forming.
• The skin is very thin so the baby's veins are clearly visible.
• An ultrasound will show a fluttering heartbeat.
What's with my body?
Your waistline is expanding but you probably won't be showing yet, and you won't gain much weight until later in your pregnany. Second and third pregnancies show quicker, though, since your muscles and ligaments might not be as strong as the first time around.
In week 8 your pregnancy symptoms really start to kick in - you might experience:
• Nausea (morning sickness) any time of the day or if you're unlucky, the whole day.
• You'll suffer from exhaustion and mood swings.
• Food cravings and you may suddenly hate food that you used to love AND you might also get a funny taste in your mouth that seems kind of metallic.
• To top all this off, you could have an outbreak of pimples or other skin problems.
Go back to the complete list of Pregnancy week-by-week updates.