So you found out that you are pregnant! Congratulations! Your mind must be going 100 miles a minute trying to process all of the changes and new things that you are going to experience in the next few months. The early weeks of pregnancy are a very critical time for your baby. They are rapidly growing and are start to develop into a tiny human that you will soon hold in your arms! Enjoy this time and celebrate the milestones that your new bundle of joy is reaching!
Pregnancy Week 6
Pregnancy Week 6
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At 6 weeks, your baby is about the size of a lentil
At 6 weeks, your baby is about the size of a lentil. (About a quarter of an inch!) Inside of you, your sweet baby is working on creating a nose, mouth, and ears that it will use forever! The arms and the legs are tiny little protruding buds. The heart is beating anywhere from 100 to 160 times a minute (Fast, I know!), and blood is starting to run though that tiny little body! Other things that are beginning to develop during week 6 are the intestines, lungs, pituitary gland, brain, muscles, and bones.
As for you, you may begin to feel moody. (My husband loves to point that pregnancy symptom out to anyone that will listen!) Your hormones are causing your emotions to go all over the place. This is totally normal, and don’t let it scare you. Other pregnancy symptoms that may begin during week 6 and stick around for a few weeks include:
- Spotting (If you are bleeding too much, call your doctor)
- Food cravings
- Morning sickness or nausea
- Weight gain
- Bloating (You may think that this is baby bump, but it’s not!)
- Tender breasts
- Fatigue
A great thing to buy right now is the Pregnancy Update Photo Props off of Amazon. You can take a picture each week of your bump and each photo card includes the week and how big your growing baby is! How exciting!
Pregnancy Week 7
Pregnancy Week 7
Look at your little blueberry this week! Since last week, your baby has doubled in size and is half of an inch now! Remember those tiny buds that I mentioned last week? Well this week little hands and feet are starting to grow from them! (The little hands and feet that you will snuggle and play patty-cake with for hours!) Although, your baby still does have a small tail, it is starting to disappear. Eyelids are starting to form over those perfect eyes. Other great news is that this week, the umbilical cord is starting to form from the intestines as well as advancement with the brain and other organs such as the appendix and the pancreas.
This week you may be feeling the same as last week, or maybe different. Either way is okay. Each woman experiences their pregnancy in a different way. The only thing that is different this week is that in order to supply the baby with enough nutrients, your blood volume has increased by about 10%. This can cause you to feel like you have to pee more than often. Plus, you should be staying super hydrated, which will also make your bathroom visits more frequent.
If the pregnancy symptoms during week 7 are severe, just know that many women start to lose their side effects and gain energy by week 14. There may be some things that you will just have to get used to (such as peeing every 5 minutes), but they will go away after the baby is born.
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Pregnancy Week 8
Pregnancy Week 8
This week, your little sweetie is the size of a kidney bean! New developments this week include adding little webbed fingers and toes to the hands and feet that are growing off of those nubs. The eyelids are almost complete too! One huge accomplishment is that the tubes that allow your baby to breathe outside of the womb are now reaching from the throat to the little lungs! Nerves are starting to branch out too!
For you this week, you may notice that your breasts are starting to get bigger. To keep yourself comfortable, go buy a bigger bra that provides the support that you need. Don’t spend too much money though because they will continue to grow and change. This increase in breast size is to prepare you for breastfeeding. You may also be feeling even more tired, but unable to sleep at night. (I’ve always thought that was a way to prepare you for the first year as a parent!) If you can, take short naps during the day. Try to remember that all of the suffering will have an amazing reward in the end!
You should have already called your doctor and scheduled your first visit, which will probably be around 10 weeks. It could be earlier if you are high risk or experience a problem. You should get used to these visits. If you don’t have a planner, I suggest that you get one. It will help you keep your life organized, especially when you start to experience pretty bad pregnancy brain. (I locked my infant son and I out of the house and car in the rain during this pregnancy!) One great option for a planner is the PlanAhead Moms Monthly Calendar. You can also use it after the baby is born for playdates and other fun stuff!
Pregnancy Week 9
Pregnancy Week 9
So now at week 9, your little peanut is the size of a grape! She still doesn’t weight much but she will start to gain at a very rapid pace. This week the chambers in the heart finish dividing up and the tail is completely gone! (Yay!) Tiny teeth start to develop under those little gums and the sex organs are finally appearing. (Although you can’t tell the gender from an ultrasound just yet.) The eyes are completely formed, and the organs, muscles, and nerves that have been developing are starting to work!
For you this week, you are probably feeling the same as you have been, although if you have changed that it totally normal. You may notice a little bit of a thicker waistline, but other people probably can’t tell yet. Even though people can’t physically see that you are pregnant, they may be able to tell from your other symptoms. If you are constantly running to the bathroom and acting very sleepy, some people may be on to what is happening inside you.
Product: Top Recommended Maternity Belts on Amazon
Pregnancy Week 10
Pregnancy Week 10
A little over an inch long, your baby is the size of a kumquat this week. Most of the critical developments have occurred, so now it’s all about fine tuning. Your baby is swallowing fluid now and kicking like crazy (Although you won’t be able to feel it quite yet.) Tiny nails are forming on the fingers and toes, and cute peach-fuzz is growing on the skin. Other great news is that the limbs can bend and the outline of the spine can be seen through the skin!
This may be the week of your first doctor’s appointment where you get to hear the baby’s heartbeat or see an ultrasound. Hearing or seeing your baby for the first time can be very emotional. You may start to notice that your bra isn’t the only thing becoming tight. Although you aren’t ready for maternity clothes, looser fitting clothes will probably be more comfortable. Exercising may be the last thing on your mind, but it is really good for you. Try a prenatal yoga video like Yoga Pregnancy: Pre and Post Natal Workouts, which is a best seller on Amazon. Staying in shape during your pregnancy can help you have an easier delivery and get back into shape after the baby is born. Talk to your doctor about any exercise that you plan on doing before you begin.
Once again, congratulations on your pregnancy! Enjoy this time watching your amazing miracle grow into the child that you will raise!
