8 weeks pregnant
Our guide to your 8th week of pregnancy
Your Baby
Now 2cm long, your baby continues to grow rapidly. But it is the internal changes that are so amazing in the first trimester. This developmental stage is when the baby’s internal organs are created. This week, another step towards fully functional lungs has been made inside your baby’s chest. Breathing tubes now extend from the throat to the emerging lungs.
The first building blocks of your baby’s nervous system are being laid. Rudimentary neural pathways are being developed inside its tiny brain and soon they will extend throughout your baby’s body.
You
There will be no obvious growth around your waist and belly yet, but your breasts may already be starting to grow. Most women find their breasts continue to grow throughout pregnancy and can increase by a couple of cup sizes. Now is the time to invest in some new, more supportive bras. But avoid underwiring as this can uncomfortable.
This week you may start to notice some signs of the increase in the hormone progesterone. This hormone not only makes you feel tired and fatigued, but because it causes your blood vessels to relax it can lead to varicose veins. You can’t really prevent varicose veins, but you can minimise their effect and reduce the likelihood of pain or discomfort. Eating a healthy, balanced diet, stretching and exercise all go someway to reducing the appearance and pain associated with varicose veins. The good news is they generally recede after birth.
Antenatal Visits
Week eight is often when most women have their first antenatal appointment. This initial meeting is known as your booking appointment. It gives you a chance to ask the midwife all kinds of questions, but its also when she will take your personal details, schedule you in for tests and scans and offer you diet and exercise information. She’ll also want to know where you want to give birth: at home, at a birth centre or at hospital.
You will probably have a blood test to check your iron levels, your overall health and immunity to things such as rubella. It will check for any harmful antibodies that may be floating around your system too.
The midwife wants to know your health history to ascertain whether you are at risk of developing any pregnancy related disorders such as pre-eclampsia. Your weight and BMI will be recorded. They will both be tracked throughout your pregnancy. And you will also have the first of many blood pressure checks. Pregnancy can cause your blood pressure to rise and if left to get out of control can harm you and your unborn baby.
You will also be asked to provide a urine sample for further testing, again just to check you and your baby are both in good working order from the outset.
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