WHAT’S GOING ON WITH BABY?
Your Baby at 8 Weeks Pregnant
Baby’s growth and size
Baby is measuring around 0.63 inches and growing a millimeter each day!
What’s new developmentally?
You can’t feel it yet, but baby is moving around in there. It will be closer to 16-22 weeks before you are able to feel those sweet little flutters.
Baby’s fingers and toes remain webbed, but not for too much longer. Their nose and upper lip are also becoming noticeable!
All other systems and organs continue to develop, helping baby to look more and more well, like a baby as the weeks pass.
Fun facts about your week 8 baby
- Baby’s genitals are starting to form – if you were to have an ultrasound it would be far too early to determine the sex but a fun fact nonetheless
- The folds of baby’s eyelids start to develop
- Baby’s taste buds are forming
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH MAMA?
Week 8 of Pregnancy
Week 8 pregnancy symptoms
- Sore, tender, and growing breasts
- Fatigue
- Nausea and morning sickness
- Increased vaginal discharge (clear or white is normal)
- Bloating
- Cravings and aversions
- Constipation
- Frequent urination
Learn more about the most common early pregnancy symptoms in one spot, here!
How should I be feeling at 8 weeks pregnant?
Chances are pretty high that you are feeling some kind of pregnancy symptoms by now. And if you aren’t, that’s okay too. While less common, there are women that go through the entire first trimester without experiencing any symptoms!
Changes in your belly are probably not noticeable just yet, at least from the outside, but it’s not too early to start thinking about if and how you want to document your bump throughout pregnancy! In fact, it’s one of the things I recommend in my article, 8 Fun Things to do During Pregnancy.
I personally loved using Baby Story: Pregnancy Pictures to document my bump journey but there are so many great apps out there now! To learn more about the best pregnancy photo apps and lots of other pregnancy apps, make sure you read this article!
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
More Week 8 Info
8 weeks pregnant ultrasound
If you haven’t had your first ultrasound yet, there’s a good chance you will be having it this week – and how exciting that first ultrasound is! I always like to “warn” women that their first ultrasound will be a transvaginal ultrasound instead of an abdominal one.
Had I not been a labor and delivery nurse when I had my first and privy to this information, I would have been a bit caught off guard, to say the least.
During a transvaginal ultrasound, your provider inserts a lubricated wand into your vagina to visualize baby, the gestational sac, as well as other anatomical structures like the ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, and bladder.
Your provider will be looking for a heartbeat during this ultrasound to confirm your pregnancy. You might even hear people call this a “confirmation of pregnancy” appointment. In addition to a heartbeat, you can expect your provider to measure baby to ensure their size matches the estimated due date (EDD) produced from your last menstrual period (LMP).
Typically, if the EDD determined from baby’s measurements is within one week of your EDD from your LMP then there will not be an adjustment made to your dating – are you still with me or have I thoroughly confused you? Basically, they will confirm there is a heartbeat, confirm your due date/ dating, and visualize some of your reproductive organs during this first ultrasound!
How many months is 8 weeks pregnant?
It seems like a simple enough question, right? How many months is 8 weeks of pregnancy? You are in your second month of pregnancy right now. You will most commonly hear people (especially your provider and healthcare team) refer to pregnancy in weeks, but you might hear both!
Only seven more months to go but who’s counting? I know it seems like an eternity away but I promise, it does go fast, so try and soak up as much of it as you can (well, maybe once you get out of the nauseous, exhausted, less than ideal first trimester.)
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOUR BUMP?
8 Weeks Pregnant Belly
TIPS & RESOURCES FOR WEEK 8
Tips for 8 Weeks Pregnant
- Continue taking a prenatal vitamin – my personal favorite prenatal vitamin is Ritual
- Make sure you familiarize yourself with some do’s and don’ts of pregnancy here (slide 4)
- In this post, you will learn more about foods to avoid during pregnancy
- Some women prefer waiting until the second trimester (or even later) to announce their pregnancy while others announce after their first ultrasound. You can find some questions to help guide your decision here
- Sign up for MLN Weekly Pregnancy Updates to stay up to date on everything going on with your pregnancy. So much good information and it’s all free!
- Don’t miss our FREE Prenatal Care Workshop either! It’s an on-demand class to help you learn how to make the most of your appointments and what to expect along the way
TIPS & RESOURCES
Blog Articles
TIPS & RESOURCES
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