WHAT’S GOING ON WITH BABY?
Your Baby at 7 Weeks Pregnant
Baby’s growth and size
Your baby has doubled in size from last week and is now roughly 0.5 inches, or the size of a blueberry.
Despite still being so tiny, some pretty amazing things are continuing to happen with your embryo!
What’s new developmentally?
Baby is beginning to look a little more like an actual baby, and less like a tadpole. The facial features are becoming a bit more recognizable. The cornea, iris, pupil, lens, and retina even start developing this week!
In addition to the facial features becoming more defined, baby’s little buds where their arms and legs will eventually be are growing too.
Right now, they look more like paddles, but rest assured, they will continue growing and more closely resemble hands and feet with time.
Fun facts about your week 7 baby
- Baby is generating about 100 new brain cells every single minute – I don’t know about you, but that totally blows my mind!
- The neural tube is formed and now closed on both ends
- Baby is a whopping 10,000 times bigger now than at conception
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH MAMA?
Week 7 of Pregnancy
Week 7 pregnancy symptoms
Probably more of the same this week as what you were experiencing last week, with sore and tender breasts, exhaustion, and nausea/morning sickness leading the pack.
Some other early pregnancy symptoms include:
- Bloating and gas
- Heightened sense of smell
- Cravings and aversions
- Frequent urination
- Heartburn
How should I be feeling at 7 weeks pregnant?
There is a good chance that you are feeling similar in week 7 to how you were feeling in week 6. A lot of the more common early symptoms begin around week 6, if not sooner, so you can expect them to continue through week 7 (and likely for the next several weeks) too.
I have an article that covers 11 early signs of pregnancy in more detail. If you find yourself looking for more information and tips for relief, make sure you check the article out here!
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
More Week 7 Info
7 weeks pregnant ultrasound
Hooray, you might have your first ultrasound this week! If your provider has scheduled it for next week, don’t stress. It’s pretty typical to have it around 7 or 8 weeks – and it’s totally fine if they wait until week 12!
If you get it done too early, there’s a good chance your provider won’t be able to see everything they need to see, and you might have to come back to have it repeated.
And just to prepare you, it will be a transvaginal ultrasound, meaning your provider will insert a lubricated probe into your vagina to perform the ultrasound.
While it might be a bit uncomfortable, most tolerate it very well. And luckily, you only have to do one or two this way before an abdominal ultrasound can be used.
If you want more details about transvaginal ultrasounds, take a look back at week 6 where I cover it in more detail.
Discharge at 7 weeks pregnant
It’s normal for your vaginal discharge to increase in both frequency and amount due to the hormones estrogen and progesterone. This increase can start at 7 weeks or even earlier. Generally, vaginal discharge that is clear or white in color and odorless is not a cause for concern during pregnancy.
The additional discharge and mucus production has a very important role during pregnancy; it acts to protect baby by preventing bacteria (and other things) from entering the vagina and ultimately the cervix.
The added discharge and mucus is what eventually becomes your mucus plug, sealing off and protecting your uterus – pretty cool, huh?
If you notice discharge that is blood tinged, any color other than white or clear, or anything that has a foul or “off” odor, do make your provider aware so they can rule out anything else that might be going on.
Some women feel most comfortable wearing a light panty liner during pregnancy to keep themselves feeling dry.
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOUR BUMP?
7 Weeks Pregnant Belly
TIPS & RESOURCES FOR WEEK 7
Tips for 7 Weeks Pregnant
- If you haven’t found a provider and scheduled your first prenatal appointment, now is the time to do so – early and regular prenatal care has lots of benefits and can help reduce the risk of pregnancy complications!
- Sign up for MLN’s FREE Prenatal Care Workshop to make sure you’re prepared for your first visit and understand how to make the most of your care for the duration of your pregnancy
- A lot of women start taking a prenatal vitamin while they are trying to conceive but if you haven’t started one yet, go ahead and do that! I personally loved Ritual’s prenatal vitamins when I was pregnant
- The iron that’s in most prenatal vitamins might cause constipation so throw in a daily stool softener (I recommend Colace) if you notice any issues! If you want to learn more about ways to cope with constipation in pregnancy this IG post should help!
- 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!
- For more first trimester info, head here, where I discuss ALL the things you need to do once you get that BFP!
TIPS & RESOURCES
Blog Articles
TIPS & RESOURCES
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