9 Weeks- Development

Your Baby This Coming Week

The crown-to-rump length of your baby is about 1.25 to 1.68 inches (between 3.1 and 4.2cm). He weighs about 0.18 ounces (5g).

The placenta is now producing progesterone which helps to make nutrients for your developing baby.

Your baby has passed the stage when he is most susceptible to damage. By the end of this week, the danger zone for congenital abnormalities has passed.

The plan for your baby's body has been completely laid down by now. Further growth and cell division will build on this plan.

Taste and tooth buds have appeared.

Your baby has recently developed fingers and toes which are now well-formed. Ankles, wrists and the inner ear have formed. Your baby's nose is flat and his eyes are far apart. His eyes, ears, mouth and nose are all recognizable. The tail is disappearing.

Your baby is moving around the amniotic sac, and moving his feet and ankles. You still will not be able to feel these movements but you may be able to see them on an ultrasound.

Blood is circulating through the arteries and the vein of the umbilical cord.

The brain of your baby is developing at a phenomenal rate. About one quarter of a million new neurons are produced every single minute at this stage in your pregnancy.

If your baby is a boy, his testes, though they are not even clearly visible, are already producing testosterone.

Your baby is no longer called an embryo, but rather a fetus.

Your Body This Coming Week

Your uterus is now about the size of an orange, but you still don't "show". However, you probably have noticed an increase in your breast size.

You may be having mood swings, feeling happy and elated one moment, crying the next. This is perfectly normal, caused by the changing hormones in your body as well as all the hopes and fears you have and the realization that your life will be forever changed by your pregnancy.

There is little increase in abdominal size during the first trimester, though you might be starting to see some weight gain. Hormonal changes, however, especially the increase of progesterone and relaxin can cause your joints and ligaments to soften as your body begins to prepare for birth.

The joints in your pelvic bones are widening now. This may cause you to feel unstable at times, even sometimes dropping things or bumping into things.

Eight Weeks

Your baby -- now comparable to the size of a kidney bean (just over 1/2 inch long) -- is constantly moving and shifting.

Week 8 Journal

How far along? 8 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: I think the same as last week. I need to start writing these numbers down.
TP test: Still at 9 squares.
Maternity Clothes: Nope. Not yet.
Food cravings/ aversions: Still liking the greasy/ fried foods, but trying to resist a bit and eat at least a little healthier.
"Morning" Sickness: Horrible. Almost constant queasiness. Really ready for this part of pregnancy to be over. Brushing my teeth seems to be difficult. Some times it starts to make me gag.
Signs of Pregnancy: Tired. Still. A co-worker has commented on different days how I look tired. Wish I could tell her why, but we're still waiting a bit to share the news with everyone.
Stretch Marks: Nope.
Sleep: Could be better, but overall not all that bad.
Big things this week: Told one of our friends at Game Night on Saturday and made her promise that if she felt the need to tell her husband that he COULDN'T share it with his co-workers who are other friends of ours. Would have resisted telling her, but she would have guessed it anyway. She was asking pointed questions.
Gender prediction: WAY too early to tell.
Movement: Nothing yet.
Labor Pains: Nothing yet.
Belly Button in or out? Definitely in.
Wedding rings on or off? On. And a little loose.
Weekly Wisdom: Don't dwell on feeling miserable. It won't last forever.
Milestones/Fun Moments: We went to a Baby Expo on Sunday. Not as large as I thought it might be, but still overwhelming. Got a number of free samples though, so altogether not bad.

8 Weeks- Development

Your Baby This Coming Week

Your baby measures about 0.9 to 1.2 inches (2.2 to 3cm) from crown to rump.

Your baby's arms and legs are longer and her hands are flexed at the wrist. The head is growing more erect and the neck is more developed. On an ultrasound, you may see your baby moving, though you still can not feel this.

The organs are forming. Ears are developed and the eyelids have begun to cover up your baby's eyes. Hands and feet appear as well as small buds which will become fingers and toes. The paddles of your baby's hands have clearly defined finger ridges now, with the tissue between them (which previously made them look webbed) reducing to leave separate fingers.

Your baby's back has started to straighten slightly and the tail is now shrinking. The head still seems large and is curved forwards on her chest. Your baby is starting to look like a tiny person!

Your Body This Coming Week

Your uterus is enlarged and your waistline may have increased slightly by now. The pregnancy hormones in your system have increased the volume of blood in your body.

Your skin may have improved (the famous "glow" of pregnancy) or you may be experiencing skin problems. Your gums may be softer. The thyroid gland in your neck may be more prominent. Your hair may also be less oily. Your breasts may feel fuller and more tender. You may notice increased creamy vaginal secretions.

Week 7 Journal- Redux

How far along? 7 weeks... again. This is because my estimated due date got changed.
Total weight gain/loss: Up 3 pounds at the moment.
TP test: 9 squares.
Maternity Clothes: Nope. Not yet.
Food cravings/ aversions: Love me some greasy good. Burgers, fries, etc. Grilled cheese seems to be my staple. I can barely stand the thought of soup, which had been my daily lunch staple.
"Morning" Sickness: Got sick once. Otherwise feeling lots of queasiness. This used to hit me especially in the afternoons, but the past couple of days I've felt this way in the morning as well.
Signs of Pregnancy: Tired. A lot. Going to bed ridiculously early and still wanting an afternoon nap. Also the nausea.
Stretch Marks: Nope.
Sleep: Keep waking up in the middle of the night. Weird dream last night about someone from my church announcing loudly that I was pregnant and me getting very upset since the info wasn't public yet.
Big things this week: Ultrasound! Got to see the blob and also heard the heartbeat.
Gender prediction: WAY too early to tell.
Movement: Nothing yet.
Labor Pains: Nothing yet.
Belly Button in or out? Definitely in.
Wedding rings on or off? On. And a little loose.
Weekly Wisdom: Try to relax and make the most of it.
Milestones/Fun Moments: Got to see the little blueberry during the ultrasound.

First Ultrasound

We had our first ultrasound this morning. The purpose was to pinpoint my due date more accurately. When I went in she asked how far along I thought I was. I said between 7 weeks and 7 weeks, 4 days.

Based on her calculations, I am 6 weeks, 6 days- which I also would believe (I had been leaning more towards only being 7 weeks, and this is just 1 day away). Not a big difference either way, but more important later on, especially if I'm late.

So we got three pictures. None of them really look like anything. The smaller blob next to the baby (love how she labeled that since it's so hard to tell) is the yolk sac. It still somehow doesn't seem all that real to me. Maybe because it doesn't look like anything yet. The part Chris really liked though was when we got to listen to the heart beat. He started grinning when he heard that.

I guess I'll be redoing my week 7 journal since I now have more accurate dates.

It was bound to happen...

For the past week or so I've had many queasy moments. Nothing too bad, but just not feeling right. And then yesterday it got worse. All day long I felt horrible. And there were a couple of times where I thought I was going to throw up. Like walking through the grocery store and smelling the meat/ seafood counters.

I thought I had made it through the day, but then after dinner it happened. My first bout of "morning" sickness. I hope this doesn't last too long.