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8 Weeks Pregnant
8 weeks pregnant: Your baby is as big as a raspberry.
1.3 cm
32
Weeks to go!
Though you’re probably not showing yet, your clothes may be getting a bit tight and you certainly may feel pregnant if you’re among the 75 percent of women who experience morning sickness.
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At 8 weeks pregnant, your baby is growing at a rate of a millimeter a day and the lips, nose, and eyelids are forming.
Your Baby at Week 8
At a Glance
Here’s looking at you!
Baby blue? Sea green? Coffee brown? You won’t see your baby’s eyes for a while, but this week the retinas have begun to form.
Blue or pink?
Your baby-to-be’s boy or girl parts are beginning to develop, but it’s still too soon for your doctor to detect which sex your baby will be.
All systems go
By the end of the week, all the essential organs and body systems have begun to develop.
8 weeks pregnant is how many months?
If you’re 8 weeks pregnant, you’re in month 2 of your pregnancy. Only 7 months left to go! Still, have questions? Here’s some more information on how weeks, months, and trimesters are broken down in pregnancy.
How big is my baby at 8 weeks?
Your baby is growing at an amazing rate. How’s she measuring up this week? At a length of about half to three-quarters of an inch right now, your little one has graduated from blueberry-sized to raspberry-sized.
Baby’s growing fast
Meanwhile, how big a baby is has become a bit harder to estimate. Though growth occurs at about the rate of a millimeter a day, it isn’t necessarily just in height. Spurts can happen in the arms, legs, back, and other parts of that tiny body, meaning big changes are coming every which way in the next few months. You can follow your baby’s growth in the What to Expect app Opens a new window!
Baby’s got lips, a nose, and eyelids
What else is changing at 8 weeks pregnant? A close-up view of your little embryo would reveal your baby is looking a lot less reptilian and a lot more baby-like.
Even though the baby has webbed hands and feet, teeny fingers and toes are just starting to differentiate and the tail is almost gone. You’d see an upper lip forming, the protruding tip of that cute button nose, and tiny, very thin eyelids.
The baby is on the move!
All this growing is exciting for your baby, too. How do you know? Even though you can’t yet feel it, the baby’s tiny trunk and limb buds are now twitching and making spontaneous movements.
Your baby’s digs are getting bigger, too. Amniotic fluid volume is increasing and your womb is expanding to accommodate its growing tenant.
Your Body at Week 8
Morning sickness
While your babe isn’t exactly causing you to show yet, chances are your clothes are feeling a little tight around the tummy. That’s because your uterus, usually the size of a fist, has grown to the size of a large grapefruit by week 8 of pregnancy.
Admittedly, that’s still pretty small. But while it’s unlikely you look pregnant from the outside, you almost certainly feel pregnant on the inside, especially when those insides threaten to come out all day long.
Yes, it’s that notorious pregnancy rite of passage: morning sickness — though the name can be misleading. If you’re among the estimated 75 percent of pregnant women who have morning sickness, you know all too well that it may start in the morning — but it can linger all day and all night.
No one knows for sure what causes that queasy feeling — and does it really matter when you’re about to toss your cookies for the third time today? — though theories abound. It could be because of the increased level of hCG and estrogen circulating in your body or the relaxation of the muscles of the digestive tract, making digestion less efficient, due to rising progesterone levels or the rapid stretching of the uterine muscles.
Whatever the cause, take heart — your baby feels just fine, even while you’re hugging the bowl. Try to eat often but only a little at a time, which should also help your body battle another stubborn woe coming your way soon: pregnancy heartburn.
If you’re really struggling with morning sickness — say, you’ve lost at least 5 pounds or can’t keep anything down for more than eight hours — ask your doctor whether you should take a pregnancy anti-nausea drug like Zofran or Diclegis.
The good news, however, is that nausea and vomiting usually subside by weeks 12 to 14, so hang in there — only four to six more weeks until you get some relief!
Eating fruit during pregnancy
Fruit is always your friend — but consider it your best friend while you’re expecting. Not only does nature’s sweetest bounty contain essential vitamins and other nutrients that are good for you and your baby, but it plays a starring role in keeping you regular — pass the prunes, please!
More sweet news: The right fruit can stand in for just about any vegetable you’re shunning when pregnancy aversions and nausea may be keeping you from bellying up to the salad bar. For instance, opt for dried apricots when you can’t stomach broccoli.
A good rule when it comes to fruits and veggies: Brighter colors (especially on the inside) spell better nutrition. Select your produce by the color of its “inner” rainbow and you’ll find nutrients worth their weight in gold.
Tips for You This Week
Get a handle on headaches
Along with your expanding belly may come new aches and pains above the neck. Your blood volume will increase by just under 50 percent, which — along with those pregnancy hormones — may spur headaches.
Got one? Talk to your doctor about trading aspirin and ibuprofen for baby-safe alternatives like acetaminophen.
Start a baby registry (or two)
It’s not too soon to start thinking about what you’ll need to buy before the baby’s arrival. Baby registry must-haves range from big-ticket items (like the crib and stroller) to everyday essentials (think diapers, wipes, and burp cloths). If you’d prefer to let us do the research about where to register and what should go on your baby registry, you can use What to Expect’s Registry Builder Opens a new window to get customized recommendations.
Slather on the SPF
Out, out damned spot! For many women, hormone surges in pregnancy can cause melasma or dark spots on the skin and face.
That means your skin, freckles, and moles may look darker, and there’s probably a dark line down the center of your abdomen (the linea nigra). Your areolas could be a deeper shade too.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone — this condition affects 50 to 75 percent of expectant mothers. You may be able to prevent melasma from getting worse, however, by wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher when you’re outside since sunlight makes the condition more pronounced.
Keep track of your weight
It’s good to gain weight gradually throughout your 40 weeks of pregnancy — but that doesn’t mean you’ll gain weight evenly.
In your first trimester, you may not gain more than two or four pounds; and if you’re suffering from morning sickness, you might not gain at all.
During the second and third trimesters, you may put on an average of about one pound each week until you reach month 8, or about 20 to 28 pounds. The weekly gains will vary, though they tend to average about a pound apiece.
In month 9, your baby’s weight gain will continue with gusto, while yours will likely only total about two to three pounds; you might even lose in the days before delivery.
Ease into exercise
If you haven’t worked out in a while, don’t start out with a bang. Overdoing it can lead to injury, nausea, overheating, and just plain exhaustion — plus, it’ll make you more likely to quit when you’re just getting started.
Right now, ease into exercise. Begin with 10 minutes of a gentle warm-up, followed by five minutes of moderate exercise and a five-minute cool-down. Then increase the moderate segment by five minutes every week until you hit the recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise (which averages out to 30 minutes a day, five days a week).
Try eating mini-meals
Dealing with nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is never easy — but it’s especially hard when you’re anxious to start feeding yourself and your baby well.
Don’t worry. As challenging as your tender first-trimester appetite is right now, it’s still up to the challenge of meeting your nutritional needs (after all, your baby is just a little bigger than a pea, so those needs are pretty tiny).
In the meantime, if big meals are a big turnoff, eat at least six smaller but nutrient-packed mini meals and snacks throughout the day.
Not only will the mini-meals be easier for your queasy stomach to, well, stomach, but keeping your tummy a little bit filled is the best way to keep it from emptying out.
Right now, focus on foods you find less offensive — even if it’s crackers, crackers, and more crackers.
Choose a healthy option whenever your tummy doesn’t protest — like making those crackers whole grain — and serve them up with a slice of mild cheddar. And don’t forget to tap into the soothing power of ginger!
Choose healthy carbs
Has the word “carb” become a four-letter one in your diet plan? Redefine it by choosing healthy complex carbohydrates that nourish your baby and fuel your energy needs.
Here’s a list of healthy carb options that reads like the roster of a nutritional all-star team: fresh fruits, dried and freeze-dried fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grain bread, crackers and cereals, baked potatoes (with skins on), beans, and peas.
This article was first published here.
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