*The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you’re daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that’s the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.
If you could see inside your womb, you’d spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby’s brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby’s growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.
Your uterus has doubled in size in the past five weeks, and eating may feel like a chore — or worse — thanks to morning sickness, which by now may be in full swing. (If you’re feeling fine, don’t worry — you’re lucky!)
You may need to pee more than usual, too, thanks to your increasing blood volume and the extra fluid being processed through your kidneys. (By now, you already have about 10 percent more blood than you did before you were pregnant. And by the end of your pregnancy, you’ll have 40 to 45 percent more blood running through your veins to meet the demands of your full-term baby.) As your uterus grows, pressure on your bladder will send you to the bathroom as well.
About half of the women who feel nauseated during the first trimester will find complete relief by about 14 weeks. For most of the rest, it’ll take another month or so for the queasiness to ease up. It’s unlikely, though, that the need to pee more than usual will ease up. In fact, research shows that both the frequency and volume of urine tends to increase over the course of pregnancy.*
How Far Along? 7 weeks today
Total weight gain: with all of the IVF meds I gained 6 pounds in less than a month! I am back to where I was before the IVF meds so we are using that as my pre-pregnancy weight. 0 lbs gained.
Maternity Clothes: My pants no longer fit, so I bought 2 belly band this week and they are great! Other than that nope regular clothes.
Strecth Marks: Nope
Sleep: Getting a lot of it! Having a hard time staying asleep at night.
Best Moment of the Week: Seeing the ultrasound and the heartbeat for the first time!
Miss Anything? Nope
Movement: A little early
Food cravings: Not very hungry but carbs when I am (pizza and mac and cheese mainly)
Anything make you sick or queasy: Just about all foods! Even the smell of nail polish.
Gender/Sex Prediction: In my field of research we make a very clear distinction between these two terms! Sex is the correct term but I know most people think that sounds funny in this context. Anyways I think girl because DP and I have always talked about how great it would be to a have a boy first so a girl can have a big brother. I am sure that makes God laugh so I am going girl.
Labor signs: Gosh I would hope not!
Symptoms: Bloating, sore boobs, nauseous that last all day and all night (even wakes me up!), exhaustion
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Happy or Moody: Depends a little bit of both this week
Looking forward to: Wednesday for our next ultrasound:-)
Congrats on your little blueberry! You will love tracking your pregnancy this way. It is so crazy to think about the fruit size week-to-week!
ReplyDeleteHappy 7 weeks!!! So excited for you to be well on your way with a little blueberry growing inside you. So amazing!!! Good luck at your ultrasound on Wednesday. I will be thinking of you!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Kara