Week Eight of Pregnancy

Your Baby and Changes…

At week eight of pregnancy, your baby is now twenty mm long, which is about the size of a red bean, and your baby will continue to look more and more human at this point.  By week eight, as you might feel more and more symptoms of being sick, your baby is growing and changing rapidly.  For example, the tail that your baby formed in the early stages of pregnancy has disappeared, and your baby is starting to take shape.  Arms and legs continue to grow longer and your baby’s eyes are developing lids.   Nerve cells in your baby’s brain are developing and beginning to communicate.  Your baby’s lungs are developing inside you, and will continue development from this point forward.  It will take a full thirty six weeks for the lungs to mature, and allow your baby to independently breathe on his own.  Some Mommy’s and their physicians worry significantly on lung development, as immature lungs seem to become a common obstacle in childbirth.  Modern medicine exists which eliminate this obstacle and allow for the body to stimulate lung growth if necessary, therefore communication between you and your physician is necessary throughout the pregnancy. 

Your Body and Changes….

Rather than complaining about looking pregnant, many women complain of weight gain during week eight of pregnancy.  Consider the fact that you are eating for two, creating a new little life, and you may find some comfort in your weight gain.  Your uterus has expanded to the size of an apple, and with this growth, has developed accordingly to support the life inside you.  At week eight, you are still considerably smaller than what your abdominal region will appear to look at full term…so hang in there! 

By now, you are excited and ready to share your news.  It is recommended that you control the urge to talk until the end of your first trimester, however some elect to talk sooner.  At week eight you will experience more changes in your body such as breast growth, which is not uncommon.  Anywhere from one breast size, to several is common at this stage in pregnancy.  If you are experiencing this, you might consider going up in one or two cup sizes as this can be very uncomfortable.  Many women actually favor this part of pregnancy.

Some women worry about the choice of breast feeding verse bottle feeding in regards to breast feeding ruining their breasts.  This is not at all the case.  Most changes in your breast, as you are starting to see at this week in pregnancy, occur while you are pregnant, therefore what you do after your baby is born is not going to improve, or increase your experience.  You may as well breastfeed your baby, as the nutrients from you as the Mommy cannot compare to any other form of nutrient on the market.  The bond that is formed between the baby and the Mom is important at this stage of feeding as well.