You are now at the second part of the first trimester! And your baby is 10,000 times bigger than at the time of conception!!! Isn’t that amazing?!
Week 7: How many months you are pregnant?
Seven weeks pregnancy is still the first trimester (almost 2 months pregnancy)
Week 7: How is your baby doing now:
Your baby has almost finished forming the main parts of the brain. Every minute the brain gets about 100 new cells (wow!).
The guts and the lungs are developing now.
His/her face is getting more detailed. The tongue starts to develop.
The upper extremities (arms) are getting divided into shoulder, arm and hand segments. The lower extremities (legs) are divided into hip, knee and foot segments. All of them still looks like paddles at this point, more detailed formation to come.
The kidneys are already at the right places, but inactive. They will start to filtrate the urine and eliminate it to the amniotic fluid soon.
A very important development of this week is the formation of the umbilical cord.
This cord will be the connector between you and your baby until the birth. It will deliver all the nutrition and the oxygen to the fetus via your joined bloodstreams and remove all the waste from the baby back to your body (and then out of your body by the kidneys). Look at how much work your body is doing for your little one!
Week 7: How is your Baby looks like on an Obstetrical Ultrasound:
Your baby continues to grow. He/she is about 8 mm long.
Fetal heart rate is getting strong and now can be clearly seen on ultrasound (in a range of 100 – 170 bpm).
Baby is tightly curved and has a comma shape for now.
Week 7: Your Body changes:
The symptoms of the previous weeks are still going to bother you and could get worse. On the bright side, many of these will subside by the end of the first trimester.
- Frequent voiding. This is happening due to the hormonal changes and a sudden increase in blood volume. Your kidneys are working harder and produce more and more urine.
- Worsening nausea and vomiting. These could be frustrating and interfering with your daily activities, but you have to find your way to keep the VITAL calories and fluids in. Foods with little to no odor, use of ginger, and timing your meals around your hormone-related nausea throughout the day can help. Do not delay seeking medical attention if you have prolonged periods without oral intake.
- Taste preferences. You might want to eat some foods that you never liked before OR start to hate your favourite dishes. Some women cannot tolerate certain smells as well (most commonly – fish and coffee). Most commonly craved foods include: ice cream, chocolate, eggs, cheese, bacon, spicy foods, pickles, lemons. Be kind to yourself, but always monitor your caloric intake (both high and low!). Also, speak to your doctor if you notice cravings for non-food items (ice, clay, paper, etc) – this is a condition called Pica, more common in pregnancy, and could indicate iron deficiency.
- Diarrhea usually occurs due to the influence of hormonal changes on your gut.
- Abdominal cramps. These are a normal symptom that is experienced by most pregnant women. Your uterus is growing and pushing on all of the internal abdominal organs.
- Breasts enlargement. Some pregnant women grow a full cup size up at this point due to: the influence of estrogen and progesterone, swelling, increased blood flow and fat building up. Breasts can be tender, achy with or without tingles, and sensitive to touch. You also can notice little goose bump-like spots (called Montgomery’s tubercles) on the areola – these are normally occurring sebaceous glands for the areola).
- Fatigue. Weakness and low energy are very normal to experience during the first trimester. They are explained by growing levels of the hormone progesterone.
Week 7: Tips to you
- Despite the increased urine output you have to drink more water than before pregnancy to keep your fluid balance (preferably – clear water) – about 10 glasses/day. Difficult to do if nausea/vomiting is worsening, but nevertheless EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! Hopefully, your nausea will decrease/disappear coming to the end of the first trimester.
- Be careful with hand hygiene and meat cooking techniques. At this time, you and your baby have a risk of infection with toxoplasmosis – a VERY dangerous condition associated with miscarriage, stillbirth, and developmental conditions for the baby. This infectious disease is transmitted to humans via uncooked or undercooked meat, as well as cat litter. Please do not clean after your cat’s litter box (have someone else in your home clean it promptly/regularly and do not allow the waste to accumulate as this increases transmission risk), and if you must do the cleaning then wash your hands thoroughly and often, including after cooking meat. Please eat only well-cooked meat for this period of time.
- If dry mouth or bad tastes are still an issue – rinse your mouth a few times a day with Listerine and sip a little amount of fresh ginger with lemon and honey water often. Be careful when you brushing your teeth. Your gag reflex is very sensitive now.
- If you crave eating non-food items (like earth, chalk, paint, etc) – talk to your doctor about a condition called Pica syndrome. You should NOT follow those impulses as ingestion can be very dangerous for you and your baby (including complications like bowel obstruction, bacterial intake, toxin or heavy metal poisoning). Sometimes your body can display a deficit of vitamins/minerals in this way. Your doctor could advise you on the best way of managing pica syndrome
- Do not worry if you have some episodes of diarrhea. Try to eat some oatmeal, bananas and apple sauce. Those foods are high in pectin and will help you to normalise your bowels. If you do have diarrhea, extra fluids are very important to compensate for the extra loss.
- If your abdominal cramps are mild – do not worry! Try to have some rest, drink some peppermint or chamomile tea, do some breathing exercises. If your spasms are intense and painful or accompanied by uterine contractions, dizziness or vaginal discharge – please see your doctor immediately for assessment.
- If you experience moderate to severe fatigue – try to have more bedrest and naps and consider to taking some time off work. Do not hesitate to ask for help from your family and friends. This is all temporary!
- Be very attentive to your diet now. Try to eat only healthy foods with plenty of variety. Your body and your baby require sufficient amounts of all the vitamins and minerals. Increase your calcium intake to help your baby build healthy bones and to protect yourself from the loss of hair and issues with teeth and nails.
- Do not forget to take your prenatal vitamins every day!
- If you are a vegetarian or vegan – try to supplement yourself with the sources of Vitamin B12 and increase your consumption of beans/legumes and other sources of vegetable protein.
