8 Weeks Pregnant

Pregnancy Week 8 – What changes in the fetus and mother occur during this week?

By entering the eighth week, you are now into the second month of your pregnancy, you are still in the first trimester but in 32 more weeks, you will be ready to give birth to your baby.

For you, it might not be very different as compared with the last week, but the baby is developing at an amazing speed. It is still an early stage for others to make out your pregnancy due to the baby bump, but you will find it a little discomforting to fit in your older clothes.

For most women, the symptoms will be similar to the earlier week; some may observe new changes and issues occurring in their bodies. While most of them are quite normal, some of them can be a warning signal about some complications with your pregnancy.

We have covered all these symptoms and issues in the lower section of this article.

From now on the doctors will start referring to the baby as a fetus, this week is a very important stage for the developments that are happening in the baby.

8 week pregnant image

The neural system of the baby is growing at a super speed, and it is developing a neural network through the spine, these pathways will be used by the brain to connect and control different body parts and their functions.

Proper development of the neural network and its branches throughout the body is very important, do remember to take the appropriate amount of folic acid, it is one of the most necessary elements in the development of these neural networks.

Improper development of the neural network can cause serious problems for the baby, they may suffer from different mental and physical disorders for their whole life.

As for the baby, the fetus’s facial outlines will also become more observable during the eighth week, all major parts of the face like mouth, lips, eyes, and nose have started development already, and they will be fully visible through ultrasound in some more weeks. At this stage, you will only see some observable and expected growth taking place at the appropriate parts of the fetus.

The development of the eyebrows is also taking place this week, although the eyes are not open yet, due to the pigmentation you may confuse the eyes to be open if you are watching the ultrasound.

Even at this early stage, the fetus starts to develop even its taste buds.

The limbs of the fetus and all of the internal organs are also getting developed during the eighth week. Although the size of the fetus is only a little less than an inch (between ½ to ¾ inch), it is growing at a fast pace of one mm every day.

During the eighth week, the baby has started to make small movements inside your belly, but a mother won’t be able to feel them yet. However, little movements can be seen when you go to your doctor for regular ultrasound scans.

On most of your visits to the doctor, they will take regular ultrasound scans to make sure there are no complications, and the baby is developing as it should be. Based on the study of the last 50 years, ultrasound scans pose no threat to the mother or the baby growing inside her womb, but X-rays have proven to cause harm to the growing fetus, so unless it is a serious emergency, a pregnant woman should avoid taking x-rays.

During the initial weeks it is not possible to make out your pregnancy through your external appearance, so if you reach a doctor for some kind of injuries or other issues, make sure you tell the doctor the pregnancy and they will adjust or make changes to the prescribed medicines and drugs, the same is applicable in case you have to go through any kind of medical procedure.

Want to know more, please continue reading below, we will be regularly updating more details about the eighth week of pregnancy.

What kind of development is taking place in the mother during Week 8 of Pregnancy?

 

What kind of Tests and Scans can be used to detect Pregnancy during Week 8?

 

What kind of Signs and Symptoms a Pregnant woman feels at Week 8?

 

Healthy Pregnancy (Week 8) – What to keep in mind?

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