How your baby's growing: Your baby still appears to have a small tail (actually, it's an extension of his tailbone), which will disappear in the next few weeks. But that's the only thing getting smaller. Now almost half an inch long — roughly the size of a raspberry — he has elbow joints and distinct, slightly webbed fingers and toes. In his oversized head, both hemispheres of his brain are developing. His teeth and the inside of his mouth are forming, and his ears continue to develop. Eyelid folds partially cover his tiny peepers, which already have some color, and the tip of that nose you'll be tweaking someday is emerging. His skin is paper-thin and his veins are clearly visible.Your little one also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. His liver is busy producing red blood cells, and a loop of your baby's growing intestines is bulging into his umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from his tiny body. You can't feel his gyrations yet, but your baby is like a little jumping bean, moving in fits and starts around his watery home.
Your baby is 0.16 to 0.2 inches long (4-5mm) when measured from crown to rump. It is now identifiable as a human baby.
The limb buds are growing rapidly, developing into little fins with nodules at the ends which will eventually become fingers and toes. The arms have already differentiated into hand and shoulder segments.
The cerebral hemispheres of the brain are growing, and the eyes and nostrils are appearing.
Your baby's heart bulges from its body and the heart chambers are divided and formed. Blood vessels now circulate blood throughout the whole body. The head looks large and is bent on the chest.
Your baby's face is forming, but its eyes are on the sides of its head and are still sealed. The discs that will become your baby's eyes will move over to the front of the face over the course of the next few months.
Bone cells are beginning to develop and the outline of the baby's nervous system is complete. The pigment in your baby's eyes can be seen under the skin overlaying them. By this point there is also a pancreas and an appendix. The tail is still visible, but it will soon fade. The umbilical cord is growing and the placenta is maturing as well.
How your life's changing: You're in the throes of the first trimester, when many women suffer from common pregnancy woes. Keeping food down may be next to impossible, thanks to
morning (noon, and night) sickness, caused in part by the pregnancy hormones coursing through your body. Stash a box of crackers next to your bed, and eat a few to curb the nausea before getting up. (Not all pregnant women have morning sickness, so don't worry if you've been spared — you're one of the lucky few!) You may also need to
use the bathroom a lot more often than usual — your blood volume increases dramatically when you get pregnant, which leads to a lot of extra fluid getting processed through your kidneys and ending up in your bladder. The nausea should fade as your pregnancy continues, though you may continue to make frequent trips to the bathroom.If you haven't already, now's the time to choose an
ob-gyn or midwife. Most practitioners won't want to see you right away unless you have a serious medical condition or you're having problems like vaginal bleeding, abdominal pain, or severe nausea and vomiting. They'll probably schedule you to come in once you're between eight and 12 weeks pregnant. At your
first visit, your doctor or midwife will go over your family health history, do some routine blood tests, and answer any questions you might have.
.0.jpg)
.1.jpg)
