This is week 7 of your journey! At about the size of a blueberry, your baby has doubled in size since last week and measures about ¼ to half an inch from crown to rump. While this still sounds very tiny, imagine that your baby is now 10,000 times larger than she was at conception. Most of that growth is concentrated in her head, with brain cells being generated at about 100 cells per minute!
Baby’s big accomplishment this week is the emergence of tiny hands and feet from the arm and leg buds that developed last week. There are no fingers yet, and her hand and feet just look like paddles for now, but Fingers will be appearing soon! Your baby is still considered an embryo and still has a small tail which is part of her tailbone, but that will disappear in a few short weeks.
The umbilical cord debuts this week, also, delivering oxygen and nutrients to baby and eliminating waste into your bloodstream. Tiny eyelids are forming and already partially cover where baby’s eyes will be, and the tip of her nose is starting to poke out. If you could see her now, you would also notice tiny veins under the thin, translucent skin.
Both hemispheres of baby’s brain are growing and her liver is working to make red blood cells now. Eventually the bone marrow will form and take that function over, but for now, it’s the liver’s job. Other organs that are formed now include her appendix and pancreas that will eventually aid in digestion by producing insulin as a part of her endocrine system.
You, Mama, are likely going through it! Roughly 80-90% of moms experience morning sickness (or sometimes all-day sickness) and it is probably hitting pretty hard by now, causing eating to feel like a chore. The size of your uterus has doubled in the past 5 weeks and you still have to pee more than usual thanks to your increased blood volume. You already have 10% more blood than you did before you were pregnant and by the end of pregnancy, you’ll have somewhere between 40-50% more blood helping your body meet the demands of your full-term baby.
About half of women who are feeling morning sickness will feel better in the second trimester, some time around week 14, so hang in there!
More information on week 7 can be found at The Baby Center.
This week's interview on the BumpCast is with Mama Lynn Turcotte-Schuh.
Lynn is a Childbirth Educator and Parenting Mentor, Children's Book Author, Baby Sign Instructor, and the Creator of Happy Mama Wellness where she helps Mamas prepare for their new role, break through their parenting challenges, operate at their highest potential and create a positive and nurturing family dynamic. Lynn is highly passionate about helping Mamas find their power and be a role model they can be proud of.
Find Lynn at Happy Mama Wellness and connect on Social Media:
Instagram: @happymamalmt
Facebook: Happy Mama Wellness
Pinterest: Happy Mama Lynn
Lynn's book, MJ's Adventures in Sign can be found on Amazon!
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