7 Weeks Pregnant
7 weeks pregnant symptoms; How is my baby developing?
Your baby’s body is straightening, looking rather like a tadpole now and his skin is transparent.
A major development this week is the beginning of the circulatory system and your baby’s first red blood cells are created in the liver.
At 7 weeks pregnant, major organs continue to form, including brain, bladder, heart, intestines, kidneys, liver, lungs, and pancreas. Primordial genitals are now present, but it’s not possible to say yet whether it’s a boy or a girl.
The major muscles and bones are starting to develop, but movements are uncoordinated. Your baby’s face is also starting to take shape.
The mouth is present and the tongue is forming inside and tiny eyelids appear over the eyes, which already have a retina. Tiny pits have appeared in preparation for nostrils.
At 7 weeks pregnant, your baby is roughly the size of a macadamia nut (7-9 mm and weighs about 1/30 of an ounce). The yolk sac still continues to provide nutrients, but it is starting to shrink in size to make way for the placenta.
How is my body changing?
At seven weeks pregnant, although your uterus has doubled in size, most people will not be able to say that you’re pregnant, but you certainly feel pregnant!
Your waistline may be expanding but if you notice a small pooch in your abdomen, is mostly due to bloating, not your baby! All your first-trimester pregnancy symptoms are in full swing.
To add to the morning sickness, fatigue, and frequent trips to the toilet, you may be experiencing less common symptoms, like excessive salivation and a metallic or sour taste in your mouth.
In addition, if you’ve ever had acne, it’s likely it will happen again. Some women start experiencing food cravings at seven weeks pregnant, and these may indicate that you’re deficient in certain nutrients.
It is common for vegetarians to start eating meat because their bodies crave for iron. However, if your craving is for chocolate ice-cream, be careful not to put excessive weight on.
Headaches are common during the first trimester
Some women at 7 weeks pregnant may start developing quite intense migraine headaches, most likely due to hormonal changes, lack of sleep, caffeine withdrawal, fatigue, and dehydration.
These are normal and luckily, should stop after the first trimester. However, if you experience severe headaches later in pregnancy, it may be symptomatic of preeclampsia or diabetes.
Be sure to tell your doctor about them as these conditions can be treated if diagnosed early.
