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ORIGINAL POST:
WEEK 5
Mother:
This is the week you were expecting your period. You may have already gotten a positive result on a home pregnancy test. If you took a test and it came out negative and your period still has not come try again in a few days. These tests measure the level of the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), and it might have been too soon for the test to pick it up.
You may notice you are more tired than usual, your breasts may be very tender, and you may experience a need to urinate more frequently. You may also feel nauseaus and might even begin to experience vomiting. Some women feel this way only in the morning and it has been nicknamed, "morning sickness" Snacking frequently may help to ease this.
Baby:
Your baby is 1/16 of an inch long (barely visible to the human eye) and has the beginnings of a brain, spinal column and heart. We now call it an embryo.
WEEK 6
Mother:
You have been pregnant for 1 month. Some women have a "full" feeling in their waiste, but if this is your first you are probably still waiting to see the outward signs.
If you have sexually transmitted disease now is the time to get it treated, it could be harmful to the baby.
Baby:
Your baby is now about 1/2 inch long and has a heart beat! The average baby's heart beats about 150 beats/minute. She has a head evidence of mouth, eyes, and ears as well as buds where the arms and legs will develop.
Your baby is growing so much, if you have not already stopped smoking or using drugs and alchohol now is the time to do so as it can interfere with proper growth and development.
Start your prenantal care now, you may want to pick up a generic pre-natal vitamin to ensure you and your baby are getting the nutrients you both need.
WEEK 7
Mother:
Constipation may set in. You can ease this by eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Your skin may brake out, or you may have the clearest complexion of your life. It all depends on what the new levels of hormones do to your body.
You will most likely weigh close to your same weight, some women have gained a few pounds, others have lost a few due to morning sickness. You probably still have just a full feeling in your tummy and are not showing visibly yet.
Baby:
Your baby is still about 1/3 an inch long, but the brain and intestines are developing. The face is forming rapidly and the arm and leg buds begin to grow. You can not tell at this point whether you baby is a boy or a girl.
WEEK 8
Mother:
You are probably experiencing one or more of the following symptoms: frequent unrination, larger, more tender breasts and possibly a little heartburn (antacid medication is safe for baby). Your uterus, which was the size of your fist has grown slighly bigger now to be the size of a softball, or both fists put together. Most doctors like to scedule your first prenatal visit sometime between 8-12 weeks.
Baby:
Your baby is only about an inch long, but is 10,000 times larger than it was at conception. The baby is busy developing the tip of it's nose, eyes and eyelids, gonads (they will become testes or ovaries), and the arms and legs continue to grow.
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