We continue our journey through Pregnancy week by week, advancing one more week after having seen everything that happens in the 7th week of pregnancy. We are immersed in the second month, and we will discuss the characteristics of this week 8 of pregnancy.
In general, the only people who know about pregnancy are the future mother, her partner and the gynecologist. The clothes may start to tighten a little on the waist, and we will probably continue with the symptoms of pregnancy that reflect the adaptation of our body to the demands of pregnancy and the needs of the baby in formation.
Take care of yourself during pregnancy
If you have not yet visited the gynecologist, it is likely that you will do it this week to check that the pregnancy is developing normally, get the first ultrasound and perform the relevant analyzes.
The doctor can provide you with advice on nutrition and physical activity, and will recommend a nutritional supplement that provides all the necessary nutrients for the proper development of the baby, such as folic acid, calcium, iodine, vitamins ...
We must have a healthy diet during pregnancy, a balanced diet, reduce caloric food intake, maintain good hydration and of course eliminate alcohol and tobacco.
Physical activity It is also important to have a healthy pregnancy, and there are many suitable exercises during this stage: walking, swimming, yoga, cycling ...
Everything depends on our habits and tastes, if there is no contraindication we can choose the exercise or exercises that we like, always with the logical precautions and consulting the doctor. It's time to start exercising during pregnancy if you didn't do it before.
Exercise can help us to find ourselves better and maintain adequate weight, relieve or prevent discomfort and can give us more energy and prepare the body for labor, increasing our degree of muscular strength and optimism.
A healthy diet and continuous physical activity It will help keep us at the right weight, healthier and happier, and avoid risks during pregnancy that can also affect the baby's health. This is still developing in our interior. Let's see how.
The embryo at 8 weeks of pregnancy
The embryo at 8 weeks of pregnancy is 6 weeks old since fertilization occurred. The length from the crown to the buttocks is around 15-20 millimeters, and the weight is around three grams. And although it is so small, it is already extremely complex.
The external appearance of the embryo has been modified by the formation of the brain, liver, somites, limbs, ears and eyes. At this time we can say that it already has characteristics that give it a human appearance.
In this week the arms and legs have lengthened and the areas of the feet and hands can be distinguished. These they already have fingers, but may still be adhered by membranes. The miniature arms may be slightly flexed at the elbows and wrists.
In the part corresponding to the neck the structures of the ears are forming. On the face, the eyes are far apart at the sides of the head, and the eyelids begin to develop. The upper lip and the tip of the nose begin to appear.
The brain, heart and lungs continue to form. On ultrasound the heart can be heard beating regular and hard.
This week or the following shows the physiological umbilical hernia, a normal phenomenon that occurs during intrauterine development due to the rapid growth of the intestines: these have no space (also due to the increase in the volume of the liver) and partly projected towards the umbilical cord. It usually disappears by the tenth week of the fetus (week 12 of pregnancy).
Although it is likely that externally there are still no differences, at eight weeks of pregnancy the uterus has begun to enlarge and the endometrium (the mucosa that lines the inside of the uterus) has thickened considerably.
We continue in the embryonic stage, of formation of new organs and systems. Within two weeks (eight weeks of gestation from fertilization, ten weeks of pregnancy), the embryo will be renamed "fetus."
Embryo development remains unstoppable in the second month of pregnancy and the advances in the growth of the future baby are spectacular. In a few days we continue to discover everything about pregnancy week by week.
Next week: week 9 of pregnancy
Photos | IvkoandRuth on Flickr and Wikimedia Commons
In Babies and more | Pregnancy week by week: from conception to birth
