Pregnancy Week By Week

Pregnancy Week 8		(–)Pregnancy Week 7		(+) Pregnancy Week 9
Bookmark This Site!

Your Baby
During pregnancy week 8 your baby may be as large as 20mm long! This is roughly the size of a large kidney bean! Your baby continues to look more and more human every day you continue your pregnancy week by week.

Changes In Your Growing Baby
While you may be feeling ill during pregnancy 8 weeks your little bean is thriving! By 8 weeks pregnant the small tail your baby developed in early pregnancy slowly evaporates. In the upcoming weeks your baby will develop eyelids. During pregnancy week eight your babies legs and arms grow longer and longer, helping your baby look more proportional inside your womb. During this time your baby's brain also continues to mature and grow, as nerve cells start connecting or talking to one another. These nerve cells will allow your baby to communicate after birth.

• Also see Pregnancy Week 8

While 8 weeks pregnant your baby's lungs are also working diligently to mature. It will take a minimum of 36 weeks however for your baby's lungs to develop well enough to allow your baby to breathe comfortably on his own. One of the more serious complications premature infants face is immature lungs. Fortunately modern medicine has afforded doctors many treatments that can help stimulate lung development if mothers experience premature labor.

Your Body's Development
You are definitely growing and expanding by 8 weeks pregnant, though your tummy may still look more bloated than pregnant. During pregnancy at 8 weeks many women complain they look more chubby than pregnant. Take pride in knowing however that you are creating life within you. Consider your bloated belly a proud reminder of the life you have inside you.

Most women's uterus expands to roughly the size of a large orange or small grapefruit during pregnancy at 8 weeks. That's quite a leap considering your uterus started out smaller than the size of an avocado seed! Keep in mind if you are carrying twins your uterus will grow much faster than that of a mom carrying one baby. Because of this you may start showing sooner. Women who have had more than one pregnancy will also generally start showing sooner because their stomach muscles have had time to relax. Regardless, at 8 weeks pregnancy most women will still look pretty small compared to what their tummies will look like later during pregnancy.

Changes In Your Body
By now you may be anxious to share your precious miracle with the world around you. You are probably feeling very pregnant by 8 weeks pregnant. One symptom many women start noticing around this time is increasing breast growth. It is not uncommon for women's breasts to increase in sizes between one and several cup sizes during pregnancy. This happens particularly toward the end of pregnancy when your body starts preparing to nurture your baby with breast milk. Many women consider breast growth one of the most positive side effects of pregnancy. If your breasts are growing considerably you might consider buying a new bra a size or two bigger than your normal bras, to accommodate your expanding chest and ensure extra room for growth throughout your pregnancy.

Some women worry that breastfeeding will ruin their breasts. Stop worrying. Most of the changes that occur in your breasts occur while you are pregnant. That said if your breasts are going to change you might as well consider breastfeeding for all the wonderful benefits it offers your baby. Breastfeeding also provides new moms a host of health benefits and helps create a strong bond between mother and newborn. Now is a good time to start looking into your baby's feeding options after delivery. Your healthcare provider an refer you to a qualified lactation consultant if you have questions or concerns about feeding your baby after delivery.

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web www.Pregnancy-WeekByWeek.com