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It’s the eighth week of your baby’s development and it seems quite incredible that you have another heart beating inside you – a precious little human being.
The little organism is becoming more and more like a human being every day, its body is changing rapidly, its internal organs and systems are developing. But the size of the head and body are still significantly disproportionate.
The eyes are still covered by the eyelids, as in the seventh week, but it is during this period that the retinal cells acquire pigment that will be responsible for color perception. Also on the tiny face is clearly formed a small nose, which already has nostrils. In addition, the baby’s inner ear and tongue, which has taste buds, are almost formed.
Bones continue to develop, cartilage is formed, arms and legs continue to grow, elbow bends are almost formed, you can distinguish the shoulders and forearms. The legs, on the other hand, look even more like fins.
Not only the external signs change, the internal organs and systems continue to improve. The main event of this period is the appearance of lymphocytes in the blood of the fetus. This becomes possible due to the formation of the thymus gland, the work of which is very important for the formation of immunity of the child.
Significant transformations also occur in the workings of the nervous system, with the spinal cord and brain differentiating from each other.
The gastrointestinal tract of the baby is already divided into sections represented by the esophagus, stomach, intestines. The liver is actively producing blood cells.
The heart is already very similar to an adult heart, with four chambers – two atria and two ventricles. The connection between the atria remains until birth, but the opening between the ventricles disappears.
Unfortunately, in the eighth week it is still impossible to determine the sex of the future baby, but nevertheless, the genitourinary system is actively developing. It is during this period that the testicles are formed in boys and the ovaries in girls, in which the eggs are already laid.
In the eighth week, the placenta is actively developing, which significantly affects the way the baby is nourished. The baby will now receive everything it needs for good nutrition through the umbilical cord. The invisible thread connecting mother and child will not be broken even after birth.
Your baby has already reached the size of 1.5 to 2 centimeters. In addition, it is already able to move, even though you may not feel it yet. The amount of amniotic fluid is also increasing.
Symptoms from earlier weeks of pregnancy may persist into the eighth week:
Unfortunately, mornings can still start with nausea and vomiting. Naturally, weight gain may not be significant.
However, it should be borne in mind that both the presence of toxemia and its absence are the norm of pregnancy in the eighth week. The same can be said about painful sensations in the lower abdomen. If the discomfort is temporary, there is no cause for concern, but if they become frequent and intense, do not delay a visit to the doctor to prevent all the threats in time.
In such cases, you should also pay attention to the nature of vaginal discharge: if they are white, green, or pink and have an unpleasant odor – urgently seek help at a women’s clinic.
Sometimes in the eighth week, women may think they feel fetal movements, but this is most likely just intestinal motility. Wait a few more weeks and you will feel the real movements of your precious baby.
As for your figure, it does not yet reveal your position, and minor changes in waist size are visible only to you. There is no need to buy special clothes yet, but you can already start to prefer less tight clothes.