Development of the baby
The embryos features now begin to resemble the features of an adult. The baby’s ears begin to form both internally and externally. The bones continue to grow and the muscles contract without difficulty. The webbed toes and fingers grow longer and the baby’s facial features are more prominent. The eyelids are developing further and you can easily see the tip of your baby’s nose. The embryonic tail begins to disappear as the baby starts to straighten up. Even though the baby’s external genitals are not yet completely formed and can’t be seen easily, the embryo’s gender can be found out.
At this stage, the embryonic period is about to end and the fetal period is about to start. The baby’s frame at this point of time is made up of cartilages which start getting replaced gradually by bone cells from the 47th day of pregnancy. The jaw and the face are well formed and the development of facial muscles and teeth take place during the eighth week. The bones forming the arms and the legs turn hard and joints start to develop. The vital organs are all placed by now and they develop and mature in the weeks to come. The weight of the embryo is about 3 grams and the length is approximately 1 inch at this stage.
Changes in a mother’s body
As many internal changes have already happened in your body, your body starts to show some external changes during this week. Your uterus is the size of a grapefruit by now and your blood volume gets increased by about 40 – 50 percent. As your body begins to prepare itself for lactation, you will notice your breasts getting tender and may be sensitive to touch. Due to the increase in the blood supply dark veins, also called varicose veins, start developing around the breasts. Changes in the hormonal levels tend to cause pigmentation and that is why the skin next to the nipples or the areolas becomes dark during pregnancy. Montgomery tubercles are small glands that develop on the exterior of the areolas. The nipple size may also grow and sometimes there may be a thick yellow fluid like discharge also known as colostrums.
What to expect?
If you had been losing weight up till now, you would now start getting back to your original weight. As the body gets accustomed to the internal adjustments, the morning sickness symptoms may reduce or may get even worse, depending on the body’s tolerance level. In order to avoid stretch marks, you could start applying anti-stretch marks creams. As the uterus grows in size, you could experience some pain or cramping in your lower abdomen. If you have not yet visited your doctor, this would be the right time to pay him a visit, as he would prescribe vitamins and iron tablets and conduct examinations to make sure that all is well. You would also have to undergo a few medical tests along with an ultra sound to ensure that the baby is growing normally. You will be required to visit your doctor monthly to keep your progress in check.