Baby side
Baby measures between 3 and 4 centimeters and weighs almost 7 grams on average.
His development
This week, a first milestone has been reached: the organs of the embryo are all in place, even if they are small and not yet functional. Everything will now be built on these foundations. The brain is already complete and the nerve cells are constantly multiplying (a quarter of a million new neurons per minute!). The head is gradually rising. The first structures of the teeth appear in the gums. At the level of the extremities, the fingers of the hands and feet are distinct and less webbed. Nails are covering them. The embryo’s primitive tail has completely disappeared.
On our side
Two real months of pregnancy! For our body, this signals the start of “visible” changes. You feel a little tight in your clothes. This is normal, since our uterus is already as big as an orange. Seen from the outside, one can have the feeling that one has abused chocolate a little! It is often from this stage that weight gain begins. If we have had frequent nausea, we may have lost weight a bit. Now, the machine is reversed and we will start to take the famous pounds of pregnancy. But not just any old fashioned way: it’s about eating to give your baby the right nutrients. It has nothing to do with quantity, but everything to do with quality.
Small discomforts, the head spinning, it is a fairly frequent phenomenon during the first trimester of pregnancy. If this occurs three hours after the last meal, it may be a sign of low blood sugar. The solution: swallow a little something. We talk to our doctor, because we may have a small deficiency.
Our week 8 pregnancy exams
If you haven’t already, it’s time to make an appointment for our 12 weeks ultrasound (weeks of amenorrhea). It should be performed between 10 and 13 weeks of amenorrhea. On this occasion, the sonographer measures the nuchal translucency of the fetus. Our doctor must have told us about the combined screening for Down’s syndrome, which is carried out from the 21st trimester of pregnancy. It takes place between 1 SA and 11 SA + 13 days. It associates the ultrasound measurement nuchal translucency and the assay, by blood sample, of two maternal serum markers (between 8 and 14 weeks). The combination of these two evaluations and our age thus makes it possible to establish a “statistical risk” of Down’s syndrome.