What Happened During 8th Week of Pregnancy

Congratulations! You are at the end of the second month of pregnancy. You are now half way through the first trimester. If you are having morning sickness, the end is in sight. You still won’t be showing baby yet, but there will be a slight weight gain that may show. As the baby grows, so will you. All new mothers are told that the changes for miscarriage are reducing as the weeks go on.

The uterus is now the size of a grapefruit so the baby is growing at a great pace. As the baby grows you may experience indigestion and heartburn this is caused by the acid because of the water retention from the baby. Consult your doctor before taking any over the counter medication that you would normally use for indigestion. You have to be very careful what kind of medicines you are putting into your body.

As you come to the end of the second month, some women experience more severe cases of morning sickness. Consult your doctor if the morning sickness is getting worse. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, morning sickness lasts usually up to the first trimester. Try to follow an exercise plan with a diet pattern that is easy to follow. You now have to try to cut out fried foods and most unhealthy foods.

Your Baby’s Growth and Development

Your baby is doing a lot of growing during pregnancy 8 weeks. Up until this point in time your baby had a small tail, which starts to disappear this week, and your little one will soon have eyelids to cover his or her blossoming eyes. While the arms and legs are also lengthening, the fingers and toes are likely to still be webbed. Your baby’s brain is also maturing during pregnancy week 8, as nerve cells begin to connect with one another, forming the groundwork for communication later in life.

Did you know the tip of your baby’s nose is already formed by pregnancy 8 weeks? The lungs are also working hard at maturing, though they won’t be fully mature until near term. However, tubes leading from your baby’s throat to the lungs begin to form branches.

By week eight, your baby should have distinct elbows, which allow the arms to curve around the chest. Your baby’s organs continue to develop with lightning quick speed. Before you have time to even blink an eye, your little one will resemble a miniature human being, complete with ten fingers, ten toes, skin, and all the body parts we all have!

Is Abdominal Pain Ok During Early Pregnancy?

During my first pregnancy I constantly worried about every twitch and twitter I felt in my abdomen. One thing I do remember that got worse with later pregnancies was some abdominal cramping during early pregnancy.

Many women experience abdominal cramping during pregnancy. For some this feels similar to the discomfort you might feel during your period or before your period, only it isn’t accompanied by any bleeding. Other times you may feel cramping on one or the other side of your abdomen. This happens as your uterus continues to grow and stretch to accommodate your growing baby.

Keep in mind abdominal pain should not be severe enough to warrant medication use. If you experience severe abdominal pain you should contact your doctor immediately. The same is true if you experience other symptoms including vaginal bleeding or spotting, nausea, dizziness or other unusual symptoms.

Many women worry they will miscarry in early pregnancy. This is especially the case for women who have miscarried in the past. This was a concern for my husband and I, as we miscarried our first baby. You should know that miscarriages are quite common, occurring in roughly 15% of pregnancies. Fortunately however, most happen before women realize they are pregnant. Many times this happens because of chromosomal abnormalities or other genetic factors.

Environmental factors can sometimes influence your risk of miscarriage. The good news is women who do miscarry will often go on to conceive and carry a baby to full term. If you have a history of miscarriages in early pregnancy, you should contact your healthcare provider for more advice and information. Just keep in mind that not all abdominal pain leads to miscarriage. If you review the number of posts pregnant women have made to various baby forums, you’ll find that mild and periodic abdominal pain during pregnancy is very normal for many women.

Dreams During Pregnancy

Many women have unusual or vivid dreams during pregnancy. There are many thoughts on why women have more vivid dreams during pregnancy. It could be the result of the rise in hormones during your pregnancy or it could be that you are not actually having more dreams but just remembering more of them. During pregnancy you are more likely to wake in the night because of discomfort or the need to use the bathroom. Consequently, you may wake more often and remember dreams that would have otherwise been quickly forgotten.
Some common dreams during pregnancy:

Strange Dream About Child Birth

Women often have strange dreams about child birth when they are pregnant. You may have strange dreams about child birth because you are anxious about labor or are getting closer to your due date.

Dreaming of Having A Girl/Boy

Gender dreams are very common. Sometimes moms have dreams that baby is a boy or girl because she has an instinct about the gender of her baby. Other times it is because she is wanting to have a specific gender and dreams accordingly.

Mom/Sister/Friend is Pregnant

Having a dream that someone close to you is pregnant may signify that your relationship is changing or that you are worried about your relationship changing. You may be worried that your relationship is growing apart.

Sexual Dreams/Having An Affair

Sexual dreams are very common during pregnancy. With increased blood flow to your genitals and a rise in hormones, your sexuality may be intensified. Your dreams may be a reflection of your heightened sexuality.

How To Have A Good Night’s Sleep When You Are Pregnant

Sleeping can become more difficult during pregnancy. If you are not used to sleeping on your side, it may be hard for you to find a comfortable position to sleep. Plus, as your tummy gets bigger, you might find yourself short of breath when you try to sleep. Heartburn might bother you more when you are lying down. Then to top it off, once you do fall asleep, you may find yourself awakened a couple hours later with the sudden need for a trip to the bathroom. How is a pregnant mom supposed to get any rest?

Here Are A Few Tips For Getting A Good Night’s Sleep

• Purchase a body pillow to help you sleep on your side. Doctors often recommend sleeping on your left side to help with blood circulation to the baby. Use a body pillow and curl one leg around it to help you sleep more comfortably.
• Try not to eat a large meal before you go to bed. Instead of eating a large meal at night, try eating a small meal with a snack after dinner. Smaller meals will help you deal with heartburn and indigestion.
• Try to avoid caffeinated beverages. Caffeine can irritate your bladder or cause you to go to the bathroom more frequently.
• Take a warm bath to help relieve any aches and pains that could be keeping you awake.
• Sleep closest to the outside of the bed so you can get in and out easily during your evening trips to the bathroom.
• Go to bed a little earlier. If it is taking you a while to fall asleep, try going to bed earlier. Practice relaxation breathing to help you fall asleep.

Tips/Advice

By now, your body should be adjusting very nicely to the baby. You will start to see some symptoms subside and others increase. You should be on or formulating a plan to stay healthy. Perhaps make a schedule of the best times to exercise and if you have chosen to eat more meals during the day then you can create a schedule of the times where you want to eat.

Try to plan those meals at least an hour before you lie down. By lying down after a meal it may cause nausea as well as indigestion. Try to eat the heavier meals during the day and keep the lighter meals for nighttime. Staying healthy is the most important for you and the baby.

But staying healthy physically is just the start. If you are having any concerns or any thoughts about the pregnancy, it is always a good idea to discuss them with your significant other. You will feel better if you keep the lines of communication open. Sometimes, significant others may have mixed feelings and they really can’t understand what pregnancy is like because they can’t carry the baby. So share as much of your experience with them.