Your pregnancy: 8 weeks

Pregnancy at 8 Weeks

How your baby’s growing:

Pregnancy at 8 Weeks Baby is Size of Kidney Bean

  • Baby has small webbed fingers and toes
  • His eyelids almost cover his eyes
  • Breathing tubes and branches of his lungs are developing
  • His tail is almost gone
  • Brain and nerve cells are forming early neural pathways
  • Genitals have not developed yet
  • Baby is now the size of a kidney bean
  • Baby is continually moving but you cannot feel it yet

How your body is changing:

  • You may need a larger bra with better support, your breast tissue is changing and hormones are causing breast growth preparing for lactation.
  • Fatigue can be dramatic along with nausea and sometimes vomiting due to a rise in progesterone. Discomfort and getting up to pee may cause you trouble sleeping adding to your fatigue. Walking may help combat fatigue, even a 10 minute walk will do.

fetal-development-week-8

Prenatal Tests:

  • Screening and diagnostic tests are offered during pregnancy.
  • Some are simple blood tests or ultrasounds for screening, others are more invasive.
  • All of these tests are optional.
  • Screening tests give you information about your risk for certain conditions.
  • Diagnostic tests tell you for sure whether your baby has a problem.
  • You must make the decision as to whether or not to have these tests, they are optional.

Early screening tests:

  • Nuchal fold scan is done by ultrasound along with a blood test that measures two proteins, this test will give you information as to your baby’s risk for Down Syndrome. This test is done between 8 and 11 weeks.
  • CVS- Chorionic Villi Sampling is a diagnostic test done early in pregnancy to determine a chromosomal defect that would cause Down Syndrome. It is an invasive test that carries a risk of miscarriage.

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