Pregnancy Week 8

PREGNANCY WEEK 8

The baby is now called a foetus and its beginning to look more like a new born as his embryonic ‘tail’ disappears. His spinal column is forming and his bones are starting to develop; his arm and legs have got longer with the site of knee, elbow, wrist and ankle defined. His head is still very large and bent forward with the chin attached to his chest; inside his head his brain develops further, separating into two hemispheres. He is moving, though you won’t feel the movements for many weeks yet as he is still very small and can’t create big enough ripples in the amniotic fluid for you to feel them.

The intestines continue to develop and the stomach becomes more defined. Your baby’s face develops further; the eyelids begin to develop though his shut eyes are still fused shut. He has all his teeth buds, though he won’t be teething until he is at least few months old.

Your uterus is continuing to grow and needs an increase blood supply to provide it with oxygen and glucose requirements. Normally when you are not pregnant your womb does not need a very big blood supply, but by the end of first trimester it takes about one quarter of the blood pumped out with each heartbeat.

The term morning sickness is misleading: most women are not actually sick but feel nauseous, and it can occur at any time of the day, not just in the morning. It is sometimes referred to simply as ‘nausea’ and vomiting in pregnancy. Even if you are managing to eat and drink only small amounts, your baby will still be getting requirements from your body.

There are various remedies for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

 

  • Ginger – it’s a traditional remedy for nausea, try ginger tea or ginger biscuit.
  • Peppermint is another remedy. Take as tea or sweets
  • Avoid fatty food or greasy food as they often worsen nausea
  • Some women find complementary therapies such as acupuncture or acupressure bands useful for nausea.

We all should exercise. Exercise can be continued, and is in fact encouraged, during pregnancy. You may have to make some modifications to how you exercise as you get bigger. Exercise has many benefits: it increases your stamina and can make you feel more energetic. The fitter you are the better able your body will be to cope with the demand of pregnancy and labour, meaning you will be less short of breath after climbing stairs when you have a big bump.

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