Your little one has grown even more and would have a maximum length of 0.43 inches but no smaller than 0.31 inches. All the organs are formed, and is no more an embryo but a fetus, which means "little one" or "young one" in Latin. Its facial features are becoming more specific and are not just holes or pits. The eyes with retina and lens and the beginnings of eyelids; the nose and the mouth with the milk teeth buds have also formed. The back muscles have started growing along the spinal cord. The brain is getting bigger with the nerve cells beginning to connect with each other. The lungs too have formed, but they won't really mature until near delivery. Even the genitals have started to form, however whether they are going to become ovaries or testes, you will have to wait and see. The joints of the bones are also forming. Tiny joints are forming, and the hardening of the bones or ossification is starting, with the fingers and toes having their first joint, although they are still webbed. Wow, what an incredible week of growth!
That is not all, as the intestine is forming in the umbilical cord as well. To top all that your little one is starting to show reflex movements that are automatic movements to certain stimuli like touch. If you do an ultrasound now, you will be able to see your baby's heart beating and also its reflex action. This week your little one's limbs' will become longer and the whole form will become more and more proportionate. All animals from fish upwards, at the beginning of their growth in the mother's womb, will look like a tadpole. So, even a human baby will have a large head and tail-like growth, which at week eight begins to disappear slowly.
Now let's look at what has happened to you. This is the time that you are starting to grow. But first time mothers will still not show much on the outside although you will find some of your clothes are becoming tighter. Soon you will have to start looking for maternity clothes and a maternity bra that will support your breasts. Mothers who have been pregnant before will begin to show that they are pregnant sooner than when they were first pregnant. Your uterus has actually grown from the size of a plum to the size of a grapefruit. Of course if you are carrying twins than it's more likely that you will show that you are pregnant.
Nausea might still be there for some, but it is just a passing cloud and will soon move over to make you begin to enjoy your pregnancy. You may also feel some abdominal cramping that is because of your uterus stretching to hold your baby which is growing day by day. Another common symptom is lower back pain as a result of the pressure exerted on the spine by the uterus. Some may feel acute pain in the thighs and buttocks. This is because of the uterus pressing against the sciatic nerve which supplies the thigh and buttocks.
Take a lot of water and eat small amounts of food more frequently. If you are having morning sickness, bleeding or going through mood changes let your doctor know. If you have abdominal cramps together with bleeding than you may have something to worry about. Go to see your gynecologist and he can do an ultrasound to see if the fetus is alright. Not all bleeding is a sign of miscarriage. Sometimes it's due to the cervix getting irritated as a result of intercourse, and restraining from this act may be the solution.
