For mom

At pregnancy week 7, the symptoms of pregnancy we talked about in week 6 will still be present. These symptoms are:

  1. Nausea and vomiting  pregnancy week 7 Nausea and vomiting
  2. Frequent urination      pregnancy week 7 Frequent urination
     
  3. Light-headedness
  4. Breast tenderness      pregnancy week 7 Breast tenderness
  5. Fatigue                      pregnancy week 7 Fatigue
     
  6. Food cravings

Some of these pregnancy symptoms might even intensify, and take a turn for the worse over the next few weeks. However, some of you might be fortunate enough to escape this experience.

Feeling bloated at pregnancy week 7?

You may find yourself feeling more bloated than usual. This is because gastric emptying slows down in pregnancy.

Tip: To ease the bloatedness, you may smaller meals many times a day instead of big meals a few times a day. You may also wear breathable, loose clothing for comfort.

3 Things to think about for your first visit to the obstetrician

If you have not already had your first visit to the obstetrician, here are some things to think about and prepare for:

  1. The type of care you would like to receive (either at a private or public hospital )
  2. Getting your partner to take note of the date of your first consultation and ensure you are both present at the meeting
  3. Write down a list of questions you may want to discuss with your doctor about your pregnancy

For baby

Your baby has been growing furiously. There comes a point where counting somites to determine developmental progress becomes difficult. For the next few weeks, the age of your baby can be measured by Crown Rump Length (CRL). CRL measures your child's length from the tip of it's skull to midpoint of buttocks. You will probably hear this term used when you go for your very first ultrasound scan.

Crown Rump Length (CRL) at pregnancy week 7

This week, it is about 0.8cm long. That's about the length of a grain of rice! Not to worry, that does not mean it's as thin as a grain of rice.

In the next few weeks, your baby's external appearance will start to change more drastically. The head will be growing faster than the rest of the body.

Ears, eyes and nose at pregnancy week 7 

Your baby's ears, nose and eyes will begin to form. The eyes will start off on the edges of the face and move towards the midline. Soon, eyelids will start to form too and be sealed shut until the 20th week. Your baby's nose is also beginning to form but it's nostrils will be plugged with keratin until about week 20.

Limbs at pregnancy week 7 

Limb buds will now appear as longer paddle shaped buds rather than mere dots. They become your child's arms and legs. Generally, arms tend to grow slightly faster than legs.

Digestive system at pregnancy week 7

Your child's digestive system is continually growing. The tiny abdominal cavity would have run out of space to contain the enlarging intestines which would have passed through the belly button. Not to worry, in several weeks time when it has finished growing, the gut rotates back into the abdominal cavity.

Ref: L20

Click the link for the complete listing of articles for Pregnancy Week 1 - Week 40.