Swallows and Kicks

Another round of congratulations is in order! Your baby is officially no longer a developing embryo and has now graduated to fetus. You can relax a little more and let out a deep sigh because the risk of congenital malformation is not as high from this point forward. You still need to avoid harmful substances like cigarette smoke and alcohol obviously, but most babies will have developed enough to be at less risk for formation issues once you get this far.

You have probably heard the heart beat during a visit with the doctor by now, and the pregnancy might not be a big secret to those around you anymore. You and your new baby are about to hit the stretch of quick growth so anyone who has not been told will soon find out anyway!

Look at You Now:

I know you are probably still struggling with all of the physical issues thrown at you in previous weeks, but the good news is nothing new is going to develop in that area this week. You may be sick, gassy, cramped, and ready to explode into tears at the slightest inconvenience, but it won’t be long before all this starts to ease off.

Look at Baby Now:

Your little boy or girl is probably over an inch and a half now! As a new fetus, he or she will be growing rapidly to fill out that human structure that they spent their embryo months developing. Now that the main organs like the liver, kidney, and intestines have started to function the smaller details will come along, such as toe and fingernails.  The spinal nerves are also visible by this point.

Your little one will discover a new skill around now: swallowing amniotic fluid. They will also be kicking around, though until they grow more you might not feel much of it.

Tips for Now:

You may feel just a little thicker around the middle now, but it’s a great idea to measure your waist if you haven’t already done so. Comparing that to later measurements can be a lot of fun, especially if you buy a baby book and record it along with the other basic information they include.

If you thought baby books were for later on, think again! They usually include pre-pregnancy and background information for the parents and you can be filling all that out now so there is less to do when you actually have a little one occupying your arms. You may even want to start a pregnancy journal to record your thoughts and feelings along the way. It will be a priceless treasure when your baby has grown into an adult themselves.