Now being pregnant for seven weeks, you have experienced a lot of rapid changes and happenings in your body and development of your baby. With seven weeks pregnancy you are in midway of your first trimester. Everything is going so quickly. This is a good time to take an appointment with OB/GYN, if you have not taken yet. This is a crucial time to get all the tests and check–ups done which are necessary from now to the time of baby’s birth.
7 Weeks Pregnant—What Are the Pregnancy Symptoms?
With seven weeks of pregnancy, you won’t be looking pregnant or feeling being one but your body specially your uterus is expanding in order to accommodate your growing baby. At this time your baby is of a size of grapefruit. With the expansion of uterus you may feel mild cramps in your belly area. Other very prominent symptoms are emotional instability. You may feel you are on a rollercoaster ride, feeling ecstatic of being pregnant at the moment and may be in tears with the thought of parenthood at the next. It is common to have mood swings. Due to this emotional rollercoaster vivid dreams and insomnia can be experienced. If you feel uneasy with the severity of symptoms, you should consult your doctor immediately.
7 Weeks Pregnant—How Does Your Baby Grow?
Your baby is still an embryo and has a small tail. The tail is an extension of her tailbone which will disappear in some weeks. It is only tail that is decreasing, your baby is now double in size than last week and is half an inch long. The baby has start developing her arms and legs and hands and feet have started emerging from them. They look like paddles, as they are tiny and plump at this stage. You can see her partially folded colored eyelids, tip of nose, and veins below parchment skin. Your baby is developing her brain and her liver has started functioning by churning red blood cells. She has appendix and pancreas and growing intestines.
If you want to acquire more information about fetal development at 7 weeks, you can watch the video below:
How Does Your Life Change When 7 Weeks Pregnant?
You will be experiencing more changes in yourself now. Your uterus is double in size. You may not feel comfortable in eating due to morning sickness. Your kidneys are processing extra fluids and increased blood volume will make you pee more. As your uterus expands it will put pressure on your bladder making you visit bathroom frequently. Both the volume and frequency of urine will increase during the course of pregnancy. Nausea is huge at this phase; most of the pregnant women feel nauseated till first fourteen weeks, and for many it can take one more month to get the relief.
You may feel tired all the time. This is normal with seven weeks of pregnancy. It is important for you to take rests. Your breasts may become sore and tender due to increase in blood supply and hormonal changes. Also, there are nipple sensitivity and appearance of veins on your breasts. Constipation starts early in pregnancy and last till the birth of baby. It is due to hormonal changes and less bowel movements. Other common symptoms are headaches, fainting, muscle cramps and itching. You should be consulting your doctor to advise on your symptoms.
If you are the one who has almost no headaches, no morning sickness and mild nausea, then there is nothing to worry about because it is normal. But in case you are the one who is facing severity of these symptoms, then you should consult your doctor immediately.
What About Cravings at 7 Weeks Pregnant?
It is observed that women crave for certain food items that do not attract their attention before pregnancy. One theory says these cravings are one of the ways our body tells us about the nutrients it needs. For example, if you are craving for a steak, your body may need more of proteins, or if you are craving for ice creams, your body may require more calcium to support bones.
There must be some foods that you relish before pregnancy but may find them repulsive now. The variations in food cravings fill in your body’s and growing baby’s nutrient needs. Nausea and increased smelling senses can also keep you away from your favorite foods. Some of the satisfying flavors at this time are salt, sour and bitter.
The key is to have limited amount of food to justify your cravings and to have more healthy food rich in all nutrient in your diet.
What About Exercises at 7 Weeks Pregnant?
Exercising is important at the time of pregnancy, but with precautions. Ideally women should be exercising before pregnancy, but they should not start any new form of exercise now. A moderate exercise program should be done regularly. These exercises should not cause fatigue and be done under proper guidance of a fitness expert or a doctor. If you are exercising daily and keeping yourself fit, you will be preparing yourself for the physical nature your body will go through at the time of birth.
More Tips on 7 Weeks Pregnant
This is a good time to consult a doctor and schedule your checkups for your pregnancy duration. Your doctor will recommend you the required tests and guide you well on your journey. It is important that you should switch to healthy diet and take correct nutrients and medications. The most important is to take folic acid and prenatal vitamin. You should be cautious with what you eat; anything you put in mouth will have significant influence on the baby inside you. With fluctuation hormones and moods, it is good to have a support group from now onwards. This support group will keep you uplifted and cheer up your mother soul.
You should be meeting your midwife and obstetrician now or in coming few weeks. If your doctor has his own practice, then ask him to prepare his backup for the time of your baby’s delivery. Do meet the backup practitioner to ensure that you will be comfortable and will not be delivering your baby by complete strangers.