Your baby is now the size of a blueberry in length. After doubling in size over the past week, your baby, which is still considered an embryo, now measures about a half an inch long. You are in your second month of pregnancy.
Your Baby
Week 7 of Pregnancy
During week 7 of pregnancy, your baby is beginning to develop more humanlike features. Tiny hands and feet are emerging from the limb buds that formed from the embryo last week. The limb buds that will eventually become your baby’s arms are also beginning to bend into tiny elbows. Your baby still has a tiny tail, which is an extension of the tailbone, but the tail will continue to get smaller until finally disappearing over the next few weeks. Your baby’s heart is now beating even more rhythmically at between 100 and 160 beats per minute.
Your baby’s head is still the largest part of his or her body during week 7 of pregnancy with about 100 new brain cells being generated every minute. The brain and spinal cord continue to develop from the neural tube. Under the parchment-thin skin on your baby’s face, your baby’s facial features are beginning to emerge. Eyelid folds cover the developing eyes in which the irises already have some color. The tip of a tiny nose is forming as a little bump on the center of your baby’ face. Below the nose is forming the mouth complete with your baby’s adorable little tongue.
Within your baby’s body, the digestive system has formed, and tiny kidneys are preparing to excrete urine. Your baby’s liver is produced red blood cells and will continue to do so until the blood marrow forms and can take over the job. During week 7 of pregnancy, the placenta and umbilical cord are also growing and changing. With your baby’s miniature intestines, a loop is bulging into the umbilical cord through which blood vessels are transporting oxygen and nutrients between your two bodies. The placenta is also sprouting hundreds of tiny hair-like projections called villi that will also carry nutrients and oxygen between your bloodstream and your baby.
Your Body
Your breasts, which will still probably be sore and tender, are expanding in size during week 7 of pregnancy as your body prepares to produce life-sustaining breast milk for your baby-to-be. Some women will grow as much as a cup size during the first few weeks of pregnancy. If you have not been feeling ill yet, the ever-increasing levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG (human gonadotrophin hormone) may begin to bring on morning sickness. Unfortunately, pregnancy-induced nausea is not limited to the morning; you may feel sick at other or all times of the day. You may also find yourself craving certain foods or even feeling nauseated at just the mere thought of some of your previously favorite dishes. Your sense of smell may also be even more sensitive than usual, so try to steer clear of odors that might bring on a bought of morning sickness. Other common symptoms during week 7 of pregnancy include frequent urination, fatigue, heartburn and indigestion, and constipation.
During Week 7 of Pregnancy
Learn about your baby during week 6 of pregnancy or week 8 of pregnancy.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is not meant to replace the professional medical advice of your health care provider.
References
7 weeks pregnant: http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy-week-by-week/7-weeks-pregnant_70628
Curtis, Glade B. & Judith Schuler. 2011. Your pregnancy week by week. 7th edn. Philadelphia: Running Press.
Stone, Joanne & Keith Eddleman, eds. 2003. The pregnancy bible: Your complete guide to pregnancy and early parenthood. Willowdale, Ontario: Firefly Books.
Your pregnancy: 7 weeks: http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-7-weeks_1096.bc
Your pregnancy week by week: Weeks 5-8: http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/your-pregnancy-week-by-week-weeks-5-8
Image Credits
Embryo During Week 7 of Pregnancy: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tubal_Pregnancy_with_embryo.jpg
Life 7 Weeks: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/322388
Blueberries: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Bunch_of_Blueberries.jpg
