Baby’s Developments
The embryo is about 4-5 mm long. The heart is present but it is not yet fully formed, and it beats about 150 bpm (beats per minute). The arms and legs are ready to develop and are now shown as four tiny buds. The eyes too have started to form but are on either side of the head. They will soon move into the correct position. The lungs and kidneys have started to appear and the spine has started to form. The intestines start forming inside the umbilical cord and they will later move into the baby’s abdomen. The heartbeat can be heard through a vaginal ultrasound scan.
Changes in the Mother
The cocktail of hormones in your body will produce some uncomfortable results. The most common among these are the need to urinate frequently and nausea. The need to urinate is most severe during the first and last weeks of your pregnancy; during the first weeks because of the increase in the hormone hCG, and during the last weeks because the grown foetus is pressing against your bladder. It tends to ease off during the middle period.
Nausea is misleadingly known as ‘morning sickness’ but it can last throughout the day. About 80% of women develop it and it’s nothing to get unduly worried about. However, some women can develop a state called Hyperemesis Gravidarum which results in severe vomiting and usually the patient has to be hospitalised and rehydrated due to excessive loss of water from the body.
Tips for This Week
Staying in bed generally would make the nauseous feeling worse. Try to wake up early, have some dry toast, brush your teeth and have a long bath as soon as you wake up. Try to stay clean and fresh all the time and wear colours that are pleasing to the eye- this will lift your mood up!