Pregnancy Facts - Week 8
How big is your baby in week 8 of pregnancy
Your baby has had a huge growth spurt since last week and has doubled in both size and weight. Your baby is now 0.63 inches (1.6 centimeters) and also weighs 0.039 ounces (1.1 grams). That's 20 times bigger and 18 times heavier than at the beginning of your pregnancy .
Your baby's development in week 8 of pregnancy
Your baby's hands and feet are still webbed, but the webbing is gradually dimishing to reveal individual digits.
Those flipper-like arms are growing longer, making your baby look a lot less like a baby T-Rex with each passing day.
Your baby's first lung cells have started developing, but they won't be any use until birth. Your baby floats in amniotic fluid while in utero and will later "breathe" the fluid to help with the development of the lungs. For now though, your baby receives oxygen from the placenta through the umbilical cord.
Speaking of cords, the spinal cord has been growing quickly over the last few weeks. So much so that it looks like a little tail right now. No worries though, the torso catches up in size this week and the "tail" disappears inside it.
Yep. Everything's on the up and up for your baby.
What's happening in week 8 of pregnancy
A lot of things are going on in your life too. Whether you want them to or not, your hormones are giving you pregnancy superpowers, like:
- Bigger boobs - Just when you thought they couldn't get any bigger, they do! Milk ducts are starting to prepare themselves for milk production.
- Heightened sense of smell - Like Spidey senses, but worse, because you can now smell the guy with the BO from farther away.
- Stretchy ligaments - The ligaments in your hips are starting to lengthen out to loosen hip bones for baby delivery.
- Sleepiness - Always. Constantly. Tired. Only a power if your name is Snorlax.
- Vivid dreams - Now more real and in TechnicolorTM.
- Constant need to pee - You're making more trips to the bathroom than you ever thought possible.
- Food cravings - Suddenly, food that you've never enjoyed eating before become appetizing.
- Food aversions - Suddenly, food that you've enjoyed eating before are no longer appetizing.
Hey, no one said anything about pregnancy superpowers being awesome.
