Pregnancy Week Seven

Welcome to week seven of pregnancy! This week your baby has doubled in size. Your baby's arms and legs are developing this week, along with some tiny adorable feet and hands. Many of his or her organs are well on their way down the path of development. Your baby currently has what looks like a tail, but this will disappear in a few short weeks. This is a big week for growth for your little boy or girl.

There's also been many changes for you as your body continues to prepare for the next few months and beyond. You've probably noticed that your breasts are larger and your moods change rapidly. These are some of the joys you can expect with your ever fluctuating hormones.

By this week your hormones should be driving you completely crazy. You're probably experience some serious mood swings, which are making you feel border line bipolar. You may have also noticed that your breasts have been growing pretty quickly. This would be a welcome sight for some women, if it weren't for the soreness. Those pesky hormones might also be causing you some acne problems. Plus there's all the symptoms I discussed last week: morning sickness, bloating, cramping, etc.

Also this week your uterus has doubled in size. This may cause you to feel the need to urinate more often. This need to pee comes from the increased blood volume and increasing size of your uterus pushing onto the bladder.Another reason you might be needing frequent bathroom breaks is morning sickness. This is a common occurrence in most women and typically goes away after 14 weeks. So hang in there!

This week your baby is about the size of a little blueberry. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing. His or her brain cells are being generated 100 cells per minute. His or her mouth and tongue are forming, as well as their little arms and legs. Also developing are your baby's eyes and this week they have a retina lens attached to them.

Right now he or she already has an appendix, intestines, a pancreas and a liver! Plus little veins are beginning to appear under your baby's translucent skin. It's a big week for growth and it's just the beginning!

Suggestion
You may have noticed some spotting and you're probably freaking out about it. Finding some spots of blood on toilet paper or in your underwear is not uncommon during this stage of pregnancy. It happens in normal pregnancies and it happens in high risk pregnancies. If for some reason you feel truly alarmed, there's no shame in calling your doctor. Spotting can be the first sign of a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. If you see signs of spotting, it's best to talk to your doctor about it.

Advice
At this stage of your pregnancy you're probably experiencing food the expected cravings. But you're probably also getting the very confusing food aversions. This is very common, especially if you suffer from morning sickness. Many women find that foods they loved now disgust them and foods that would never have appealed to them before are now appealing. If you're experiencing food aversions, try substituting those foods for something else. Indulge your cravings, but do not over indulge. And finally, be grateful if your aversions are for food you shouldn't be eating during pregnancy in the first place!

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