7 Weeks Pregnant
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Time to read 4 min
7 Weeks Pregnant
At 7 weeks along you're actually in the third week of your second month of pregnancy. In this blog, we are going to be talking all about baby development at 7 weeks of gestation, what symptoms and body changes you might be experiencing, and how to manage these.
Table of contents
7 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms
As we talk about symptoms and body changes at 7 weeks pregnant it's really important to know there's a wide range of symptoms that you could experience. You might experience all the possible pregnancy symptoms, some of it, or even none at all, and that's totally normal.
Now, you may still experience the symptoms that are continuing from last week: fatigue, mood swings, heightened sense of taste and smell, nausea, and vomiting, frequent urination, bloating, and constipation, but here are the new symptoms that might pop up for you at 7 weeks pregnant:
- Dizziness or lightheadedness. This happens especially if you stand up too quickly. This symptom is a result of changes that are happening with the circulation.
- Increased vaginal discharge . This discharge is called Lucretia,and it's actually happening to help you prevent vaginal infection.
- Breasts are changing even more. It’s not only becoming fuller and heavier but you might notice that your nipples and areola are becoming darker.
Having said that, it’s important to know that if you ever have any concerns about a symptom or a change with your body, don't hesitate to reach out to your care provider. That could be your general practitioner, your OBGYN, or your midwife.
7 Weeks Pregnant Baby Development
Turning 7 weeks pregnant , the baby is called an embryo, and it's measuring about the size of a blueberry, or approximately 0.5 to 0.6 inches (12 to 15 mm) in length . While the embryo is still so small, a lot of growth is happening inside. At this point the major organs such as the brain, heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys have formed.
These organs are still in a very early stage of development but they already play an important role in the growth of the embryo. At 7 weeks the ears, eyes, nose, and mouth are becoming more distinct but they're not yet fully formed. The early stage of the nostrils develop and their retinas are formed this week.
7 Weeks Pregnant To Do List
If your mind is racing about things that you might need to think about and do then you're in the right place. Each week we're going to tackle the items that you might want to put on your list, and for this week, here are the things you need to add on your list:
Exercise
Week seven can be when morning sickness and nausea really kick in so if you're struggling with this don't put this one on your list. However, if you're managing okay it's a great time to think about setting up a regular schedule for exercise.
I'm a big fan of walking myself and it's a great low impact exercise that can really be done almost anywhere. Other good exercises during pregnancy include yoga, and swimming. If you ever have any questions about what exercises are safe for you during pregnancy, ask your care provider at your next appointment. (see how to manage your questions below!)
Manage questions
If you haven't set up a system for tracking questions for your health provider then now is the time to do this. I've worked with so many couples who get back from their appointments and have questions that they forgot to ask. This is normal, but can be frustrating to miss the opportunity to speak with your provider about something on your mind. When the prenatal appointments are 4 weeks apart it's quite awhile before you can have that opportunity to get your questions asked.
This is why it is so helpful to setup a strategy at 7 weeks pregnant to manage your questions in between appointments. If you enjoy a paper-based system you might want to grab the do pregnancy journal that I created through Amazon.
Products Featured In This Blog
I am thrilled to announce our first trimester sponsor, Three Lollies. If you aren't familiar with The Three Lollies brand, you might recognize their most popular product Preggy Pop Drops . The first trimester is a great time to have these on hand. I remember when I was pregnant for the first time and I didn't know when that nausea was going to hit, Preggy Pop Drops are a natural solution to this challenge.
The Preggy Pop Drops come in four yummy flavors, they're all natural and drug-free. There's sour raspberry, green apple, sour lemon, and sour tangerine.
I love that you can grab a package of 21 for just $5 on Amazon. Now this is an affordable way to be prepared for the symptoms that you might face at 7 weeks pregnant. With 21 pieces that means you can have these close by when you feel that wave of nausea hit. I would probably put seven of them in my purse seven in the car and seven at my desk. So thank you Three Lollies for helping us in the first trimester and thank you for supporting childbirth education
Conclusion
If you're following along in our healthy pregnancy book , our homework for this week is to check out Pages 18 and 19. This has really good information on exercises during pregnancy. I look forward to meeting you right back here for week number eight.
The Author: Alice Turner
Alice is a doula and Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator who is passionate about helping families have a postivie birth experience. She is dedicated to childbirth education online and through the Birth Toolbox YouTube channel. When not talking about pregnancy and birth you can find her hiking, sking and walking in nature with her husband and 4 kids.
