Week
8:
In
week 8 your baby is about ¾ of an inch long, and weighs about a ½ of an ounce.
Your
baby's eyes are fully developed by the end of this week. The inner ears
continue to develop further, while his ears lobes are starting to show. The
mouth, nose and nostrils are also forming more to what they will look like.
Your baby can open his mouth and suck at this point.
His
hands, feet, fingers, and toes are mostly developed. His arms and legs continue
to grow and can now bend at the elbows. His movements can now be seen by
ultrasound.
All
of his major organs are in the right place but they are not yet fully
developed. His heart now has 4 chambers and can pump his own blood throughout
his body.
The
skin is formed but transparent. The external genitalia may begin to show this
week but you can't yet tell whether you will have a male or a female.
You
might start having difficulty sleeping. With this come more vivid dreams. You
seem to notice them more because you wake up more often. It also comes from the
combination of hormones and your disrupted sleep.
You
also might have your first doctor's visit this week. Usually they look for the
heartbeat in an ultrasound. These visits will start to come every 4 weeks to
monitor how you and your baby are doing.
Some
books that I studied from are:
The Pregnancy Book - Everything you
need to know from America's baby experts.
By:
William Sears, M.D., and Martha Sears, R.N., and Linda Holt, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.
Your Pregnancy - Week by week
By:
Dr. Glade Curtis, OB/GYN and Judith Schuler, M.S.
You & Your BABY Pregnancy - Your
ultimate week-by-week pregnancy guide
By:
Dr. Laura Riley, OB/GYN
