Pregnancy - Week 8

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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