Your Baby in week 8
Your Baby in week 8:
Marveling over a baby's tiny fingers and toes is one of
the joys of the first day of life. Those fingers and
toes are just beginning to form this week, and the arms
can even flex at the elbows and wrists. The eyes are
becoming more obvious because they’ve begun to
develop pigment (color) in the retina (back of the eye).
Also, the intestines are getting longer
and there isn’t enough room for them in the
baby’s abdomen, so they protrude into the umbilical cord until week 12.
By now, the beginnings of the buds that will
develop into your baby's genitals have made their
appearance, although they've not yet developed
enough to reveal whether your baby is a boy or a girl.
What's going on with You:
Pregnancy symptoms such as a missed period, nausea,
extreme fatigue, or tight clothes due to the swelling
of your uterus have probably prompted you to wonder
whether you're pregnant. Once you have confirmation
of your pregnancy from a home pregnancy test or
blood or urine test at the doctor's office,
you should call and schedule your first prenatal
visit. Your pregnancy may be monitored by one
of several health care professionals, including
an obstetrician, nurse practitioner, midwife, or
family doctor. If your pregnancy is considered
high risk (for example, if you have had multiple
miscarriages, are older than 35, or have a
history of pregnancy complications), your doctor
may want to see you as early as possible and more
often during the course of your pregnancy.
Good prenatal care is extremely important for the
health and safe delivery of your baby, so be sure
to make prenatal appointments a top priority.
next week 9
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