Seven Weeks Pregnant
A Quick Guide to Being Seven Weeks Pregnant
By the time you are seven weeks pregnant, you will probably start noticing some changes in your body. Although some women notice changes as early as four weeks, and some women don't have any major symptoms until they are closer to nine weeks, seven seems to be about the average.
At seven weeks pregnant, your baby is about the size of a blueberry. His brain cells are being produced at 100 per minute so a lot of the growing is happening in his head. The kidneys are starting to take form and arm and leg buds are sprouting, too, although you wouldn't be able to see them on an ultrasound.
If you were to have an ultrasound at this point you might be able to see the egg sac and the heart beating, but that's about it. It's probably too soon to hear the heartbeat on a Doppler, although on the ultrasound the heart beat should pick up fairly easily.
One of the first things that you will probably notice when you are seven weeks pregnant is that your breasts are growing. They might even be a full cup size larger. You might notice deep blue veins appearing in your breasts, too. Some women experience pain and tenderness while others don't. The pregnancy hormones that help lead to morning sickness also increase your blood flow and build up fat.
Speaking of morning sickness, this is probably about the time that you really start noticing it. You might have felt nauseated in the past couple of weeks from time to time, but around this time is when it might start becoming an issue. Some women only feel nauseated at certain parts of the day, while others feel sick all day every day.
Frequent urination will also send you to the bathroom more often. The pregnancy hormone hCG sends more blood to your pelvic region which affects the flow of your urine. Drinking less will not help you urinate less. In fact, you need even more fluids when you are pregnant.
Most women also start complaining about fatigue during the first trimester. Don't feel guilty if you need to take a nap. In fact, resting can sometimes help with the nausea. Your body is very busy and even though you might not be able to feel what it's doing, you can still get tired from its efforts.
Along with the nausea, you might also start experiencing both food cravings and food aversions. If you used to love Indian food, and now the thought it makes you sick, then you are being perfectly normal. In addition, if you never liked blue cheese dressing before and now you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night craving it, well, welcome to being pregnant.
Heartburn and indigestion can help your stomach feel unsettled, too. Some women have never even experienced heartburn until they are pregnant and then it can be a scary thing. Sometimes, heartburn can be so uncomfortable that it feels like a heart attack. Caffeinated beverages, spicy food, and greasy foods can all trigger heartburn, although they might not trigger it for everyone. Try to eat slowly so that your food has the right amount of time to digest properly.
Lastly, if the heartburn and indigestion don't make you feel uncomfortable, then the constipation might. Sluggish bowels can make it difficult for you to go to the bathroom and this can lead to cramping and other feelings of discomfort. Eating yogurt that contains active cultures and talking to your health care provider about taking Probiotics can both be ways of helping constipation.