PREGNANCY WEEK 7 ~ HEALTH and FITNESS

7 WEEKS PREGNANT

You’re keeping the best kind of secret, aren’t you? Now that you’re seven weeks pregnant, you’re going about your day knowing you’re expecting—but no one else can see it. That can give you a surreal feeling! And at week 7 of pregnancy, you’re probably wondering what things will be like once it’s obvious to everyone that you’ve got a baby growing in there. For now, enjoy your little secret.

How Big Is a Baby at 7 Weeks?

At 7 weeks pregnant, baby is the size of a blueberry. Your embryo measures about .51 inches, having doubled in size since last week. He or she doesn't exactly tip the scales just yet, but is developing like crazy inside your 7-week pregnant belly.

7 Weeks Pregnant Is How Many Months?

Seven weeks pregnant means you’re one month and about two weeks pregnant.

7 WEEKS PREGNANT SYMPTOMS

Being 7 weeks pregnant can cause a whole range of symptoms. Some are no biggie and some can make it difficult to get through your day. These are a few of the most widespread:

Nausea. Morning sickness may be going strong at week 7 of pregnancy. Hang in there, and try to find ways to cope. Some moms-to-be have success with ginger, Vitamin B-6, and acupressure wristbands easing their tummy troubles. When your hormones become more normal in the second trimester, the nausea should decrease or even disappear. Moms-to-be who are 7 weeks pregnant with twins may be more likely to have nausea and vomiting, since they likely have heightened levels of the hormones that cause morning sickness.
Food cravings and/or aversions. You may find yourself with the urge to eat specific or even weird foods—or not wanting to go anywhere near certain foods you used to think were fine (or even delicious!). Food aversions are nature’s way of keeping you away from potentially dangerous foods, and typically go hand-in-hand with morning sickness. It's okay to give in to your cravings and indulge here and there. But try not to go too crazy, and make healthy food choices when you can. *__ Frequent urination.__ If it seems like you have the urge to pee constantly, it’s not your imagination. Even though you probably don’t look pregnant yet, your uterus has already doubled in size, and you also have increased blood flow to your pelvis.
Acne. Breakouts are due to hormonal changes in your body. Before you use any acne fighting products, check with your doctor to make sure they’re safe during pregnancy.
Extra saliva. Here’s a symptom you never expected! The excess saliva is probably also hormonally triggered and could be related to nausea too.
Mood swings. Not only are your hormones out of whack, but you're probably still getting used to the idea of being pregnant, and that can make you become extra emotional.
Cramping and/or spotting. Cramping in early pregnancy is normal. After all, there’s a lot happening inside your uterus, and even though it will be several weeks before you feel baby move, you can certainly feel plenty of cramping and pulling at this point in your pregnancy. Also, your cervix may be more sensitive now that you’re pregnant, so spotting at 7 weeks could happen after sex. These two pregnancy symptoms can be alarming, but know that in most cases, they’re not a sign of ectopic pregnancy or other types of miscarriage. If you were to have abdominal pain worse than typical menstrual cramps or bleeding during pregnancy at 7 weeks that’s heavier than a period, that would be a cause of worry, and you should call your doctor right away.

That said, at 7 weeks pregnant, you may very well have no symptoms at all. If that’s the case, consider yourself lucky! Some moms-to-be worry that having no symptoms at 7 weeks could be a sign of a problem, but it’s absolutely not. We’ll keep reminding you that every woman experiences pregnancy slightly differently. If you have any concerns, definitely bring them up to your OB, but unless your symptoms at 7 weeks pregnant are severe or painful, it’s all likely normal.

7 WEEKS PREGNANT BELLY

Caught yourself staring at your 7 weeks pregnant belly in the mirror—and even pushing it out to fake a baby bump, just to get a preview? Yeah, we did that too during week 7. Every mom-to-be is different, but many report starting to “show” in the middle of the second trimester when the uterus outgrows the pelvis. Moms-to-be who are 7 weeks pregnant with twins should expect to show earlier than that, but at this point, it’s nothing but bloating for everyone.

7 WEEKS PREGNANT ULTRASOUND

How amazing is this? Your 7-week embryo is generating about one hundred new brain cells each minute! And not only is baby's brain becoming more complex, but the heart is too. Also important: Baby's developing a permanent set of kidneys, and arm and leg joints are now forming as well.

At seven weeks pregnant, you’re gearing up for your first prenatal visit with your OB, and you’re probably dying to know what to expect. Brace yourself to give a variety of samples (blood, urine, and cervical cells for a pap smear), get an ultrasound that will confirm baby’s doing okay in there, and get an estimated due date (yep, you might already have one, but the doc may adjust it a bit based on what she sees).

A 7-week ultrasound isn’t common, since many OBs don’t see their low-risk pregnancy patients until sometime between weeks 8 and 10—it depends on your health history and your doctor’s preference.

With all the waiting, your mind may be full of curiosity—maybe even wondering whether you could be expecting more than one baby. There are symptoms of twin pregnancy at 7 weeks besides seeing two gestational sacs on an ultrasound. For example, if you had a blood test to determine your pregnancy, your doctor would have found a higher level of the pregnancy hormone hCG in your blood. Some twin moms have earlier and/or more severe morning sickness (due to the hCG), and of course, moms of multiples may start to show earlier.