You at 8 weeks pregnant

Your uterus is about the size of a tennis ball. It’s putting pressure on your bladder, so you might be feeling the need to go to the toilet more often.

Your body is zinging with hormones to help your baby grow. Nausea peaks around this time, so you might feel quite sick. You might also feel more emotional, and you could be happy or grumpy at a moment’s notice. Or you could feel like you have loads of energy.

Either way, emotional swings are normal when you’re pregnant.

Early ultrasound
If you’re not sure when you became pregnant, or if you’ve had a previous miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy, your doctor or midwife might recommend an ultrasound scan in very early pregnancy, often at 8-10 weeks. This ultrasound scan can check for the baby’s heartbeat and work out the age and due date.

Your baby when you’re 8 weeks pregnant

This is what’s going on with your baby:

• The embryo is about 1.2 cm long from head to tail.
• The eyes have formed underneath a layer of skin. The nose is starting to show. The upper jaw and roof of the mouth come together. The inner ear and tongue are developing.
• Webbed fingers are taking shape.
• The reproductive organs are developing, but it’s too early to tell whether it’s a girl or a boy.
• The embryo’s tail is getting smaller – it will eventually disappear.