Weeks 5-8

5 Weeks Pregnant

Make sure you’re getting the right nutrition

Your baby, now known as an embryo, is as little as a sesame seed and shaped more like a tadpole , and has developed in three layers:

Ectoderm

This will form your baby’s skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and the tooth enamel. Crucial organs, including the brain, spinal cord, nerves and backbone, will also develop. Make sure you’re getting enough folic acid, either in your diet or by taking supplements, to prevent neural tube defects.

Mesoderm

A tiny heart and circulatory system begin to form. This will lead to the formation of muscles, cartilage, bone and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue. The heart divides into chambers and even starts pumping blood at this early stage.

Endoderm

The lungs, intestines, a basic urinary system, thyroid, liver and pancreas begin to emerge.

6 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby is growing very fast now.

A month and a half old, your baby is now little more than half a centimetre long and its nose, mouth and ears are about to take shape. Small dark spots form for the eyes, small depressions appear in place of ears, and protruding buds form where your baby’s head, arms and legs will be. As the embryo continues to grow, the lungs, intestines, brain, muscles and bones also develop rapidly.

7 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby has doubled in size.

Though still tiny, the embryo has grown at a rapid pace to about a centimetre long and is rapidly developing paddle-like hands and feet. A small tail is still visible but it will disappear soon. Tiny veins and blood vessels are now almost visible, carrying blood through its body. Eyelid folds and a tiny nose have appeared. The brain is developing as well as an appendix, a pancreas and a liver that is already forming red blood cells. The intestine forms a loop that extends into the umbilical cord to help in transport oxygen and nutrients.

8 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby is constantly moving and shifting.

Over the last week, your baby’s brain was developing – now nerve cells are forming connections inside. Small breathing tubes form between the throat and lungs. Webbed hands and feet have grown tiny fingers you can’t touch yet. The tail is almost gone and a more familiar shape begins to appear. The baby is constantly moving and shifting inside your body but it is too tiny for you to feel anything.

Click here to view a film of your pregnancy and for more updates on the development of your little bundle of joy!