All measurements are approximate. Click here to see how we calculate baby's length and weight.
Baby:
Your baby is now about the size of a sweet pea. The head is developing, and the embryo is starting to look like a tiny pear with a small tail. Little somites, which look like mini-humps, are forming along the back. These will become vertebrae, ribs and muscles.
Two heart tubes form, meld together and become the rudimentary heart. By the time your baby is 25 days old (in the middle of this week), the heart starts pounding and pumping fluid through the body!
In the neural tube, the spinal column, spine and the brain are coming together. In a few days the neural folds meet and fuse together. Folic acid is extremely important in this process, which is why it’s recommended that you take a multivitamin that includes folate during — and in preparation for — pregnancy.
Toward the end of this week, the three regions of the brain are formed: the forebrain, which controls memory, thinking, reason, problem solving and sensory signals; the midbrain, which coordinates and directs the signals to the right places; and the hindbrain, which handles temperature regulation, breathing rhythm and the muscle movement.
Mom:
Hey there — your body is trying to tell you something. The first sign may be that you’ve missed your period. Or maybe it's a wave of nausea out of the blue. Maybe you're suddenly super-sensitive to smells or your morning cup of coffee just doesn’t taste quite right.
Now what? You take a pregnancy test ... and it’s positive. Pregnant. Let the word sink in. Maybe it’s something you’ve longed for, and now you’re flooded with relief that it’s finally happened. Or maybe you’re in shock? Not now, not yet, not me! No way. And how will your partner react? What will your boss say?
You’ll probably feel a whole range of things when you first find out. Oh, and you may experience another one of those early-pregnancy symptoms: mood swings, the kind where joys and worry are not far apart.
Pregnant.
It’s a pretty powerful word. Get used to it, because you’ll be using it a lot in the months to come.