Your boobs are unrecognizable, and you’ve got gross stuff coming out of every orifice of your body. On the bright side, you might start showing soon. Welcome to the second half of the first trimester!
Choose Your Week
- Pregnancy Week 7
- Pregnancy Week 8
- Pregnancy Week 9
- Pregnancy Week 10
- Pregnancy Week 11
- Pregnancy Week 12
Sources of information included in this series include What to Expect, American Pregnancy Association, several specific sources cited within the text, and my personal experience as a biological mother of two!
Pregnancy Week 7 Development
How many months pregnant is 7 weeks?
7 weeks equals one-and-a-half months pregnant!
Where is the baby located at 7 weeks?
Baby won’t be stuck to the side of your uterus in a yolk sac much longer, as the sac finishes turning into the placenta and the connecting umbilical cord instead. The placenta is the gross bag of stuff that will give your baby oxygen and nutrients while eliminating waste.
You’ll also have a mucous plug in your cervix by the end of the week (think of it like a wine cork), which protects your uterus (and baby) from bacteria.
What does a baby look like at 7 weeks?
- Average fetal length at 7 weeks: 1/2 inch
- Average fetal weight at 7 weeks: next to nothing
Baby’s kidneys and hair follicles are starting to form. The eyelids and mouth are taking shape, and the limbs are getting long enough to distinguish knees and elbows. But the main cell generation is in the baby’s brain!
If you hear your baby’s heartbeat at 7 weeks, chances of miscarriage reduce to as low as 10% depending on the type of ultrasound used.
Pregnancy Week 7 Symptoms
At this point, your boobs could be going zonko. Like, you literally might not recognize them anymore. They can be a whole cup size bigger, because of both estrogen and progesterone, and more fat being allocated in your honkers. Your nips might be saluting full-time because of the increased blood flow, but you probably DON’T want anybody tweaking them.
Your areolae (the dark area around the actual nipple) are getting even darker and larger, and will continue to do so—these act as a bullseye for a nursing baby! It’s also totally normal to have small goosebump-like spots on your areolae, which will help lubricate things when it’s time for the baby to start latching on.
If you’re going to have food aversions, you’ll be well aware of them by now. You may even hate the spinach-and-mushroom pizza you used to love and find yourself wanting nothing but chocolate!
During my second pregnancy, I couldn’t eat any pork. I found out when my mother-in-law sent home a plate of food that included her amazing green beans cooked with big hunks of bacon, and I felt sick at the smell. It was an awful feeling! Fortunately, these aversions don’t last forever. I’m happily back to eating bacon on a weekly basis.
In pregnancy week 7, spotting is still totally normal, unless it comes heavier like a period or you have severe cramping. If you’re concerned, call your doctor!
Continuing symptoms:
- mood swings
- fatigue
- nausea
- tender breasts
- food cravings and aversions
- frequent urination
- heartburn
- gas
Pregnancy Week 7 Video
Pregnancy Week 8 Development
How many months pregnant is 8 weeks?
8 weeks equals almost two months pregnant!
Where is the baby located at 8 weeks?
Now that your uterus is expanding and there’s some amniotic fluid to dance in, the baby is starting to twitch and wiggle around the womb! But your uterus hasn’t moved up that much yet, so don’t worry if your belly doesn’t feel any different.
What does a baby look like at 8 weeks?
- Average fetal length at 8 weeks: 3/4 inch
- Average fetal weight at 8 weeks: next to nothing
All of the baby’s major bodily systems are underway, and it has tiny versions of every part a grown human would have. Its muscles can contract. Webbed hands and feet give a hint of the adorable digits to come, while the tadpole tail is almost gone. Baby’s facial features are starting to form (like the tip of its teensy nose), as well as the genitals. The heart is beating over 150 times per minute!
Chances of miscarriage at 8 weeks with heartbeat detection drop to just 1.6%.
Pregnancy Week 8 Symptoms
You may start to notice your pants getting a bit snugger these days, thanks to your grapefruit-sized uterus. Morning sickness – aka barfing morning, noon, and night – is also underway for 75% of women at this point. (I never had any digestion-related symptoms, including this one, so not barfing is not something to worry about!)
Vaginal discharge may become apparent this week, and you shouldn’t try to get rid of it by scrubbing or douching. It protects your vagina from infection! In week 8 of pregnancy, cramps are still normal unless they are severe. Keep your doctor updated on any concerns you have, no matter how small! They should be able to ease your mind.
Arguably one of the worst symptoms of pregnancy, you may find yourself constipated at times. It’s important to eat plenty of fiber and the right fruits to keep your poops pleasurable. Just don’t OD on the fiber, especially if you weren’t used to eating a good amount before pregnancy – you’ll be farting so much, even the dog will leave the room.
Continuing symptoms:
- mood swings
- fatigue
- nausea
- tender, color-changing breasts
- food cravings and aversions
- frequent urination
- heartburn
- gas
Pregnancy Week 8 Video
Pregnancy Week 9 Development
How many months pregnant is 9 weeks?
9 weeks equals two months pregnant! You’re still in the first trimester.
Where is the baby located at 9 weeks?
You may now be able to feel the firmness of your uterus in your lower abdomen. Don’t worry about pushing too hard on baby, though – there’s plenty of fluid and a thick uterine wall protecting it, and right now baby’s got room to float around.
What does a baby look like at 9 weeks?
- Average fetal length at 9 weeks: 1.25 inches
- Average fetal weight at 9 weeks: next to nothing
Baby’s muscles are developing, but it’ll be a while before you feel those kicks. Ears are showing up next to that cute little face, and all essential organs are forming. The eyelids are there but will be fused shut till about 26 weeks or so. All joints (including wrists and ankles) are present and working. The heart has developed into four chambers but is still developing valves. The tail is completely gone now, making the baby look like an actual tiny person!
Pregnancy Week 9 Symptoms
Fatigue – extreme, falling-asleep-in-the-shower kind of tired – is really common in pregnancy. And believe it or not, you’re most likely to feel this extreme tiredness in the first trimester!
Why? Your body isn’t just building a baby, it’s building ALL the foundational pieces of a healthy pregnancy – the amniotic sac, placenta, and an ever-expanding uterus as well. But hold tight, mama: once the placenta is fully formed, you should see a return of some of the energy you’ve lost.
If nausea is really getting to you, try to eat small meals several times a day, and avoid foods and smells you’ve already learned will make you queasy. Nutrition is important when growing a baby, so it’s not worth testing the waters to see if that chicken salad is going to make you throw up a second time!
Continuing symptoms:
- mood swings
- fatigue
- nausea
- tender, color-changing breasts
- food cravings and aversions
- frequent urination
- heartburn
- gas
- vaginal discharge
- constipation
Pregnancy Week 9 Video
Pregnancy Week 10 Development
How many months pregnant is 10 weeks?
10 weeks equals over two months pregnant!
Where is the baby located at 10 weeks?
Baby’s still swimming around in your uterus, but you may start to notice the womb feels further up, especially when you bend over. As your uterus grows, it will start to shift up and on top of your pelvis so it has plenty of room to continue expanding.
What does a baby look like at 10 weeks?
- Average fetal length at 10 weeks: 1.75 inches
- Average fetal weight at 10 weeks: next to nothing
Exciting news: you’re no longer hosting an embryo. Instead, you’ve got a full-blown fetus in there!
All the major organs are functioning (technically) but will continue to mature. Baby’s teeth buds are forming under the gums (and some babies are even born with visible teeth!), while the stomach is gaining the ability to digest and the kidneys are producing urine. Bones and cartilage start to develop this week.
If you’ve got a boy in the making, he’s starting to produce testosterone.
The risk of miscarriage at 10 weeks after seeing the heartbeat drops to a reassuring 0.6%!
Pregnancy Week 10 Symptoms
If fiber (particularly fruits and veggies) isn’t helping you poo, you probably need to add a few bottles of water to your daily intake. With too little water fiber will actually backfire, making it even harder to go number 2. Another way to get things moving is to exercise; even a brisk walk can help move things in the right direction. Eating whole-grain pasta, drinking 6 or more bottles of water a day, and taking 10-minute walks on my breaks at work ensured I never went a day without a movement during either of my pregnancies.
The symptom you’ve been waiting for – a visible sign on the outside that you’re pregnant – may show up for some mamas this week (particularly if you’re normally svelte). As a plus-size preggers myself, I had to wait a LOT longer for a noticeable baby bump – closer to 18 weeks or so.
You might also notice some very prominent blue veins, especially across your ever-expanding breasts and stomach. This is the result of a 50 percent increase in blood flow during pregnancy and will go away after the baby’s born (though they may linger as you breastfeed because breastmilk production keeps your body’s systems ramped up too). The increased blood flow can also trigger headaches, so take it easy and use Tylenol as directed by your doctor.
Continuing symptoms:
- mood swings
- fatigue
- nausea
- tender, color-changing breasts
- food cravings and aversions
- frequent urination
- heartburn
- gas
- vaginal discharge
- constipation
Pregnancy Week 10 Video
Pregnancy Week 11 Development
How many months pregnant is 11 weeks?
11 weeks equals two-and-a-half months pregnant!
Where is the baby located at 11 weeks?
Baby is most likely just above your pubic bone at this point, and your baby bump is more a result of your upward-shifting organs than your protruding uterus.
The chances of miscarriage at 11 weeks (after seeing a heartbeat) drop to less than half a percent (yay!).
What does a baby look like at 11 weeks?
- Average fetal length at 11 weeks: 2 inches
- Average fetal weight at 11 weeks: 1/4 ounce
Baby’s brain has grown so large, its head currently makes up half of its body – and hair follicles are popping up everywhere. Meanwhile, the fingers and toes have lost their webbing as tiny nail beds grow. Quite the acrobat, the baby can now straighten its torso, stretch, flip, and roll. These movements are more twitchy than graceful, though. The baby’s bones are beginning to harden.
If you’ve got a girl on board, her ovaries are in production.
Pregnancy Week 11 Symptoms
If you’ve been a victim of morning sickness up to this point, you may finally start to feel hungry as your nausea begins to ease. Just keep in mind that “eating for two” doesn’t mean doubling your normal food intake – it only takes a couple of hundred extra calories a day to nourish you and your baby properly.
If you’re like I was and started your pregnancy with a lot of extra weight, it is totally fine to not eat any extra calories. Your doctor may even recommend continuing any calorie restriction you were following for weight loss prior to pregnancy, or to a lesser degree. Though I did end up with a net gain of about 10 pounds with my daughter, I was able to end up 10 pounds lighter after my son was born than I was when he was conceived.
And there’s just no way around this hilarious fact: You’re going to be burping and farting more than you ever have in your life. Digestion slows down during pregnancy so your body absorbs more nutrients to pass to the baby, putting more pressure on your stomach and intestines (as does your growing uterus).
Don’t let the gas bother you, though; your baby is likely soothed by all those gurgling sounds. Just avoid gassy foods and drinks like broccoli, beans, and soda to keep them at a minimum.
Continuing symptoms:
- mood swings
- fatigue
- tender, color-changing breasts
- food cravings and aversions
- frequent urination
- heartburn
- gas
- vaginal discharge
- constipation
Pregnancy Week 11 Video
Pregnancy Week 12 Development
How many months pregnant is 12 weeks?
12 weeks equals almost three months pregnant! You haven’t quite made it out of the first trimester yet.
Where is the baby located at 12 weeks?
Completely filling your pelvis and needing more room to grow, your uterus is starting to rise into your abdomen now. By the end of the 12th week, you may be able to feel the fundus (top of your uterus) right above your pubic bone.
What does a baby look like at 12 weeks?
- Average fetal length at 12 weeks: 2.5 inches
- Average fetal weight at 12 weeks: 3/4 ounce
Like something out of a horror movie, your baby’s intestines have grown into the umbilical cord and are starting to tuck back into the abdomen. White blood cells are being formed out of the baby’s bone marrow, which will help fight off germs in the outside world. Most of the major systems are fully formed, and your baby’s kidneys can now make pee! Also, the eyes and ears are scooting into their proper places.
If your baby has been making it difficult to find the heartbeat by facing the wrong direction or hiding under the placenta, this is the time when the vast majority of moms are guaranteed success with a Doppler. If you’re hearing a heartbeat at 12 weeks, the chance of miscarriage is next to zero!
Pregnancy Week 12 Symptoms & Baby Bump
Your entire uterus is actually starting to move now, from the bottom of your pelvis to a more prominent abdominal position. This may actually relieve the frequent urge to pee – for now – as the womb moves up off of your bladder.
In fact, a lot of the “bad” symptoms should start to subside for most women by the end of the first trimester, including nausea, tender nipples, and extreme tiredness. This relief, along with your continuing flow of hormones, could inspire some freaky bedroom time you were too tired for it before!
With the second trimester closing in, you’re probably anxious for that baby bump to show up so you can show it off to the world! But don’t worry if it only looks like you had a big lunch, or if you’re not even showing at all. Every woman is different, and even women with similar builds can show differently at different times in their pregnancies. Be patient, and that bump will pop up before you know it.
Around 12 weeks is also when dizziness could be checked off on your symptom list because the blood vessels widen to increase the flow of blood to the baby. Low blood sugar can also be the culprit, which is why it’s best to eat several small meals a day to keep your sugar levels steady.
Continuing symptoms:
- color-changing breasts
- food cravings and aversions
- heartburn
- gas
- vaginal discharge
- constipation
