At 7 weeks pregnant, your body might not look pregnant, but you certainly feel pregnant.
Many couples wait until the first trimester has passed before they announce they’re having a baby.
This seems to have come into vogue since the nuchal translucency scan was introduced.
This scan estimates the risk for babies having Down Syndrome.
Deciding whether or not to have genetic testing is a very personal choice; not everyone will opt for this type of scan.
If you don’t already know your estimated due date, check out BellyBelly’sdue date calculator.
Another way to figure it out is to count 40 weeks (or 280 days) from the first day of your last period. Alternatively, you can subtract 3 months, minus 7 days, from your last menstrual period (LMP).
How many months is 7 weeks pregnant?
7 weeks pregnant is just one week shy of 2 months.
By now, you’ve usually had a couple of weeks to get used to the idea of being pregnant, but it can still feel very new at this stage.
Don’t worry. The next few weeks will fly by, and you’ll soon be sailing into your second trimester.
By then, you’ll be very much in the swing of things.
7 weeks pregnant
It’s certainly not a hard and fast rule to wait 12 weeks before you announce your pregnancy to the world.
It’s up to you and your partner to decide whether or not you want the support of loved ones at this time.
Some couples feel they want to wait until 12 weeks, when the risk of miscarriage dramatically decreases, before telling loved ones.
Others feel they would like the comfort of having others around them, should they receive bad news.
If you decide to share the news with a select few, make sure they understand the need to respect your privacy.
Otherwise, you might receive well-meant congratulations from everyone before you are ready for the news to be made public.
You might like to read 4 Reasons Not To Wait Until 12 Weeks To Announce Pregnancy for more information.
7 weeks pregnant planning ahead
It’s never too early for you and your partner to start planning your future as parents.
For example, you can work out your vision for your pregnancy and the birth. You might also consider thefuture expectations you both have about things such as work, finances, and parenting.
Becoming a parent can bring up a lot of past experiences and feelings from your own childhood or upbringing. You might need to work through them and then decide how to move forward.
This is particularly true if you or your partner have different ideas about how to raise children.
Seek the help of a relationship counselor if you need support to work through any particular issues, or if you have an unsupportive partner.
Supplements for pregnancy
Now is a good time to start taking prenatal vitamins, if you haven’t already. These vitamins will contain the recommended dose of folic acid for pregnancy (folate) and vitamin D.
Some prenatal vitamins will also contain essential fatty acids, such as omega-3. These are important for your baby’s developing brain.
Folate is the natural form of folic acid, found in many fruits and vegetables. You might choose to increase your consumption of natural forms of folate, in order to reach the recommended value for pregnancy.
Folic acid taken during the first trimester is known to reduce the chance of your baby developing certain conditions, known as neural tube defects (NTDs). These conditions affect the formation and development of your baby’s spine and nervous system.
Be sure to read 9 Top Foods Containing Folate For Pregnancy for more information.
What should I be feeling at 7 weeks pregnant?
You might well be in the throes of early pregnancy symptoms.
For many women, hormonal changes, mood swings and fatigue can sometimes make it hard to concentrate on anything else.
You might have mixed feelings about the idea of being pregnant, even if the pregnancy was planned. It’s normal to feel both nervous and excited about your new status as ‘mom to be’.
It’s a good idea to start thinking about your first prenatal visit with your healthcare provider, and what that might involve. It might seem early but thinking about who you want to care for you during pregnancy and birth is important.
Find out more in How Do I Choose A Care Provider?
7 weeks early pregnancy symptoms
At 7 weeks gestation, you might be experiencing a number of pregnancy symptoms.
These might include:
- Food aversions. Certain foods can suddenly become less appealing – in terms of taste, texture or smell
- Nausea and vomiting. The poorly named ‘morning sickness’ often starts early in pregnancy
- Frequent urination. As your body’s blood volume increases, your kidneys expand and push on your bladder, giving you that all too frequent urge to pee
- Excess saliva. This is one of the more unusual pregnancy symptoms. Extra saliva is more common in women who have hyperemesis gravidarum (an extreme form of pregnancy sickness).
- Food cravings. As pregnancy hormones rise, you might find yourself wanting to eat only certain foods, or having weird cravings for the oddest combinations
- Non-food cravings. If you start to crave non-food items, or if you crave ice, this is a condition called pica. In some cases, pica is linked to nutritional deficiency.
Be sure to read Pregnancy Symptoms – 17 Early Signs You Might Be Pregnant for more signs of pregnancy.
7 weeks pregnant morning sickness
If morning sickness has well and truly kicked in by now, you might be wishing this part of pregnancy away.
If you experience pregnancy sickness, it will probably last until about weeks 12-16.
It’s believed the nausea is caused by rising levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin). Levels of hCG peak at around pregnancy week 8-12.
For more information, be sure to read When Does Morning Sickness Start… And End?
Here are some tips for combating nausea:
- Try eating smaller meals more often. Avoid long periods without food
- Avoid spicy, fatty foods or fried foods
- Have fizzy drinks; some women find they help
- Try ginger tea, capsules, or sweets; ginger is helpful for easing nausea
- Chew sugarless gum; the peppermint contained in gum can also ease nausea
- Eat before you get up. Keep some crackers or almonds on your bedside table, as well as in your bag, to nibble during the day
- Take vitamin B6. Don’t overdo it though – too much isn’t good either
- Try over-the-counter medications if you find morning sickness unbearable. Just don’t forget to let the pharmacist know you’re pregnant.
Different things will work for different women. You’ll have to experiment to see what works for you.
You might also like to read our article Morning Sickness – 10 Best Morning Sickness Remedies for more suggestions.
Weight gain in early pregnancy
It’s normal to have gained a few pounds already, as your body starts to lay the foundations for your developing baby. Many moms-to-be panic about weight gain so early in pregnancy, but it’s very normal and there’s no need to worry.
It’s important to remember weight gain isn’t just related to the size of your baby. You will gain weight due to extra blood flow, additional fat stores, extra fluid, and, later on, your placenta, your growing uterus, and, of course, your baby.
If you’re starting your pregnancy at a normal healthy weight, you can expect to gain between 1 and 4 pounds (0.45- 1.8 kilos) during your first trimester.
Be sure to read Why Am I Gaining Weight So Fast During Pregnancy? for more information.
7 weeks pregnant – spotting when wiping
During the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, light bleeding or spotting with no pain or cramping is fairly common. You might have noticed a pinkish-brown discharge. This is sometimes evident when you wipe after you’ve been to the toilet.
Bleeding or spotting at any point in the pregnancy can be alarming. It can be particularly worrying if you have a higher risk of miscarriage, or have experienced miscarriage previously.
However, there can be a number of reasons for this, including:
- Implantation bleeding. This occurs as the fertilized egg embeds in to the lining of the uterus and is common between week 6-8. Read more in Implantation Bleeding – Everything You Need To Know
- Increased blood flow to the cervix. Pregnancy hormones soften the cervix, making it more sensitive. It’s not uncommon to experience some light bleeding or spotting after sex
- Infection. Certain infections can also cause some light spotting or bleeding. Yeast infections (candida), or some sexually transmitted diseases can cause your cervix to be inflamed and irritable, and more prone to bleeding.
Check out Bleeding During Pregnancy – 7 Causes Of Blood Loss for more information.
7 weeks pregnant – cramping
Bleeding can be an early indicator of miscarriage, especially if associated with pain or cramping.
However, mild cramping on its own (without bleeding) is not uncommon in the first trimester, and is usually nothing to worry about.
Many pregnant women experience some cramping, often around the time, their period would have been due.
Cramping is often caused by the stretching of the ligaments that support your uterus, as your baby grows.
If you’re concerned about cramping during pregnancy, or if something doesn’t feel right, speak to your healthcare provider.
When should I be concerned about cramping or pain?
If you have pain that starts suddenly and doesn’t go away, or gets worse, seek expert advice immediately.
Sudden, severe one-sided pain can be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy, which requires urgent medical attention. An ectopic pregnancy is a serious pregnancy condition, where the embryo grows outside of the uterus.
Other signs of ectopic pregnancy are:
- One-sided abdominal pain
- vagin*l bleeding or brown watery discharge
- Pain in the tip of your shoulder
- Discomfort when peeing or pooing.
If you are concerned about any of the above symptoms (especially if you have not yet had a scan), seek professional medical advice urgently.
7 weeks pregnant belly
At 7 weeks pregnant you won’t have a baby bump just yet. Most first-time mums won’t start showing until about 12 weeks.
Women who have had babies before might start showing earlier. This is because the abdominal muscles and the muscles of the uterus are slightly more lax as they have stretched before.
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Can I lie on my stomach at 7 weeks pregnant?
At this stage of your pregnancy, if you’re comfortable lying on your belly you can continue to do so.
At 7 weeks gestation, your baby is still tucked inside the pelvis. This provides lots of protection and keeps the baby safe during this early development stage.
Lying on your stomach at this point will not put any pressure on your baby, and will not cause any harm.
Sleeping positions will become more important when you’re further into your pregnancy.
7 weeks pregnant – your baby
At week 7 your developing baby is still considered an embryo.
The small embryonic tail that is still present will soon disappear.
At 7 weeks gestation, your baby’s limb buds are starting to grow. The arm and leg joints are starting to form cartilage, and the elbows to start to form.
At this stage, the arm and leg buds look like little paddles, rather than the cute hands and feet they will soon become.
At the moment, your baby’s fingers and toes look like little ridges, but they will begin to develop into tiny digits.
By week 7, the main parts of your baby’s eyes are now developing, including the lens, iris, pupil, and retina. The eyes will be almost fully formed by week 10 of your pregnancy.
Your baby’s mouth is developing too. The lips and tongue are forming, and teeth are growing underneath your baby’s gums.
The liver is creating red blood cells and will continue to do so until baby’s bone marrow forms and takes over that task.
How big is my baby at 7 weeks?
At 7 weeks pregnant, your baby is now about the size of a blueberry. He or she now measures about 0.5 inches (1.25 cm) in length, or 0.4 inches (1.0 cm) from head to bottom.
By week 7, your uterus is now about the size of a lemon. It’s crazy to think all this development is happening in something so small.
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