Strange proportions
Your baby is now 1.5 cm long and is starting to look more and more like a miniature person. But as you can see, this teeny-tiny person has very strange proportions: the head is still quite large relative to the upper body, and much bigger than the lower body. But the body will sort itself out more and more, and the start of what will become arms, legs and feet are clearly visible now. The uterus is filled with activity; the baby is constantly moving around and rests only for brief moments at a time. Movement impulses from the brain are now reaching all the way out to the arms and legs, and signals are sent via the nervous system to the muscles, instructing them in what to do. At the same time, information is also sent back to the brain from the body’s outer parts. The fact that the baby can move now is important for further development of the muscles and joints. You won’t be able to feel these movements yet, but they’re happening. The sense organs also begin to develop this week, and the most important internal organs – all to the regular beat of the heart. We also get to celebrate that the placenta is now self-sufficient when it comes to hormones.
Superhuman sense of smell?
Have you noticed that you’re having stronger-than-usual reactions to smells, and you suddenly can’t stand your favourite scents? You can thank hormones for that. Unfortunately, you just have to accept it and try to avoid smells that make you uncomfortable, and remember that it will mostly pass. Maybe you’re feeling a stinging sensation, and something resembling mild menstrual pain? That’s your growing uterus, which is now the size of an orange and stretching the ligaments. While it still might not be visible from the outside that a little life is growing inside of you, your baby is getting bigger all the time and taking up more space. If you do bleed a little during the first trimester of pregnancy, it might be nice to know that this is fairly common and absolutely doesn’t have to mean you’re about to miscarry. But if you have lasting or increasing pain in conjunction with bleeding, then contact your medical provider. Are you enjoying keeping your pregnancy a secret? Many people feel it’s a little too early to tell their friends and family that they’re expecting. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not full of questions or considerations – so talking with other people in our parent chat who are in the same situation might be nice.
Moodiness
It’s completely normal for your partner to experience mood swings during pregnancy, due to the hormonal changes underway in the body. And it isn’t easy to be in a great mood all the time when you’re feeling tired and nauseous. Maybe you’ve gone through pregnancy yourself and remember how it felt – with highs and lows? If this is your first baby, you simply need to try to be understanding of the fact that this is a challenging period and you just have to get through it. Talk about the best ways for you to be there for your partner and help out. Anxiety is common during pregnancy. Not just about the baby, but also that something might happen to you, as a partner. It may seem irrational, but that’s part of the preparations of becoming a parent. To try to soothe that worry, talk to each other about it. Maybe there are some things that can wait, if they’re causing unnecessary anxiety?
