Pregnancy Week 7
- Home
- Pregnancy & Birth
- Stages of Pregnancy Week by Week
- Pregnancy Week 7
Your baby's brain is developing rapidly in week seven. Get the details on the latest changes, plus advice on preparing for your first prenatal visit and bonding with your partner during your pregnancy.
How big is baby?
Your baby is now about the size of a small blueberry. Her arm buds, which formed last week, now look like paddles.
Baby's Development
Your baby is already developing amazingly distinct facial features. Dark spots mark the areas where her eyes and nostrils will be, and a little mouth and ears are starting to form, too. Your baby's brain is also growing more complex; if you could take a peek, it would be clearly visible inside the transparent skull. In fact, nerve cells in your baby's brain are growing at an amazing rate -- 100,000 cells per minute! And she's started to move in small, jerky motions, although you won't feel these movements until about your fourth month of pregnancy.
Baby Week 7
Close
Week 7 Ultrasound
During this week of the first trimester, you can see baby-to-be is developing in a bubble within the gestational sac. The bubble around the embryo is the amniotic cavity filled with amniotic fluid. This liquid environment gives your baby room to grow and develop and to move. The amniotic fluid also cushions your baby-to-be from any external pressure on the abdomen. The black area inside the head is part of the developing neural tube.
Read MoreWatch Baby's Growth
What Week 7 of Your Pregnancy is Really Like
Mom's changing body
Even though you're not starting to show yet, you may notice you've put on a few pounds and your pants are starting to feel tight. You aren't big enough for maternity clothes at this point, but you might want to start shopping for the future. Your skin may be going through some changes already, too. If you're lucky, you'll be sporting the pregnancy glow, but don't be surprised if your skin reacts to the influx of pregnancy hormones with a break-out.
Weekly Tip
Granted, it's hard to focus on other people's feelings right now -- what with having to tend to your own tummy issues -- but there's a rather selfless question you'll want to ponder: How is your partner taking all of this? Some partners are super-supportive and ecstatic, while others may feel overwhelmed by the slew of changes taking place. It's perfectly normal for yours to suddenly obsess over the family finances or fixate on the idea of moving to a bigger home. (Just call it the male version of the nesting instinct.) Chat up your guy to feel out any of his worries or concerns. Goodness knows you're going to be counting on him to do the same for you.