You are 8 weeks pregnant

Your baby

Your baby’s heart already has four chambers - and blood is circulating throughout the body. Arteries and veins are forming, and the intestines have moved within the umbilical cord, which will...Read more

Your body

Holy heartburn! Indigestion and bloating are common complaints of pregnancy -symptoms that are caused by a slowed digestive process, which actually allows your body to better absorb nutrients that ...Read more

Your life right now

Got weight gain on the brain? Concerned about putting on the ‘right’ amount of pregnancy pounds? Every mum-to-be wants to gain weight. Typically you’re aiming for that 25- to 35-p...Read more

Mums like me

Morning sickness: ‘To relieve it, I chew peppermint gum. Anything peppermint helps take that edge off for me!’- mummy_2_n_angel

Your baby’s heart already has four chambers - and blood is circulating throughout the body. Arteries and veins are forming, and the intestines have moved within the umbilical cord, which will later migrate back into your little one’s abdominal cavity (odd but true). Just after the end of this week you may see the beginnings of toe rays - what will eventually become her 10 little piggies.

The external ears are starting to present and the baby’s brain continues to rapidly develop and enlarge. Other fascinating happenings: The sex organs are forming, although there’s no obvious external sign of gender yet. And your baby can make tiny movements such as twitching her trunk and limb buds. Don’t get too excited, though. These early ‘movements’ are not yet perceptible.

Holy heartburn! Indigestion and bloating are common complaints of pregnancy -symptoms that are caused by a slowed digestive process, which actually allows your body to better absorb nutrients that reach your baby. Feeling the burn? All puffed up?

Try wearing loose-fitting clothes (not frumpy sweats, by any means - just stuff that’s not skin-tight), eating small, frequent meals, chewing your food thoroughly and avoiding fatty and spicy foods. And sip lots of water! Just a reminder: Don’t go popping any pills - even an antacid - without talking to your doctor first and making sure the medication is safe for you to take.

Got weight gain on the brain? Concerned about putting on the ‘right’ amount of pregnancy pounds? Every mum-to-be wants to gain weight. Typically you’re aiming for that 25- to 35-pound recommended gain (more if you’re underweight or carrying multiples and less if you’re overweight). But if you’ve been dealing with a bad case of morning sickness, nausea or food aversions, at this stage you may actually find yourself down a few pounds, rather than up - and, naturally, be concerned. On the flip side, you may worry that you’ve gained more weight than you should this early on.

These types of weight blips usually work themselves out and are often nothing to worry about. Many women go through growth spurts - where they put on several pounds rapidly, but then level off and may not gain as much. And while your doctor will want to monitor any weight loss during your first trimester and throughout your pregnancy, usually it’s completely harmless - and you’ll notice that once your appetite returns in your second and third trimesters, you’ll make up for it. (That’s when the majority of weight gain happens, anyway.)

Morning sickness: ‘To relieve it, I chew peppermint gum. Anything peppermint helps take that edge off for me!’- mummy_2_n_angel