8th Week of Pregnancy: Common Symptoms

Although you are not yet showing, there's a lot going on inside your body. You may start experiencing some pregnancy symptoms this week. Learn how to manage morning sickness and other early pregnancy issues.

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Updates on week 7

For weeks, I've been worried. Daunted by irrational thoughts centered on what if's. Many thoughts were because till the day before yesterday, I had not seen my fetus. First ultrasound at 4 weeks showed no gestational sac in my uterus, because it was too early. Yesterday was filled with anxiousness and impatience as I waited to see if the fetus was nicely rooted where it was supposed to be, and a bonus would have been if I saw the heartbeat of my little one!

Everything turned out perfect! We saw the sac, and even saw a little heartbeat. Our gynae was pleased indeed, saying it was a strong heartbeat and usually at 7 weeks, a heartbeat was not as visible as that. So, I went home really happy with a first picture of our kid, who is now only about 1cm in size. so so tiny!!

Other than that, I would love to say I have not been suffering from morning sickness. But I think I am having more or less something like that. And it starts the night before. So if I go to bed even the slightest bit hungry, the next day would be..... almost horrendous! I'd wake up with gastric, and even feeling so close to vomiting. Not very nice indeed!

So most nights, I have to snack at night and go to bed soon. Because, if I stay up just a little longer, food gets digested, and that's it... I'll find myself waking up looking for crackers to munch on... =( I've lost sleep because of this... Oh how I miss sleeping nice and soundly. But the funny thing about me is, when I munch on salty stuff, it helps. However, munching on sweet stuff almost makes it worse... Sigh.

But I certainly thank God! My morning sickness is considered very mild. =D Thank God, Thank God!


On a side note, my friend Miza should've given birth to her first child 2 days ago. But so far there have been no updates. So, CONGRATS Miza!!!

Week 6

We've arrived at WEEK SIX today!!! Woo hoo!! Big accomplishment thus far!! Another 6 more to go until we've safely conquered the 1st trimester!!!

It is amazing how many organs are already formed now in my tiny tiny bub!!!

Thank You Jesus! =D

The Miracle of Life

I love talking on the bed with Justin. We're in our room, away from all distractions and all we do is just talk! Wonderful insights come from talking on the bed!

When Justin told his boss about the baby, his boss was delighted and his passion came through when he said "Do you know what it means to be able to create life?" That got me thinking. Of all the gifts God has given us, He chose to give us His greatest - the ability to create life!

Hollywood glamorizes movies on cloning and genetic engineering. But what they fail to see is the already HUGE and GREAT ability to create life that we average, sometimes below average, human beings have!

Here's a video created by a friend of a friend on the 9 months of pregnancy. You'll need to sign into Facebook to watch it. Watch it and then tell me this is not a miracle? God You never cease to amaze me! You are Wonderful!

9 Months of Pregnancy Video

Week 4

How Big is the Baby at Four Weeks Pregnant?
Your baby at 4 weeks is still incredibly miniscule, about .014 to .04 inches long. That is roughly the equivalent to 1/2 to 1mm long, which isn't very long at all. Your baby will however slowly start changing by 4 weeks pregnant so that she starts resembling more of a small tadpole with eyes than an egg. That is quite an accomplishment for your little bean!

Your Baby's Growth and Development
Your baby will be implanting furiously during pregnancy week 4 into the uterine lining, to ensure that she has a safe and secure home for the next nine months. Fetal development by and large is still in the earliest stages at this point in time. By now the blastocyst or ball of cells that is your baby will be imbedding deeper and deeper into the lining of the uterus. The amniotic cavity is forming and the placenta is starting to form.

As you continue to grow and expand during your pregnancy week by week, the placenta will help nourish and support your baby during the nine months of pregnancy. It consists of vascular networks and blood from your body that helps transport oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. There are several different layers of cells developing in your body, which will eventually develop into your baby's organs and other body parts. Other layers will form the nervous system including the brain.

A pregnancy of 4 weeks is often noted as the beginning of the embryonic period. During your pregnancy at 4 weeks, your baby's organs will start developing. The early weeks of pregnancy are considered a critical time of development. Any exposure to harmful substances during pregnancy week 4 or later in the first trimester is most likely to cause damage to or harm your developing fetus. It is extremely important that you do everything possible to try to avoid exposure to any potential pollutants or toxins during this time. You should inform your healthcare practitioner if you are exposed to any potentially hazardous substances that might affect your baby's development.

Remember that the most common substances implicated in fetal deformities or malformations are common toxins such as alcohol and tobacco. Substance abuse of any type can also be harmful to an unborn fetus. If you have an addiction, you should talk with your healthcare provider immediately so they can help you determine the best way to proceed. Your healthcare provider will likely direct you to some support groups so that you can change your habits during this highly important time in your life.

Your Growth and Development
By the end of 4 weeks pregnant you would normally expect your period to arrive. If it does not there is a good chance you might be pregnant!

During the early weeks of pregnancy before the placenta is fully formed, an area of your ovary forms what is called the corpus luteum. This generally occurs at the site where your egg is released from the follicle. The corpus luteum is believed to produce progesterone during the early weeks of pregnancy. The placenta actually starts producing the majority of progesterone your body needs to carry a pregnancy typically by about 12 weeks.

Changes in You
You might actually start realizing some changes 4 weeks pregnant. Some women start to feel a little bit tired during pregnancy at 4 weeks, which is not a surprise given the remarkable work your body is performing to support your new baby! Many women liken the symptoms they are feeling during this stage to those they feel around the time of menstruation. You may in fact experience during pregnancy at 4 weeks nothing other than some menstrual symptoms, including a bit of nausea and even some cramping. Believe it or not, some women cramp very badly during this time and are absolutely positive that they are about to get their period, only to find that they are actually pregnant a week or so later.

Many women will be able to find out if they are pregnant by 4 weeks pregnant. A home pregnancy test is sufficient for determining whether or not you are pregnant. If you take a test and find that you are pregnant, you should call your healthcare provider to set up your first prenatal visit. Chances are they won't want to see you for a few more weeks yet, but it is important nonetheless to schedule your visits. Your healthcare provider can also prescribe a prenatal vitamin if you aren't already taking one.

Some women are disappointed to find that their pregnancy test comes back negative. Give it some time however. Some women don't produce enough pregnancy hormones right away in order for a standard test to detect a pregnancy.

Journal Entry 1

I am around 4ish weeks pregnant now. No signs of morning sickness (Thank you God!). My only symptoms are abdominal cramps [like those pre-menstrual cramps just stronger and long lasting] and swollen breasts. This one's not really funny, cause I can't bounce down the stairs like I normally do, they hurt! But I really thank God for these and only these!! Other friends I know are having horrid morning sickness. So if cramps and swollen/tender breasts are all I get, I am Perfectly Content, Happy, and Thankful!

Cramps are more on the strong side this morning. Lethargy is kicking in. We jokingly say the hike has begun. Because the amount of work a preggy woman's body does now is liken to that of a mountain hike!

Hubby is at work this Saturday morning. So I have the house to myself. Was supposed to have house cleaning today, but the all-wonderful-all-loving hubby said no and that I should rest. =) So I have my laptop and some music he downloaded for me to accompany me in this beautiful, slow, and cooling Saturday morning. After the past 2 weeks of anxiousness, finally I'm finding relaxation today. Time to reflect, time to just enjoy God's presence. Time to be me. And I find myself in tears. It's the sheer knowledge that we were given this precious precious gift. God grace is indeed amazing. All I caught myself saying was "Thank You God. Thank You."

I know we're not in this alone. The one who enabled this is and will forever be by our side. Oh God YOU are amazing!

Themes

Justin says I'm sentimental. I agree. Which was why it was absolutely important and significant to finding just the right Bible verse and theme for the wedding. I personally believed that that theme would be the theme of our marriage and everything pertaining to it.

Grace: Exceeding, Abundant, Above & Beyond was our theme. And since we've come together, I've seen how profound and true this theme has been. God's grace has indeed been so much more than everything we ever dared dream. We are who we are, and where we are because of God's grace. Nothing else. Not by human endeavor, but by His will. Not by our intellect (or little of it) but because of His mercies.

But although the nicely written themes are there, it is a challenge holding on to the themes and just letting God be God. I worry too much, and by doing that, take my focus off of His majesty and power.

The one thing that has been keeping me awake since we found out about the pregnancy were worries - what if the baby is not healthy? what if he/she is disabled? what if I'm having an ectopic pregnancy? What if I'm not a good enough mother? That among many others.

No, I didn't get the voice that I sometimes get. No, there was no miraculous scripture popping out of the pages. There was no quick fix this time. All I got was the gentle nudge to trust Him no matter what. To exercise maturity, and stand firm on who God is, not on what may go wrong. To turn my sight to his Majesty, and my focus on the Great and Good God He is.

He is ALL powerful, Mighty, Love, Gracious, Merciful. HE IS GOD!

I don't know how the few months will be. I don't know how these 9 months will end. I don't know anything pass today. But I know who holds my hand, and I know who calms the fiercest of storms. I know my God, and He knows me.

In HIM, all things hold together

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together - Colossians 1:17 NIV

Before we got married, things on the discussion list included 'having children'. I was very vocal about wanting to have kids - 2 in fact. And my then, dear hubby-to-be, often replied with a nice obliging smile. We'd talk about how we'd raise our kids, what values we'd like to instill, how we'd teach him/her to put God first, to love God, and to serve Him.

But the general understanding was that there was to be a 2 years gap before the baby for us to get used to each other, build a strong foundation for our family, and enjoy each others' company. However, somewhere between the engagement period and 2-3 months after we got married, a miscommunication came about: on my side of the fence, the 2 years meant, baby would be born somewhere nearing our 2 years of marriage; for Justin, it meant baby "production" would start after 2 years of marriage. Long story short, we discussed and decided that we'd start baby production this July after coming back from Aussie. That time, masters would be done, we'd just returned from a wonderful holiday, so our bodies and minds would've been seemingly relaxed and ready for baby production! What a beautiful and perfect plan right?

So ever since we got married, we've been very careful. Diligently counting fertile dates, and staying away from them. It has worked marvelously! Kudos kudos to us! But last month, my cycle decided to go haywire, and ovulation came MUCH earlier. That was it. 2 weeks down, I felt weird.... somehow felt that I was pregnant. Of course to my logic-driven hubby, it was just me being paranoid. So we bought a pregnancy testing kit (PTK) and it came out negative. Justin had a smug victorious face, kinda like... "phew, that was close!". While I was more disapointed than happy. So life went on as usual, until 3 weeks after that when my period didn't come and I really started feeling weird. So I bought 2 tests. Last Saturday (28/2/09) night after dinner, I took the test, peed into a cup, and dipped it in. I watched as the PTK soaked up the urine, and went through the test region, all I saw was watermarks, nothing else. Disapointed, I packed up everything and tossed them in the trash. Turned around to get the PTK, and saw 2 lines... one control line and a faint test line... My heart must've stopped as I yelled, DARLING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fast forwarding the story, we concluded that since that was a cheap PTK, it could've been a mistake. Next morning, we tested with a ClearBlue PTK. This time, Justin was the one who handled the dipping. And the positive mark was superbly clear and dark. We stared at it, studied it, studied the box, studied it again... and all we could say was... "wow..... wow...... wow".

Met the gynae yesterday (wednesday, 1/4/09) and it was confirmed - WE'RE PREGNANT!!! But we couldn't see the embryo yet as it's still tiny. So till date, I'm 5 weeks along! Scheduled to go back in 3 weeks to check if the embryo is properly rooted in the uterus where it's supposed to be. I announced to my family and a few close friends yesterday and some didn't believe because of the irony of April 1st. Sigh.

Due date is approx 4th Dec 2009. And I thought posting on the blog will be a good way to announce this. =D

So to those who are concerned about us, we'll need your support. For those who worry if we can handle this, we say, we have God on our side - our Maker, rock, and teacher.

The Beginnings

This blog was inspired by a dear friend -Miza, who is at the end of her preggers' journey. Great place to journal about the now overwhelming yet thoroughly exciting journey.