Week 8: Farting too much? Here’s why

By the eighth week of your pregnancy things are really starting to speed up in the growth department for Baby and they are literally changing every day. So are you, even if no one has really noticed too much yet.

Your Baby in Week 8 of Pregnancy

So where is Baby’s development at this week? They will certainly have grown, graduating from blueberry sized to raspberry sized at least. From this week on however growth will begin to vary significantly from baby to baby. Why? Because as will be the case once they are born, babies grow at different rates and in different ways even when they are still in the womb.

A fetus will go through growth spurts in the same way that a child does. On average growth will continue at the rate of about a millimeter a day right now by that does not always refer to their length. One day the growth might come in their arms, the next day in their legs. There is a lot left still to form and develop at this will occur at slightly different rate in every pregnancy.

What else is new? A close up review reveals a far more baby-like appearance, the tadpole type look is fading away. The upper lip is beginning to form this week and the nose is looking far more like a ‘real nose’. Their eyes are developing very thin eyelids and the fingers and toes are beginning to separate and differentiate and the webbed appearance is becoming a thing of the past as well.

By now Baby’s heart is working wonderfully well, beating at about 150 beats per minute, which is about twice as fast as yours but perfectly normal. The space Baby has to live in is also getting larger with amniotic fluid being produced to protect them at the rate of about two tablespoons a week. Although you can’t feel it right now, Baby is also starting to move just a tiny little bit, just little spasms in their little arms and legs as they continue to grow.

Your Body in Week 8 of Pregnancy

The raspberry sized guest in your womb is probably not making too much of a difference to your external appearance just yet but they, together with a uterus that will have expanded from the size of a small fist to the size of a good sized orange, will make your regular clothes start to feel a little tight. It is probably not time to start wearing maternity clothes just yet but ditching very tight waistbands will make you feel better.

Most Mums to be do start to become very concerned with their appearance right now and the thought that your favourite jeans might not fit you for too much longer can be a surprisingly sad one.

Wanting to look as nice as possible while you are expecting isn’t vanity, it is perfectly normal. Fortunately more and more clothes designers are realizing this and creating comfortable maternity clothes that have style and do not resemble tents. If you are not feeling so great indulge yourself a little and go and have a look at some of them, even if you do not need them just yet.

Probable New Pregnancy Symptoms in Week 8 of Pregnancy

Nausea and pregnancy sickness are still an issue for most Mums to be this week and for many it is getting worse instead of better. The tiredness is often getting worse as well as you find yourself dozing off in places you never usually would – like sitting in front of your computer at work. The only solace you can take is that you are whipping through your first trimester and all of this should improve after you pass that twelve week mark.

There are also likely to be some new symptoms to deal with this week too (sorry)

Flatulence – AKA farting. This is one of those pregnancy symptoms that is just hugely embarrassing for Mums to Be and the problem may really kick in this week. The problem is that there has been an increase in a hormone called relaxin in your body.

This is a very helpful hormone and you will really be glad it is there when you are in labor as it relaxes muscles and stops them from getting too tense. Right now though it is also relaxing the muscles in your digestive tract, leading to the flatulence you simply cannot control. The best you can do? Apologize if you are in company or blame it on the dog are two options, but if you make an effort to relax when you eat it can help as well. Tension can lead you to swallow more air with the food, which only makes the problem worse.

Increased Vaginal Discharge – Another side effect of all the extra estrogen in your system is the increase in a milky white discharge called leukorrhea. This substance however is the body’s defense against infection in the birth canal so you should never douche it away.

Headaches – Many Mums to Be start to experience more and more nagging headaches. Some are down to fatigue and others are simply a by product of all those pesky extra hormones again! You do have to be careful about what you do to try to get rid of a headache though.

The only headache remedy that doctors consider even vaguely OK at this point is acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen are not recommended for pregnant women. Relaxation techniques can help a lot too though (in general actually) so try a few of them as well.

Emotions – Your emotions will start to run a bit wild now. One minute you might be laughing and the next minute you find yourself in floods of tears and you have no idea why. You may also have very little patience with other people sometimes and develop a tendency to snap at the slightest little thing anyone – especially your hubby – does. You are not going crazy though, it is all the fault of those hormones (again.)

Pregnancy Tip for Your Eighth Week – Go and Get a Massage – As long as you choose a practitioner who has specialist expertise in pregnancy massage then treating yourself to a massage can be an amazing gift to give yourself right now and actually at any time going forward from here. Massage releases muscle tensions, eases all kinds of aches and pains and is simply a wonderfully relaxing way to spend an hour. Find a good masseur or masseuse and book a block of sessions, you deserve the treat and the benefits massage offers will help a lot in the coming weeks and months.

For Dad – Every dad to be will have heard stories about hormonal pregnant ladies but they are still often not quite prepared fro the effects of raging hormones on their lovely partner until they have to experience them first hand. And it can be quite hard to stay calm when it seems like that half the time you cannot do anything right even when you are trying really hard to be helpful and understanding.

Developing a thicker skin helps (it really is the hormones talking) as does refining a skill that some men tend to lack at times, the ability to listen!