Pregnancy week 8

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This the 8th week of my pregnancy.  According to Babycentre.co.uk:

This week the embryo now measures about 1.6cm. The embryonic tail is just about gone, and all organs, muscles and nerves are beginning to function.

In the brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. The hands now bend at the wrist, and feet are starting to lose their webbed appearance. Eyelids cover more of the eyes and tastebuds are forming on the tongue.

Supporting the growth of Sticky Bean, who is doubling in size week by week takes it’s toll- I am still exhausted and just want to sleep 10-12 hours a day.

However, the marked difference from a week ago is that my sleeps are now disturbed. I am up once or twice a night for quick visit to the little girls’ room. The wakings are generally preceded by the most bizarre realistic dreams. One night I woke to just starting to throw up, because I had seen & “smelt” some excrement in my dream. (Just made the bathroom in time!)

Sleeping lots has helped with managing the mood swings- Dragonlady has been locked up in the ivory tower.  On the other hand, sleeping lots combined with the waves of nausea that overcomes me also means I don’t get half as much done as I would like to. I am behind on lots of chores and my to do list grows.

At one point in the week I was a little concerned with the amount of sleep I felt I needed (it was never this bad in the previous two pregnancies), so I put a quick call into the GP.  She, however, reassured me that it was completely normal, it is the bodies way of forcing us to slow down and stop burn out, protecting both the mother and the embryo.  So I’ll just give into it!

In an effort to manage the nausea, thought to be linked to the drop in blood sugar levels, I always have some snacks in my handbag now. I got some great tips last weeks and am giving them a try. Ginger biscuits are great, as are fizzy drink and squash. They help bridge the time between main meals.

I am finding that eating less at main meals and cutting back on spicy food helps with managing the nausea too. (Even though I crave the spicy foods)

A nice benefit of pregnancy: My cleavage is becoming more impressive by the day. This week I have grown a bra size. In an effort to avoid stretch marks from such sudden growth I am using Bio-Oil. I used this in the previous 2 pregnancies and it sort of worked. My set of underwired bras are heading to the bottom of the drawer I am sad to say. It will be time to go out and look for a new stock of decent pregnancy and breastfeeding bras. I am not looking forward to that, as I have never found any nice looking and comfortable ones.

My pregnancy weight gain is still a weight loss of 1.5 kgs- I am eating more healthily and not as much due to the nausea.  There is nothing conscious in this, just following the cues from my body and trying to cope.

Well, that’s my pregnancy week 8 in a nutshell.  More next week…

Can you recommend any nice pregnancy/ breastfeeding bras? Did you buy your online or in a shop?

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Missed week 7?