Baby's Development:

At the end of this week, the basis for your baby's brain, bone marrow and nervous system are in place.

Brain cells develop at the rate of 250000 per minute! Eyes, ears and mouth begin to form.  

Tissue begins to develop that will form the backbone and the abdominal muscles.

The baby's heart begins to beat regularly, but so far, it is at the surface of the body and not yet in the chest cavity.

Baby's Profile:        Size:       -  5 to 7 mm

                                  Weight:  -  

Her Emotions:

By now you may have already seen your gynecologist who has confirmed your pregnancy.  If you were lucky, during the exam he/she helped you to feel the little bump that is the beginnings of life.  When you went in, your emotions were bringing you close to tears (of fear/stress/tension/anticipation), but when you touch that little ball, you simply melt with joy.  This first contact with the reality of your baby is beautiful and intense... It takes a long time to come back to reality.

His Emotions:

It's good to go with your partner to the first meeting with the doctor. This is a great chance to show your involvement and to get acquainted with the gynecologist (who you would usually never meet).  Normally this first meeting is just a case of taking her weight and a quick physical examination followed by questions on last menstruation and the doctor making weird calculations with a circular piece of paper.

For those of you that want more detail....  The pelvic exam should reveal an enlarged uterus, the vulva is checked for a purplish coloration, the cervix is slightly softened and the top of the uterus (fundus) can be felt with gentle touch.  The calculating with the circular card is a standard method used that estimates the due date birth, the date of conception etc. so that a comparison can be made when you have the first scan.  The more modern method is to use our Due Date Calculators.

See Also:

Doctor visits during pregnancy. 

What to expect and how to prepare.

Useful Information:

If you have morning sickness, don't hesitate to ask the doctor for a little syrup to help, there are lots of safe treatments available but be sure that your gynecologist is the one that prescribes it.

A little trick:  When you wake up, drink a glass of water and nibble on a little biscuit before you put a foot on the floor.