7 Weeks Pregnant
Pregnancy Week 7 & Stage of Fetal Development

This is the beginning of pregnancy week 7. At the end of this week, you will be a complete 7 weeks pregnant (see pregnancy chart).

It's almost a full 2 months since the 40 weeks of pregnancy began. Although, it's likely you've only known you were actually going to have a baby for the last few weeks.

How are you feeling? Has morning sickness began for you yet? Still feeling really tired all the time (or maybe exhaustion is the better word)?

These and other pregnancy symptoms are normal at 7 weeks pregnant. Something to look forward to is that these symptoms will soon ease up in the beginning of the second trimester (around 13-14 weeks).

And remember that it is possible to not have any or many symptoms at all during pregnancy week 7. And that is also normal for many women.

What happens at 7 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy hormones like hCG (human Chorionic Gonadotropin) are still high and causing many of the symptoms you feel now.

Most of the hormones are still being produced by the corpus luteum (the remaining follicle that the egg came from at the beginning of week 3). When the placenta becomes mature enough it will then take over production of pregnancy hormones (usually around 10 weeks).

Your uterus is being stretched little by little as the fetus grows. But you still may not be able to see a bump yet, though you may be able to feel it soon as a small bump just at the top of your pubic bone. And you may have already gained a few pounds. Or you may have lost some weight due to nausea and vomiting.

Baby is still behind your pubic bone and most likely putting pressure on your bladder more and more as your baby has a huge growth spurt during week 7 of pregnancy. This will, obviously, cause more frequent urination. Once the little embryo grows big enough to be above the pubic bone, this symptom will ease up some. Only to return later in the third trimester when the baby's head (or bottom) is again putting pressure on your bladder.

Increased urination frequency is also due to the increased output of the blood volume that your kidneys are filtering which creates more urine.

Blood volume continues to rise to support all your organs that are working over-time for your pregnancy and to bring nourishment to your growing baby.

The thick muscular walls of your heart are relaxed by relaxin (a pregnancy hormone) which allows the heart to increase the volume of blood it contains each time it fills without having to increase the force with which it pumps the blood.

To ensure that your blood pressure doesn't rise, the walls of the blood vessels expand to hold a larger blood supply. Your blood pressure may have actually dropped some. Which is why some pregnant women have dizzy or fainting spells during the early weeks of pregnancy. This is also due to hormones, mostly progesterone.

Milk ducts in your breast are swelling in preparation for lactation (breast feeding) due to the higher levels of estrogen. And the areolas around the nipples will be larger and darker in color. And you may notice the veins in your breast getting bigger and more noticeable due to increased blood volume.

What can you do at 7 weeks pregnant

During the 7th week of pregnancy, you likely still have many questions about what you can and cannot (should or shouldn't) do for the health of your baby.

One thing you may be wondering is if it's safe to take baths during pregnancy. It's perfectly fine to take a bath while pregnant. The mucus plug, which formed in the cervix shortly after conception, helps to keep infections out of your uterus.

And later in your pregnancy, you should not take a bath if your bag of waters has broken. If you do, it can cause an infection inside of the uterus since the mucus plug has been lost which is what keeps infections from entering. If your water breaks, take showers instead.

Because recent research indicates that extremely high temperatures may harm a fetus, especially during the first trimester, the temperature of your bath water should not exceed 100°F (38°C).

This means that you should avoid hot tubs, saunas, steam baths, and over-heated home baths throughout your pregnancy and especially during the first few weeks.

Taking an aromatherapy bath is also a great way to relieve stress and some of the symptoms of pregnancy. Choose your aromatherapy oils with care and make sure to use only pure, natural essentials oils that are safe for pregnancy.

Aromatherapy essential oils safe for pregnancy:

Essential oils to avoid during pregnancy:

Fetal Development at 7 weeks pregnant
Fetal age: 5 weeks

Your baby has a huge growth spurt this week measuring about 0.5 inch (1.3cm) from head to bottom (CRL - Crown-Rump Length) by the end of this week, practically doubling is size from last week.

She still looks quite like a shrimp as her leg and arm buds grow a bit looking more like fins.  Plates at the ends of her arms and legs are forming which will later be fingers and toes.

Her heart has begun to divide into separate chambers, and can be seen as a lump from the middle of her body in an ultrasound. 

Air passages called bronchi are forming in her lungs. Her brain continues to develop and divide into separate hemispheres. Eyes continue to grow and move closer to the front of the head, though, still on the sides at this point. Her nostrils are also forming.

The intestines are developing outside of the body as part of the umbilical cord in week 7.  Her appendix and pancreas are present now.

You are now 7 weeks pregnant. With each passing week, your pregnancy is becoming more and more secure.

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