7 Weeks Pregnant

Key Takeaways

• Pregnancy symptoms: Nauseous? Exhausted? Moody? It’s all par for the course. Pregnancy hormones abound; they’re responsible for the less-than-fabulous symptoms you’re experiencing. Don’t worry, many of these unpleasantries taper down after the first trimester.
• Tests: Get ready for your first prenatal visit! (It’ll probably take place in another week or so.) This will be an extensive and educational visit. You may get a transvaginal ultrasound (or you might have to wait). At this point, you can usually see the embryonic heartbeat.
• Development: Baby is hard at work growing. Their brain is rapidly developing, and they’re working on forming those adorable facial features—even that little tongue!

Now that you’re 7 weeks pregnant, you’re going about your day knowing you’re expecting—but no one else can see it. So you’re probably wondering what things will be like once it’s obvious to everyone that you’ve got a baby growing in there. For now, enjoy your little secret—or, let the cat out of the bag! It’s entirely up to you!

I tried to keep my third pregnancy on the down-low because I wanted to surprise my friends and family in a fun way a bit later on. Alas, morning sickness and exhaustion kicked into full gear around 7 weeks, and I could no longer keep my mouth shut. Physically, I needed someone to help rein in my two active kiddos, and mentally, I was hoping for some support and encouragement while I slogged through the hard work of growing a baby! I blurted out the news to my loved ones over a Sunday night dinner and texted all my girlfriends a telltale picture of me vomiting into the toilet. Suffice it to say, the next day I had someone doing daycare pickup and dropoff, and a massive supply of Saltine crackers and ginger ale was delivered to my door, courtesy of my parenting community. My advice: Follow your instinct when it comes to when and how to reveal your pregnancy to others. There are no hard rules and there’s no right or wrong answer.

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Video Highlights at 7 Weeks

Baby at Week 7

How amazing is this: Your 7-week embryo is generating about 100 new brain cells each minute! In fact, their brain is already starting to form into the five main lobes and developing cranial nerves. And not only is baby’s brain becoming more complex, but their heart is too. In fact, by this point, every essential organ has started to form. The heart, brain, vascular system and intestines are all growing steadily and becoming more complex every single day. Baby even has blood pumping through their main vessels, like the heart’s vena cava vein. Also important: Baby is developing a permanent set of kidneys, and arm and leg joints are now forming as well. Plus, the tissue that will later become baby’s spine and bones has also started to take shape.

How big is baby at 7 weeks?

At 7 weeks pregnant, baby is the size of a blueberry. Your embryo measures around .4 inches, having doubled in size since last week. They don’t exactly tip the scales just yet, but they’re developing like crazy inside your 7-week pregnant belly.

What does baby look like at 7 weeks?

Baby at 7 weeks is beginning to look more and more like, well, a baby, with arms and lower leg buds appearing and starting to look a little less paddle-like with webbed hands and feet, which will eventually transform into individual fingers. And to take it one step further, baby’s elbow and knee joints are also starting to come together this week.

Baby’s features at 7 weeks

Baby is developing recognizable facial features like ears, nostrils, a mouth and a tongue which are all becoming more defined. Eyelids and eye lenses are also forming—and, while they can’t see just yet, their tiny retinas are starting to form and prepare for an entire lifetime of seeing the beautiful world around them.

7-week ultrasound

At 7 weeks pregnant, you’re gearing up for your first prenatal visit with your OB, and you’re probably desperate to know what to expect. Brace yourself to give a variety of samples (blood, urine and cervical cells for a pap smear), get an ultrasound that will confirm baby’s doing okay in there and get an estimated due date (yep, you might already have one, but the doctor may adjust it a bit based on what they see).

A 7-week ultrasound isn’t common, since many OBs don’t see their low-risk pregnancy patients until sometime between weeks 8 and 10—it depends on your health history and your doctor’s preference.

With all the waiting, your mind may be full of curiosity. You might even be wondering whether you could be expecting more than one baby. There are symptoms of twin pregnancy at 7 weeks besides seeing two gestational sacs on an ultrasound. For example, if you had a blood test to determine your pregnancy, your doctor would have found a higher level of the pregnancy hormone hCG in your blood. Some twin moms have earlier and/or more severe morning sickness (due to the hCG), and of course, moms of multiples may start to show earlier.

Can you see baby on an ultrasound at 7 weeks?

Yep, you can see a 7-week embryo on an ultrasound, and the sensors can often even detect cardiac activity at this point. However, because detecting an embryonic heartbeat this early isn’t a guarantee, most doctors wait until at least the 8th week of pregnancy for an ultrasound. That said, if you do have an ultrasound at this stage, be aware that it’s likely to be a transvaginal ultrasound, using a wand-shaped probe inserted into your vagina. (This can be surprising if you don’t know it’s standard practice!) This type of ultrasound is more accurate early on and may be more likely detect a heartbeat at 7 weeks.

7 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms

At 7 weeks pregnant, symptoms can vary from day to day—and there are plenty of them to experience. Some are no biggie, and others can make it difficult to get through the day. These are a few of the most widespread symptoms of pregnancy at 7 weeks:

Nausea

Morning sickness may be going strong. Hang in there, and try to find ways to cope. Some moms-to-be have success easing their tummy troubles with ginger, Vitamin B6 and acupressure wristbands. When your hormones become more normal in the second trimester, the nausea should decrease or even disappear. Moms-to-be who are 7 weeks pregnant with twins may be more likely to have nausea and vomiting, since they likely have heightened levels of the hormones that cause morning sickness.

Food cravings and/or aversions

Some 7 weeks pregnant symptoms are more confounding than others. You may find yourself with the urge to eat specific or even weird foods—or not wanting to go anywhere near certain foods you used to think were fine (or even delicious!). Food aversions are nature’s way of keeping you away from potentially dangerous foods and typically go hand-in-hand with morning sickness. It's okay to give in to your cravings and indulge here and there. But try not to go too crazy, and make healthy food choices when you can.

Frequent urination

If it seems like you have the urge to pee constantly, it’s not your imagination. Even though you probably don’t look pregnant yet, your uterus is rapidly growing in size, and you also have increased blood flow to your pelvis.

Acne

Breakouts are due to hormonal changes in your body. Before you use any acne-fighting products, check with your doctor to make sure they’re safe to use during pregnancy.

Extra saliva

Here’s a symptom you never expected! The excess saliva is probably also hormonally triggered and could be related to nausea too.

Mood swings

Not only are your hormones out of whack, but you're probably still getting used to the idea of being pregnant, and that can make you become extra emotional.

Cramping

At 7 weeks pregnant, cramping in is normal. After all, there’s a lot happening inside your uterus, and even though it will be several weeks before you feel baby move, you can certainly feel plenty of cramping and pulling at this point in your pregnancy.

Spotting

Your cervix may be more sensitive now that you’re pregnant, so spotting at 7 weeks could happen after sex. Spotting and cramping can be alarming, but know that in most cases, they’re not a sign of ectopic pregnancy or other types of miscarriage. If you have abdominal pain worse than typical menstrual cramps or bleeding during pregnancy at 7 weeks that’s heavier than a period, call your doctor right away.

Keep in mind that at 7 weeks pregnant, you may very well have no symptoms at all. If that’s the case, consider yourself lucky! Some moms-to-be worry that having no symptoms at 7 weeks could be a sign of a problem, but it’s absolutely not. We’ll keep reminding you that every woman experiences pregnancy slightly differently. If you have any concerns, definitely bring them up to your OB, but unless your symptoms at 7 weeks pregnant are severe or painful, it’s all likely normal.

How do you feel at 7 weeks pregnant?

Suffice it to say, whether you’re experiencing symptoms or not, you’re probably feeling a bit out of sorts. Even if you’re as excited as you could possibly be, adjusting to the idea of a pregnancy, and the lifetime of parenthood that comes with it, can be a lot. It’s okay if you feel overwhelmed or frightened, and it’s okay if you also just feel kind of blah. You have plenty of time to adjust.

Your Pregnant Belly at 7 Weeks

Caught yourself staring at your 7 weeks pregnant belly in the mirror—and even pushing it out to fake a baby bump, just to get a preview? (Yeah, I did that during week 7 too!)

Every mom-to-be is different, but many report starting to “show” in the middle of the second trimester when the uterus outgrows the pelvis. Moms-to-be who are 7 weeks pregnant with twins should expect to show earlier than that, but at this point, it’s nothing but bloating for everyone.

7 weeks pregnant is how many months?

Being 7 weeks pregnant means you’re one month and about three weeks pregnant, but keep in mind that doctors generally refer to pregnancy by week, not month.

Tips for 7 Weeks Pregnant

Here’s what you can do for yourself and baby this week:

Keep moving

Getting exercise is important for your health overall, but it can also help resolve other pregnancy symptoms. Thirty minutes of exercise per day can help boost your energy when fatigue is taking over. Just don’t start anything intense without checking in with your doctor.

Look out for weird cravings

If you find that you’re craving nonfood items like dirt or clay, talk to your doctor about a condition called pica, which is a compulsion to eat items that aren’t food and don’t have any nutritional value. Your doctor will probably test your iron and zinc levels to check for vitamin deficiency.

Be gentle with your skin

Your skin might be acting up right now, but this isn’t the time to introduce new, intense skincare regimens. Make sure you wash your skin twice daily with a gentle cleanser to combat acne and use a gentle moisturizer to combat flakiness. If you’re experiencing chloasma (dark patches on your face), use SPF 30+ regularly and wear a hat whenever you go outside.

Wins, Challenges and Wisdom

You’ve got roughly 33 more weeks to go. Sounds like a lot right now, but it really isn’t. In the meantime, if it feels like time is dragging for you, you’re not alone. Lots of moms-to-be are eager to get the show on the road, but baby still has lots of growing to do. Take comfort knowing you are in good company as you face any upcoming wins, challenges and learnings.

• Win: “I’m currently 7 weeks and 2 days pregnant. My breast tenderness has subsided drastically. But I find that I’m having more food aversions… I also still have a wicked metal taste in my mouth. But, overall, I’d say my unpleasant symptoms overall aren’t as drastic this week!” - beccahoehn
• Challenge: “I'm 7 weeks pregnant with my first child… I am getting some awful symptoms at the moment, including feeling sick pretty much 24/7 (since week 3, non-stop—I don't know how it feels to have a nice settled happy tummy anymore!), constipation, IBS going crazy, hormones going even more crazy, a strange taste in my mouth (which won't go away) and officially going off all food even though I’m starving… But, most of all, the tiredness is ridiculous! I spend most of my time either in bed or wanting to be in bed!” - kimx86
• Wisdom: “Welcome to pregnancy. You’ll be hungry, you’ll wake up at 2 a.m. and think your stomach will eat itself if you don't get a snack, you’ll also have times when eating is the last thing you feel like doing! Everyone is different … Instead of focusing on calories and obsessing over something you can't control (the needs baby puts on your body to help them grow), focus on making healthy choices and staying active.” - coffee89