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What's happening to your baby?
You may still be getting used to being pregnant, but your baby has been busy growing and has now developed into a clearly visible embryo with a distinct head and tail.
This week the brain and spinal cord grow rapidly, while dark spots will show where the eyes will be. Small indentations on each side of the head will become your baby’s ears.
Its heart is now divided into left and right chambers, and you may be able to see a flickering heartbeat if you have an early ultrasound scan. Four ‘limb buds’ will gradually lengthen and develop into your baby’s arms and legs. |
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What's happening to you?
To give your baby the best start in life, it’s important you look after yourself. Your diet not only needs to provide for your usual requirements, it also needs to provide for your growing baby’s.
Eat a variety of foods, including plenty of fruit and vegetables. You need starchy foods too, including some wholegrain options to help prevent constipation which is common during pregnancy. It’s also important to have protein rich foods, and dairy foods for calcium. And if you've any questions about your diet, speak to your midwife or call us on one of the numbers above – we're always here to help.
There are certain foods you should avoid when pregnant as they might make you ill or harm your baby. These include some types of cheeses and fish, pâté, raw shellfish, undercooked ready meals, liver products, supplements containing vitamin A, raw or partially cooked eggs and raw and undercooked meat. Read more here. |
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Folic acid supplements are really important at this stage of pregnancy. You should take a daily supplement of 400μg (micrograms) of folic acid until the 12th week and ensure you eat foods containing folate, such as green leafy vegetables, fortified breakfast cereals and pulses." And you should also take a 10μg (micrograms) supplement of vitamin D.
Anne Sidnell, Nutritionist |
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| It’s a good idea to get in touch with your GP as soon as you know you are pregnant. They can check you over and give you useful tips on diet and lifestyle. They’ll answer any questions you may have too. |
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| Keep up-to-date with your baby’s latest developments and find out how to deal with morning sickness. |
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All the best, and remember, if you’ve got any questions, we’re always here so feel free to give us a call.
The SMA Careline Team |
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