Inside Your Body

Your baby is now the size of a kidney bean (about 1.6cm) and should weigh about 1g.  This week , your baby continues to develop his/her organs and systems, especially the brain and spinal cord circuitry.  What is exciting is that many of your baby’s organs will finally begin functioning.  Your baby’s brain cells, lung tissue and respiratory systems will start working.  The tail that was hanging off your baby and making it look more like a tadpole larvae than a baby, will disappear.  But the head remains oversized at about 1/3 of the baby’s body.  Your baby may be moving inside you but you will probably not notice it yet.

Your Signs And Symptoms

During this time, your breasts will begin to accumulate more tissue and become heavier, especially if it is your first pregnancy.  This is to prepare for lactation. You may also feel itchy all over your body and you may notice increased pigmentation on your face, which are due to the effects of progesterone and estrogens in your body.

Your uterus is now the size of a grapefruit and you may start feeling some pain or cramps in your lower part of your stomach.  This may occur throughout your pregnancy but will not be a cause for concern unless there is also vaginal bleeding.  Consult your doctor if you experience bleeding.

What Tests To Expect

You may be asked to undertake a few tests, most of these are simple blood tests such as complete blood count (to check your haemoglobin and number of blood cells), urinalysis to verify that you do not have any urinary infection, and antibody levels for certain viral and bacterial diseases.

You may need to undergo further tests if you’ve had the following:

1. Previous pregnancy with genetic abnormalities (like Down’s syndrome, Edward syndrome, Patau syndrome that are due to defective cell division).  Mothers who are going to have their first baby after 35 years of age are at increased risk of giving birth to babies with Down’s syndrome.
2. Positive family history of genetic diseases (like cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, thalassemia, and Tay-Sachs disease)
3. History of exposure to teratogens (like radiation, chemotherapy, acne medications)

There are optional tests for detecting genetic abnormalities in the baby.  The alternatives are as follows:

1. Nuchal translucency: a simple X-ray that is safe for your pregnancy.  This may be done between weeks 11 and 13
2. Chorionic Villus Sampling: usually done between weeks 12 and 13.  It is an invasive testing that involves taking a sample of fluid around the placenta.  However, this may increase the risk of abortion to 5%. 
3. Amniotic fluid sampling (“amniocentesis”): usually done in early 2^nd trimester. This test is a bit more aggressive than Chorionic Villus Sampling, and further increases the chance of abortion, as it involves taking fluid from the uterus where the baby resides.

As options 2 and 3 pose risks to your baby, you should consider your case and the pros and cons carefully before deciding whether to embark on any of these 2 tests.