Pregnancy week 8: the baby is moving — you just can't feel it yet

The first movements only machines can see

This week's scan sometimes shows something that startles first-time viewers — the tiny body twitches. The baby has started moving.

These are electrical rehearsals — nerves and muscles introducing themselves, nothing intentional yet. You can't feel them; that needs eighteen-twenty weeks, when the baby is big enough to reach the wall of the womb.

For you this is a paperwork week — but this paperwork carries the next seven months. The dating scan and the full first-test round both sit in this window.

Your baby this week

The embryo is rajma-sized — past a centimetre and a half. The tail is nearly gone; the shape is recognisably human now.

Fingers are separating — hands first, feet following. Eyelids are forming (they'll seal shut until month six). The outer ear is taking shape.

Inside, everything is either built or on the assembly line — the heart is heading for four chambers, kidneys are placed, and bones are still soft cartilage, hardening gradually.

Changes in your body

The uterus has grown from a fist to a large orange. Nothing shows outside — but if the waistband pinches a little, that's why.

Urination steps up again — the growing uterus sits right on the bladder. Don't treat it by drinking less; low fluids invite urine infections, which are a genuine pregnancy problem.

Nausea and fatigue hold their line — the descent usually starts around week nine or ten. For anyone thinking 'I'm just weak': this is construction season, not weakness.

What to do this week

Get the dating scan — the 8-13 week window gives the most accurate date, and that date anchors the NT scan, the anomaly scan and the sugar test. Not a put-off-able item.

Complete the first test round: haemoglobin, group and Rh, sugar, thyroid, HIV, hepatitis B, syphilis, urine. If Rh-negative comes back, no panic — it just needs to be on the file; there's an injection for it at week 28.

If iron hasn't started, ask and start — never with tea or milk; with water or lemon water, an hour clear of meals. If it upsets the stomach, try it at night.

Every test date and result goes onto the MCP card. Government or private, the card travels with you — it is your portable file.

Week 8 at a glance

The week's essentials in one place. Your doctor may adjust these for your situation.

When to see a doctor at once

Bleeding and cramps: unchanged — same-day doctor. Add the urine-infection trio: burning, frequent small volumes, fever — same-day, because in pregnancy it isn't left untreated.

For anyone with pre-existing diabetes, BP, thyroid disease or epilepsy who hasn't yet seen a doctor — this week isn't 'early'; it's the last bell before late. Chronic-condition pregnancies are monitored differently from day one.

This article is general information only and no substitute for personal medical advice. The person who can advise you knowing your health, your medicines and your previous pregnancies is your obstetrician, or the doctor at your nearest health centre.

Work out your due date

Enter the first day of your last period and your cycle length — your estimated due date, this week's count and the anomaly scan window all appear right here.

It is only an estimate — most babies aren't born on the exact date. A first-trimester scan dates a pregnancy more accurately; in the end, your doctor's date is the one that counts.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Will the dating scan be external or internal? — At this stage often internal (transvaginal) — the embryo is small and this sees clearly. It is safe and does not harm the pregnancy.

Q: The scan date differs from my period date — which wins? — The scan's, if they differ by more than a week. The early scan becomes the official date; don't carry two dates around.

Q: Do repeated scans harm the baby? — Medical ultrasound has no demonstrated harm. There's also no reason to scan without indication — as many as the doctor orders is the right number.

Q: The iron turns my stool black — stop it? — The black is normal iron, not damage. For constipation, add water and fibre and tell the doctor — a brand or timing change usually settles it. Quietly stopping is the first step toward anaemia.