8 Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms, Belly Pictures & More (2024)

FAQs

What should my belly look like at 8 weeks pregnant? ›

While your babe isn't exactly causing you to show yet, chances are your clothes are feeling a little tight around the tummy. That's because your uterus, usually the size of a fist, has grown to the size of a large grapefruit by week 8 of pregnancy. Admittedly, that's still pretty small.

Your pregnancy at 8 weeks. During week 8 of your pregnancy, the fetus is growing rapidly in all directions and has started to move. You may experience symptoms like mild pelvic cramping and morning sickness. At this stage, your baby's vital organ systems continue to grow, and the amniotic fluid increases.

8 weeks pregnant: What to expect

You may start to feel bloated, and your breasts may start to grow. Baby's unique facial features continue to develop, along with all of their inner workings and organs. Morning sickness may still happen this week.

Don't expect to see too much of a belly bump at two months pregnant. At this stage, your body probably won't look dramatically different. (Read more about when you might start showing.) What you might notice, though, is that in addition to some sensitivity and soreness, your breasts may look fuller.

Key Takeaways at 8 Weeks Pregnant

Is it your imagination, or is that an itty-bitty baby bump? It might be! You could also be experiencing the consequences of early-pregnancy bloat. Either way, it's possible you may need to size up on your pants!

Following the 12-week mark, the uterus expands to accommodate the growing baby, making the belly feel harder instead of soft [1]. On the other hand, a fat belly is softer and you'll also tend to see fat layers on the stomach rather than a protruding belly with a smooth dome as you would with a pregnant belly [1].

It's typically not until a woman is six weeks pregnant that any part of the fetus is visible, which allows the doctor to determine whether a pregnancy will be viable. Because of this, it's important that women understand what information their ultrasound can and cannot provide at certain times during their pregnancy.

Consistent Growth Patterns. Good growth and development is the surest manner to keep track that your foetus is developing into a healthy baby. Having regular antenatal care helps your healthcare practitioner to plot your baby's development and ensure that growth milestones are being achieved.

You at 8 weeks

You're probably feeling tired. Your breasts might feel sore and enlarged, and you're probably needing to pee more often than usual. You'll probably have missed your second period.

Baby development at 8 weeks

These first movements are more like spontaneous twitches and stretches. They start at about 7 to 8 weeks and are visible on ultrasound. You won't feel your baby move until sometime between 16 and 22 weeks, though. Until then, your baby's movements aren't strong enough for you to notice.

How tired are you at 8 weeks pregnant? ›

People who usually need only 6 hours of sleep at night often find they need nearly double that during these first weeks of pregnancy. And for others, daytime tiredness is paired with trouble sleeping deeply. Or having trouble sleeping for more than a few hours at night.

Your OB/GYN or midwife will calculate your due date using your LMP (although this date can be inaccurate), a check of your cervix and uterus for signs and approximate gestational age of the pregnancy, your hCG levels, and, most likely, an ultrasound. You'll chat about yourself and your baby.

During the first trimester

It is normal for the lower abdomen to appear more swollen and harder than when you were not pregnant. What to do: Because this is a normal finding, no specific treatment is required. If the hard belly sensation becomes very uncomfortable, you should report it to your OBGYN.

First-time moms usually start showing sometime between 12 and 18 weeks. In a BabyCenter poll, most women expecting their first child said they started to show between 12 and 18 weeks, very closely followed by those who said that their bump emerged between 18 and 24 weeks.

Typically, though, you won't have a baby bump in your first trimester — especially if it's your first pregnancy. You'll likely notice the first signs of a bump early in the second trimester, between weeks 12 and 16.

A lot of women choose to announce their pregnancy at the end of the first trimester because the risk of miscarriage is greatly reduced and their pregnancy “bump” may no longer be easy to hide. Of course, announcing at the 12-week mark isn't required and the choice is entirely up to you.

In early pregnancy, you might get some harmless light bleeding, called "spotting". This is when the developing embryo plants itself in the wall of your womb. This type of bleeding often happens around the time your period would have been due.

Typically, your bump becomes noticeable during your second trimester. Between 16-20 weeks, your body will start showing your baby's growth. For some women, their bump may not be noticeable until the end of the second trimester and even into the third trimester. The second trimester starts in the fourth month.