Bean at 8 weeks - 22-28 March

We have our first appointment on Monday which is exciting and scary at the same time. Can't wait to hear that everthing is okay. Someone at work just lost her baby after about 10 weeks so am very nervous still. This week started with a bang though as I can now say that I truly know what morning sickness is. Lasts all morning and is absolutely horrific. Every day is different, so I have no idea when I wake up what it is going to be like. At least it means things are happening I guess. Very difficult not to tell people but definitely want to wait at least till we get the all clear from the doctor.

Bean at 7 weeks - 15-21 March

Back home and nausea has changed from the evenings to 3 shorts bursts a day. Nothing too hectic and otherwise I feel like I'm just along for the ride. Feel like I should be putting in more effort in bean's development but guess apart from eating right, drinking lotsa water and excercising, bean is going to do it all on his/her own.

Now almost half an inch long roughly the size of a raspberry, your baby has elbow joints and distinct, slightly webbed fingers and toes. In his oversized head, both hemispheres of his brain are developing. His teeth and the inside of his mouth are forming, and his ears continue to develop. Eyelid folds partially cover his tiny peepers and the tip of that nose you'll be tweaking someday is emerging. His skin is paper-thin, and his veins are clearly visible. Your little one also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. His liver is busy producing red blood cells, and a loop of your baby's growing intestines is bulging into his umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from his tiny body. Your baby still appears to have a small tail (actually, it's an extension of his tailbone), but it will disappear in the next few weeks.
You can't feel his gyrations yet, but your little jumping bean is moving in fits and starts around his watery home.

Bean at 6 weeks 8-14 March

Going away with my parents and sister to Baviaanskloof but luckily the 9 hour drive didn't cause too much nausea. I have had some cramps on and off for the last weeks but won't worry unless I have to. Nausea starting a little bit mostly in the evenings. Had a lovely time away but missed J and sharing the little preggie things with him. Can't believe bean has a heart already!

Your baby's heart is growing and dividing into the right and left chambers. But the most exciting part is that her tiny heart is now beating (at a speedy 100 to 130 beats a minute) and pumping blood throughout her body. The cells that will make up all of your baby's body parts and systems are dividing furiously as her body begins to take shape. Right now she's about the size of a small lentil bean (4 to 5 millimeters across).
If you could see through your uterine wall, you'd find an overlarge head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils will be. Shallow pits on the sides of her head mark her developing ears, and her arms and legs appear as protruding buds. Her hands and feet look like paddles, with thick webbing between the developing digits, but her fingers and toes will soon become more distinct. Below the opening that will later be your baby's mouth, there are small folds where her neck and lower jaw will eventually develop. (Inside, her tongue and vocal cords are just beginning to form.) Your baby's intestines are developing, and tiny breathing passages are beginning to appear where her lungs will be. She's also starting to build muscle fibers and, halfway through this week, she'll likely start moving her tiny limbs. Be patient: You'll probably have to wait until you're several weeks into your second trimester before you get to enjoy feeling your baby's calisthenics.

Bean at 5 weeks - 1-7 March

I immediately called Dr. Puzey on Monday morning who confirmed that I was probably 5 weeks pregnant and set up an appointment for about 8 weeks - 26 March - I can't wait. Still no symptoms but hard to keep it quiet at work. Want to shout it from the rooftops but will wait till 12 weeks.


Your baby is about the size of a sesame seed, and he looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. The big development this week: Your baby's brain is beginning to grow! It develops from the neural tube (a structure that will also spawn your baby's spinal cord, nerves, and backbone). If you've heard the recommendation to take folic acid to prevent neural tube defects, you can see why it's so important. Your baby is now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm — that will later form his organs and tissues. Your baby's neural tube develops in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to his skin, hair, nails, tooth enamel, and mammary and sweat glands. His heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer, or mesoderm. The mesoderm will also form your baby's muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue. The third layer, or endoderm, will give rise to his lungs, intestines, and rudimentary urinary system, as well as his thyroid, liver, and pancreas. In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to your baby, are already on the job.