Week 8 of Pregnancy: What's Going On Inside

Overview

Pregnancy can be exciting, mysterious, and exhausting. During pregnancy, your body does a ton of work to support the growth of your baby. And even though you can't feel it yet, your baby is growing and changing very fast.

Wondering what your baby looks like at 8 weeks? Your baby is now about the size of an olive. Average baby length is 0.5 in. (12.7 mm).

How your baby is changing

Here are some of the important facts and developments around 8 weeks.

• At this stage, a baby is called an embryo. An embryo starts out looking like a tiny seed, and then like a tadpole with a tail.
• At 6 weeks of pregnancy, embryos have the beginnings of a brain, eyes, ears, heart, lungs, liver, and other organs. They have tiny bumps where their arms and legs will grow.
• By 8 weeks of pregnancy, embryos have webbed fingers and arms that bend at the elbow. Their legs and feet will take a little more time to grow. Their muscles will soon start working. Their heart and brain have divided into their major parts.