7 Weeks Pregnant: Pregnancy Constipation

Baby is in the midst of a gigantic growth spurt and has doubled in size since last week to about a half-inch in length. From a lentil to a black bean. Your little black bean is now equipped with tiny, flailing, paddle-like hands and feet best suited to his current aquatic environment. Rest assured those paddles will convert to hands and feet featuring fingers and toes suited to land mammals. Eyes, ears, mouth and nose continue to develop along with the beginning of her umbilical cord, through which she will take nourishment from you. Baby also has an ever developing brain, heart, lungs, liver, intestinal tract, appendix and pancreas.

Pee much? Your blood volume has already increased by 10% since you became pregnant and your kidneys are working overtime to process all the extra fluid. As your uterus grows and presses increasingly on your bladder you may consider strapping on an adult diaper in a desperate attempt to make it through the night uninterrupted. Consider this: all that night waking is good training for the first year or two of baby’s life.

Your growing uterus (it’s doubled in size already!) might also be causing you other forms of, um... gastrointestinal discomfort. Welcome to pregnancy constipation! Bloating, gas, constipation, indigestion and heartburn are common. Eating small meals frequently can help and you may find certain foods aggravate your pregnancy constipation more than others. Changes in appetite, fatigue and nausea might all be contributing to weight gain or loss – either is normal. Eat healthily and according to your appetite. At this point you don’t need many more calories than you did before you were pregnant. A good rule: if you’re hungry, eat. On the other hand, you may not be feeling much of anything yet. Consider yourself lucky!

More Pregnancy Links:

• Join our Pregnant Moms Group
• Baby Girl Names
• Baby Boy Names
  

Our pregnancy calendar is researched & written by our Pregnancy Editor, Dara Duff-Bergeron. Although she rocks, she is not a health care professional. It's just for entertainment purposes and any recommendations or information provided should not be used as a substitute for the real deal - a trained medical professional.

About the Author
Dara is a women’s fitness expert and a pre and postnatal specialist. Visit Dara at Belly Bootcamp (www.bellybootcamp.ca)

About the Author Posted by EMVA in Pregnancy Calendar on March 23, 2010 More from this author  |