By week 7 there is noticeably more blood moving around your body than there was seven weeks ago. That is behind a lot of the thirst, the warmth and the head-rush on standing. Nothing is visible yet, and most women are still deciding who to tell.
Your body this week
Blood volume rises through pregnancy, and the NHS puts the eventual increase at up to 50%. The extra blood supplies the womb with the oxygen and nutrients a pregnancy needs, and the immediate effect on you is thirst.
The NHS suggests aiming for around eight medium glasses of fluid a day — water, milk, fruit juice or fruit tea all count. Feeling hot, sweaty or lightheaded is common at this stage and usually settles with sitting down.
The womb is around the size of a lemon this week. In a first pregnancy most women do not look pregnant until about week 12; those who have been pregnant before often show earlier because the muscles have stretched before.
What you may notice
Sickness, tiredness and mood swings are the trio most women name. Add a metallic taste, sore breasts, headaches, a heightened sense of smell, a white milky discharge, cramping, bloating, and skin changes such as darker patches on the face.
One symptom deserves separating out even though it sounds minor. Itching all over, particularly if it is worse at night, is something the NHS says to report rather than treat with moisturiser and hope. Tell a midwife or doctor.
Anything that feels strange to you is worth raising, even if it is not on a list. Most of it turns out to be ordinary, and the point of asking is that neither you nor an app is the right thing to be deciding with.
Your baby this week
Around week 7, an embryo measures about 10mm from head to bottom — roughly grape-sized, as the NHS puts it. Averages are all these numbers are, and a scan measuring differently is not a verdict on anything.
The brain grows faster than the rest of the body at this stage, so the forehead is large. There are dimples where the nose and ears will be, eyelids are beginning to form, and the limb buds are laying down cartilage that will become bones.
What care usually happens around now
Most women are waiting for the booking appointment, which usually falls between weeks 8 and 12 in the UK and takes about an hour. What happens at the first pregnancy appointment covers what is asked and offered.
Legally, in the UK, an employer does not have to be told until the 15th week before the baby is due. Telling them earlier unlocks paid time off for antenatal appointments and a workplace risk assessment. Employment rules are national, so check what applies where you live.
This week's tip
Fill a bottle in the morning and finish it by evening. Thirst in early pregnancy is real and mostly unnoticed until you are dizzy, and the difference between "I should drink more" and a container you can see the level in is the difference between intending and doing.
When to see a doctor
Report any bleeding, severe or one-sided pain, itching all over, or dizziness that does not settle when you sit. Pregnancy warning signs lists the rest.
Seek care now: Contact your local emergency services or go to your nearest emergency department if you have heavy bleeding, severe or one-sided tummy pain, pain in the tip of your shoulder, a severe headache with vision changes, sudden swelling of the face or hands, a fever, chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting, or a seizure. Femio cannot assess a pregnancy.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to tell my employer yet?
Not usually this early. In the UK the deadline is the 15th week before the baby is due, and telling them sooner brings maternity rights forward, including paid antenatal appointments.
Why am I dizzy when I stand up?
Blood volume and blood pressure both change in pregnancy. Week 8 covers more of the same stretch, and week 6 covers the sickness. Dizziness that comes with a headache, vision changes or fainting needs care today.