7 weeks pregnant

Your baby this week

Facial features begin: eyes, ears, and a tiny nose start taking shape.

• The embryo has doubled in size from last week. You can see distinct head, body, and tail.
• Hands and feet appear with small webbed digits.
• Lungs begin to form. Brain cells are multiplying at 100 per minute.

Your body this week

Many women feel exhausted — your body is building a placenta from scratch.

• Your uterus has doubled in size and is now about the size of a lemon.
• Breast tenderness might be your most noticeable symptom — caused by milk ducts beginning to develop.
• Mood swings are common and totally normal (blame the rapid hormone shifts).

Common symptoms

• Extreme fatigue
• Vivid dreams
• Mood swings
• Acne breakouts
• Excess saliva
• Continued nausea

Things to do this week

• ✓Confirm your first prenatal appointment is scheduled (typically 8–10 weeks)
• ✓Start thinking about whether to tell family/work
• ✓Eat protein-rich snacks to manage blood sugar

For partners this week

Rest is the priority

• Make sure the first prenatal appointment is booked and in both your calendars.
• Protect early bedtimes — exhaustion now is real.
• Start talking about when you'll tell family and work.

Typical visits around this week

Based on a typical schedule in Ontario. Your doctor or midwife sets the actual timing.

• First prenatal visit

  Weeks 6–12

  Book with your doctor or midwife as soon as you know you're pregnant. This is usually the longest visit: your health and family history, medications, blood pressure and weight, and routine blood and urine tests (including your blood type and Rh factor). Your provider will also talk about your due date and the screening options ahead.

  Questions to ask →Questions to ask ↑

  • When is my estimated due date, and how was it worked out?
  • Are my current medications and supplements okay to keep taking?
  • Who will care for me during pregnancy and birth, and where would I give birth?
  • Who do I call with questions or worries between visits?
  • Which vaccines should I plan for this pregnancy?

• Dating ultrasound

  Weeks 7–12

  An early ultrasound that measures the baby to confirm how far along you are. Dating is most accurate between about 7 and 12 weeks, and the scan also confirms the pregnancy is in the uterus.

  Questions to ask →Questions to ask ↑

  • Does this scan change my due date?
  • Can my partner come into the room?
  • Do I need a full bladder, and how should I prepare?
  • When will my provider get the results?

Coming up

• Prenatal genetic screening

  Weeks 11–14 · if it applies to you

  Screening for chromosome differences is offered to everyone, and whether to have it is your choice. In Ontario, enhanced first trimester screening (eFTS) is publicly funded and combines a blood test with a nuchal translucency ultrasound at about 11–14 weeks. NIPT, another blood test, may be publicly funded or private-pay depending on your situation. Your provider will explain the options.

  Questions to ask →Questions to ask ↑

  • Which screening options are available to me, and which are covered?
  • Am I eligible for publicly funded NIPT?
  • What can these tests tell us, and what can't they?
  • When and how will we get results?
  • What would happen next if a result comes back higher-chance?

A flu shot and a COVID-19 vaccine are recommended at any stage of pregnancy. The flu shot is given during flu season, so the timing depends on when you're pregnant.

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Further reading from health authorities

• Pregnancy — Government of Canada (Public Health Agency of Canada)
• Your pregnancy — Pregnancy Info, from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC)
• Week-by-week guide to pregnancy — NHS (UK)
• Pregnancy — American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)