At 7 weeks pregnant, your baby is actually only five weeks old. He or she is growing like a little weed. Your baby will not retain this amazing rate of growth for very long. Your baby is about 4mm long, but may double in size by the end of the week. He has tiny arms and legs which will begin to develop fingers and toes. The brain has divided into two hemispheres and several internal organs have already begun to develop.
Bleeding and painless cramping are very common and usually harmless symptoms in early pregnancy and because you are not yet out of the danger zone of experiencing a miscarriage, you may find bleeding to be a frightening occurrence. In most cases, bleeding in early pregnancy is normal and completely harmless.
If you are experiencing light spotting or bleeding like a very light period, it is probably nothing to worry about. This bleeding may happen around the time you would normally expect your period and can last several days. You may also experience brown or red blood or pink-tinged mucous. Brown blood is old blood and is rarely anything to worry about. Bleeding in early pregnancy can be caused by a number of things including hormones, attachment of the placenta to the uterine wall, and also swelling in the cervix caused by pregnancy hormones. Some women continue to experience a period during their entire pregnancies.
If you are experiencing bright red bleeding, usually with blood clots, which is accompanied by painful cramping, it may be a sign of miscarriage. These symptoms do not, however, always mean that miscarriage is imminent. Many women experience painful cramping with heavy red bleeding and go on to have a healthy and event-free pregnancy, including myself. You can stay home for your miscarriage or you may feel more comfortable going to the hospital and asking for an ultrasound to check on the baby. If a heartbeat is detected or a pregnancy appears viable on ultrasound, your baby is likely to be okay.
If you suspect that you may be having a miscarriage, you can try lying down and getting rest. Sometimes something as simple as bed rest with your feet up and a nap will stop any signs of miscarriage. No amount of care, however, will stall a miscarriage that is inevitable. Most miscarriages occur because of problems with the baby’s development. A miscarriage is not a medical event or an emergency. Like your period, a miscarriage is a natural and healthy experience. It is your body’s way of handling a pregnancy that is not viable. In fact, at least one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage and the numbers may be far greater than that as many women do not even realize that they are pregnant and may think they are experiencing a late period.
You do not need to go to the hospital to have a miscarriage (though many doctors will not agree) but you should never place anything inside your vagina, including tampons, during your miscarriage or during any bleeding in pregnancy. Introducing foreign objects of any kind can also introduce infection which can cause serious damage to your reproductive organs. Watch out for signs of fever and go to a doctor immediately if you develop a temperature or if your abdomen feels hot or infected.
Severe pain in the abdomen, especially if it is accompanied by pain in one shoulder or the other or by bleeding, can be a sign of ectopic pregnancy (also called tubal pregnancy). Ectopic pregnancy is a very serious and life-threatening condition which must be treated immediately and can have fatal consequences if not addressed in time.
You may also feel like getting in touch with other pregnant mothers around this time. There are several online natural pregnancy and natural parenting communities where you can get in touch with other mothers who also desire to experience natural pregnancy and/or natural childbirth. Try some of the following websites:
