Your baby's head is bigger than the trunk of her body and is bent over onto her chest. Her facial features are slowly becoming more defined as her upper jaw and nose take shape. She has little mounds where the shell of her ears will grow and her eyes are now more obvious, with eyelid folds partially covering them.
Nerve cells in your baby's brain are branching out to form early neural pathways. The part of the brain responsible for her sense of smell is also taking shape.
Your baby's hands are developing ridges where her fingers will be. Her legs are forming, and the shape of her feet is starting to show. She won't have toe ridges yet. Her legs and feet develop around five days later than her arms and hands. Her embryonic tail is almost gone, shrinking back to form her tailbone (coccyx).
Discover how pregnancy can affect your body and your life at eight weeks pregnant.
Healthy pregnancy diet
See how to ensure you eat well and get the nutrients you need to grow a healthy baby. More pregnancy videos
Note: every baby develops differently. This page is designed to give you a general idea of how an embryo grows in the womb.
8 सप्ताह की गर्भावस्था की जानकारी हिंदी में पढ़ें!
Last reviewed January 2020
References
Hill MA. 2019a. Embryology: Week 6. University of New South Wales Embryology. embryology.med.unsw.ed.au. [Accessed October 2019]Hill MA. 2019b. Embryology: Carnegie stage 16. University of New South Wales Embryology. embryology.med.unsw.edu.au [Accessed October 2019]
Hill MA. 2019c. Embryology: integumentary system - eyelid development. University of New South Wales Embryology. embryology.med.unsw.edu.au [Accessed October 2019]
Hill MA. 2019d. Embryology: Carnegie stage 17. University of New South Wales Embryology. embryology.med.unsw.edu.au [Accessed October 2019]
Mooney EK. 2016a. Hand embryology gross morphologic overview of upper limb development. emedicine.medscape.com [Accessed October 2019]
Mooney EK. 2016b. Lower limb embryology gross morphologic overview of lower limb development. emedicine.medscape.com [Accessed October 2019]
Moore KL, Persaud TVN and Torchia MG. 2019a. Fourth to eighth weeks of human development. Chapter 5 in The developing human: clinically oriented embryology. 11th edition. Elsevier
Moore KL, Persaud TVN and Torchia MG. 2019b. Pharangeal apparatus, face and neck. Chapter 9 in The developing human: clinically oriented embryology. 11th edition. Elsevier
Moore KL, Persaud TVN and Torchia MG. 2019c. Development of eyes and ears. Chapter 18 in The developing human: clinically oriented embryology. 11th edition. Elsevier
Moore KL, Persaud TVN and Torchia MG. 2019c. Nervous system. Chapter 17 in The developing human: clinically oriented embryology. 11th edition. Elsevier
Mukhopadhyay et al. 2012. Spectrum of human tails: a report of six cases. J Indian Assoc Pediatr Surg 17(1). www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov [Accessed October 2019]
Tawfik HA, Abdulhafez MH, Fouad YA, et al. 2016. Embryologic and fetal development of the human eyelid. Opthal Plast Reconstr Surg 32(6): 407–414 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov [Accessed October 2019]
Visembryo. nd a. Carnegie stage 16: hindbrain begins to develop. The Visible Embryo. www.visembryo.com. [Accessed October 2019]
Visembryo. nd b. Carnegie stage 17: four chambered heart. The Visible Embryo. www.visembryo.com. [Accessed October 2019]
