8 Weeks Pregnant: Peak Symptoms, Dating Scan and Booking Tests

At 8 weeks pregnant you are 8 weeks and 0 to 6 days from the first day of your last period, about six weeks after conception. You are in the first trimester, and 8 weeks pregnant is about two months, so you are coming to the end of your second month. This is a peak week for symptoms, and a common time for the first scan, where you will usually see a strong heartbeat and a baby who is starting to look recognisably human.

Here is how your baby is developing, how to manage the hardest symptoms, and what tests to expect if you are starting antenatal care in Singapore.

Your baby at 8 weeks

Your baby is about 1.6 cm long from head to bottom, around the size of a raspberry or a jelly bean, and weighs about 1 g. These are averages; babies grow at different rates, and your scan measurement may be a little above or below.

What is happening this week:

• The head is uncurling. The body is straightening out a little, and the tail-like end is shrinking.
• Arms ahead of legs. The arms are longer than the legs because the upper body grows faster. Tiny ridges are appearing where fingers will separate, and the elbows are forming.
• Legs lengthen, although the knees, ankles and toes are still to come.
• Face details. The upper lip and the tip of the nose are forming, and the ears are taking shape on the sides of the head.
• First movements. Your baby may already make small, jerky movements that you can sometimes see on scan, though you will not feel anything for many weeks.

All the major organs are now present in early form and will spend the coming weeks growing and maturing.

Your body at 8 weeks

You may feel bloated, and your breasts may be noticeably fuller, but most first-time mums do not show yet. Your womb is growing and pressing on your bladder, so trips to the toilet are frequent.

Common symptoms around now:

• Nausea and vomiting, which typically peak between weeks 8 and 11.
• Bone-deep tiredness and vivid dreams.
• A metallic taste, a strong sense of smell and new food aversions.
• Headaches, sometimes linked to dehydration, caffeine cutbacks or hormones.
• Milky white vaginal discharge, which is normal as long as it does not itch, smell bad or change colour.
• Mild cramps or twinges as the womb stretches.

Practical relief

For headaches, drink regularly, rest in a cool, dim room and eat on time. Paracetamol is generally considered the first choice for pain in pregnancy, but check with your doctor or pharmacist and follow the label. Avoid ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory painkillers unless your doctor advises otherwise.

If you are vomiting several times a day, losing weight or struggling to keep fluids down, do not push through; speak to your doctor. Severe pregnancy sickness (hyperemesis gravidarum) is treatable, and anti-sickness medicines considered safe in pregnancy are available on prescription.

Checkups and tests around 8 weeks in Singapore

Week 8 sits inside the usual window for the first visit and dating scan, which commonly falls between weeks 6 and 10 in private care and around weeks 8 to 12 for subsidised patients at KKH. At this visit, the doctor will usually:

• Confirm the heartbeat and how many babies there are.
• Measure the crown-rump length to set your estimated due date.
• Order booking blood tests: blood group and Rhesus status, full blood count, thalassaemia screening, and screening for hepatitis B, HIV, syphilis and rubella immunity.
• Test your urine for infection, protein and sugar, and check your weight and blood pressure.

Thalassaemia trait is relatively common in Singapore. If your result suggests you carry it, your partner will usually be offered a test too, to check the chance of your baby being affected.

Your doctor will also start the conversation about first-trimester screening for chromosomal conditions: NIPT from about 10 weeks, or OSCAR at 11 to 13+6 weeks. Our guide to pregnancy scans and tests in Singapore compares the options and their typical costs.

On costs: you can use MediSave for pre-delivery consultations, scans and tests under the MediSave Maternity Package, currently up to S$900 in total for pre-delivery expenses. Our guide to the cost of giving birth in Singapore shows how it fits into the full bill.

Your 8-week checklist

• Attend your dating scan and booking tests, and ask for copies of your reports.
• Update your due date in your notes and our pregnancy calculator if the scan changes it.
• Read up on NIPT and OSCAR so you can decide by around week 10.
• Ask your clinic how they bill: per visit or as a package, and what MediSave covers.
• Keep a folder, physical or on your phone, for reports and receipts.
• Plan rest into your week, and say yes when someone offers to cook or tapau dinner.

Sadly, most miscarriages happen in the first trimester, usually because of chromosomal problems that nothing you did could have prevented. If you are worried, our guide to miscarriage signs and support explains what to look out for and where to find help.

The bottom line

At 8 weeks pregnant, your raspberry-sized baby is straightening out, growing arms and legs, and wriggling, while you may be in the thick of nausea and tiredness. Use your first visit to confirm your dates, get your booking tests done and start thinking about screening. Look back at 7 weeks pregnant, read ahead to 9 weeks pregnant, browse the full pregnancy week by week series, or see our first trimester guide. The NHS also has a helpful 8 weeks pregnant guide.