Your baby

Growing fast and weighing in at about 1.5oz, your baby measures around 10cm from crown to rump and 12.5cm from head to toe. By now your baby is covered with fine downy hair called lanugo, which disappears in the last few weeks of pregnancy. This helps to protect your baby's skin, which is still so fine and translucent that the blood vessels can be seen underneath.

This week marks a period of rapid growth - your baby's skeleton is hardening, taste buds are forming and the heart is now pumping about 50 pints of blood per day.

By now, your baby is beginning to sense more about the world - both inside and outside of the womb. As well as sucking his thumb and grabbing the umbilical cord, he will be hearing his first sounds and will be able to listen to your heartbeat, your digestion and your voice.

Your progress

You are just beginning to show now and your breasts are becoming larger and heavier. Now that any nausea and tiredness has subsided, you may begin to really bloom - although admittedly, not everyone enjoys this wonderful surge in wellbeing during their pregnancy.

However, you probably will start to notice that your hair is thicker and glossier. Even your eyelashes, eyebrows and pubic hair may appear thicker. Your hair's texture may change too and it may feel oilier or drier than normal. This is because your oil-producing glands may either speed up or slow down in response to hormonal changes.

Those hormones also change your hair's regular growth pattern. A head of hair naturally grows for about seven years, then stays on your scalp for about six months before falling out. But during pregnancy this growth pattern is interrupted. Once your hair stops growing, it isn't shed as usual. So your hair will feel thicker and stronger, and it may even be easier to style.

What to think about

You may find that you need to change the hair products that you use to suit your new texture. For dry hair, only shampoo once every few days, and only when your hair really needs it. Use deep-conditioning packs or hot oil treatments once a week.

If your hair is frizzy or long and dry at the ends, try rubbing a few drops of coconut or jojoba oil on your palms and smoothing your locks from earlobe-level to the ends. Pomade or styling wax can also be handy for taming flyaways and frizz.

If your hair has become oilier than usual, wash it once a day, and only apply conditioner when you need it to work out tangles. Don't use a natural bristle brush, which can stimulate your scalp's oil production. Opt for a brush with wood or nylon bristles instead.