8 Weeks Pregnant: What to Do This Week

Eight weeks is a key milestone — it is around now that your booking appointment with a midwife should take place, and things start to feel more official. Here is everything you should be doing and thinking about this week.

Your Week 8 Checklist

### Attend your booking appointment

Your booking appointment (also called the antenatal booking appointment) is usually offered between 8 and 10 weeks. This is your first proper meeting with a midwife, and it covers a lot of ground. Go prepared with:

The date of the first day of your last menstrual period (to calculate your due date)
Your medical history, including any long-term conditions
A list of any medications or supplements you are taking
Your family medical history if you know it
Your NHS number if you have it to hand

The appointment typically lasts an hour or more. Your midwife will take blood, check your urine, measure your blood pressure and height and weight, discuss your mental health, talk through lifestyle factors, and give you a lot of information. Do not worry about remembering everything — you will be given written information to take away.

Keep on top of supplements

Folic acid (400 mcg daily) — continue until the end of week 12.
Vitamin D (10 mcg daily) — continue throughout pregnancy.
Avoid vitamin A supplements and cod liver oil.

Food and lifestyle

Continue avoiding alcohol, high-mercury fish, raw or undercooked meat and eggs, unpasteurised soft cheeses, and pâté.
Caffeine should stay under 200 mg per day.
If you have not already, make sure your workplace knows you are pregnant so reasonable adjustments can be made if your job involves heavy lifting, chemicals, or other risks — you do not need to make a general announcement, just inform HR or a line manager.

Managing Symptoms at Week 8

Many people find that week 8 brings peak nausea and exhaustion. This is normal and driven by the rapid rise in pregnancy hormones, particularly hCG, which tends to plateau around weeks 10–12.

Nausea tips:

Eat before you feel hungry — an empty stomach often makes nausea worse.
Cold or room-temperature foods may be easier to tolerate than hot meals.
Ginger in various forms (tea, chews, biscuits) is widely used in pregnancy.
Keep fluids up even if eating is hard — sipping water, diluted juice, or flat lemonade can help.

If vomiting is severe: Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a condition involving severe, persistent vomiting that causes dehydration and weight loss. It is more than ordinary morning sickness and requires medical treatment. Contact your GP if you cannot keep fluids down for more than 24 hours.

Fatigue: Rest is not optional at this stage. Your body is building a placenta and supporting a rapidly growing embryo. Prioritise sleep, and do not feel guilty about reducing your usual activity levels temporarily.

When to Seek Help

Contact your GP or midwife if you experience:

Heavy or bright red bleeding
Severe one-sided pain (could indicate ectopic pregnancy)
High fever (38°C or above)
Inability to keep any fluid down for 24 hours or more

Call 999 or go to A&E immediately for severe one-sided pain with dizziness or collapse.

Frequently Asked Questions

### What should I prioritise at 8 weeks pregnant?

Your booking appointment is the most important thing to sort this week if you have not already. Contact your GP surgery or midwifery team to book it if it is not yet arranged. Beyond that, keep taking folic acid and vitamin D, maintain a pregnancy-safe diet, and rest when you need to. Week 8 can feel tough symptom-wise, but things often improve after week 12.

What happens at the 8-week booking appointment?

Your midwife will confirm your due date, take blood samples to check your blood type, screen for conditions such as anaemia, HIV, and hepatitis B, check your blood pressure and urine, discuss your mental wellbeing, and give you information about your antenatal care schedule. You will also be asked about any previous pregnancies and your family history. It is a long appointment but a thorough one.

When will I have my first scan?

Your first routine NHS scan — the dating scan — usually takes place between 10 and 14 weeks, with most offered around 11 to 13 weeks. Your midwife will arrange this at or after your booking appointment. Some people book a private early scan at 6–9 weeks for reassurance before the NHS dating scan.

Speak to your midwife or GP if you have any concerns specific to your pregnancy.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

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Pregnancy Symptoms