5 Weeks Pregnant : What to Expect
By week 5 in your pregnancy, there’s no denying it as a whole month has passed. You’re passing all at-home pregnancy tests, you’ve begun to experience the pregnancy symptoms and signs which include a missed period, breast tenderness, fatigue, and nausea or morning sickness. It’s an important part of the pregnancy, as in the 5th week, ultrasounds will begin to show conclusively that there’s a baby in there.
Symptoms and Body Changes at 5 Weeks
So you’ve had all the experiences of the pregnancy symptoms, and you’ve passed all the pregnancy tests whether they were at home or at the doctor’s office. hCG levels in your body are high enough to confirm you are pregnant. But with the higher levels in your hormones, comes the PMS on overdrive feelings, as they are raging out of control. You’re not quite showing yet, however you feel bloated. Your uterus won’t begin rising out of the abdomen until about 14 weeks, however the pressure will increase and make you feel like you need to use the restroom more often. Most people won’t be able to tell by looking at you that you’re 5 weeks pregnant, but you’ll know.
Baby’s Development
By week 5 in your pregnancy, your baby is growing rapidly. By the end of the 5th week, it looks like a tadpole, tail included, and is about the size of an orange seed or 1-5mm in length. During this week, your baby’s vital organs are growing; the heart, central nervous system, bones and muscles are forming quickly from this point on. Plus, the skeleton begins to shape. Your baby’s heart is quickly developing, as it begins to separate into different functions and starts pumping blood. Some ultrasounds will be able to pick up on the heartbeat as early as 5 weeks. The neural tube, which forms into the brain and spinal cord eventually, begins to form. The placenta develops and through the placenta and umbilical cord, your baby receives nourishment. The eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fingers and toes also begin to show.
Pregnancy Week 5 Tips
Although the chances for miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy decrease after the 3rd month, you’re definitely pregnant and if you or your partner have not shared the news with anyone, this could be a great time to start discussing that. Remember that this is a crucial time in your life, and if you haven’t stopped bad habits or changed your lifestyle, now’s the time to do so. The 5th week brings crucial development stages in your baby, and if you’re habits (drinking, smoking, drugs, medications) are not changed, then you could be risking the chance of having a healthy baby. Next is pregnancy at 6 weeks.
