Prenatal development: Week 5

Everyone feels a bit different in pregnancy. Some moms-to-be are feeling great and wouldn't know they were pregnant had they not missed their period,

while other moms are hanging their heads over the toilet already. There is no one right way to feel. Any questions should be directed to your midwife or doctor if you are concerned. That's their job to help you feel confident in pregnancy.The fifth week of pregnancy is considered to be one of the most significant weeks of pregnancy because this is the week when the symptoms of pregnancy begin to show. Now, this does not mean that your tummy will start growing, rather no one can actually detect that you are pregnant just by looking at you during the fifth week. However, there are certain other symptoms that you may be able to see during this week. First of all, most women come to know about their pregnancy during the fifth week as pregnancy tests begin show positive results around this week. Several changes will be happening in your body due to the presence of the tiny little embryo inside, causing the occurrence of several pregnancy symptoms.

5 weeks since last menstrual period (LMP)

You still haven't had your period, which was due around 10 days ago. You can take a pregnancy test (if you haven't already done so). This test measures a hormone called hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin or human chorionic gonadotrophin) the levels of this hormone increase regularly in your body, doubling every 2-3 days, and will continue to increase up to the 7th to 12th week. It is detected in urine when you take a pregnancy test.

Some women might already have some of the signs of pregnancy, such as morning sickness. Don't worry if you don't experience any nausea: it doesn't mean there's anything to be concerned about. You may quite simply be one of the lucky ones who don't suffer from it. Your breasts may also feel tender and more sensitive to temperature. On the 16th day, the egg is almost 3mm long and more deeply embedded in the mucous membrane that lines the inside of the uterus. The egg makes contact with the uterus' blood vessels in order to provide the egg with the nutritional elements that are essential for its development.

Under the influence of hormones secreted by your ovaries, your uterus prepares to welcome the fertilized egg. The egg's cells continue to divide and differentiate, forming specialized cells that form the future embryo. The egg resembles a plate made up of three layers that will develop into tissues and organs.

Breast soreness

At this moment, you cannot control yourself from yawning most of the time. Breast soreness is a big burden for the pregnant women especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Hormones are the main reason of having aches in the breasts. This process will prepare the gravid mother to have their breastfeeding in the near future. But how will you treat breast soreness? 

a) Put on breast pads- this will assist you in protecting your nipples from the bra lining.

b) Prevent any physical connection- once you touch the sore breasts, it could be painful. So it is important for you to have a communication with all the people who surround you.

c) Wearing bra while sleeping- it can be a big help if you wear bra while sleeping because it can reduce the pain and tenderness of the breast.

d) Sometimes, pregnant women can feel cramping of the uterus. This cramping is expected in an early stage of pregnancy since your uterus is expanding and this is normal. It only means that you are having a pregnancy that is healthy. But you should be careful if the cramping of your uterus is accompanied with bleeding, for it is possibly connected to the embryo. Once you experience bleeding, one sided pain, and elevating pain, consult a doctor for a check-up on your present condition.

Symptoms

One of the most common and the earliest possible signs of pregnancy is missed periods. If you have been trying for a baby or are sexually active, a missed period surely can indicate a pregnancy. Hence, if you have missed your period this month, taking a pregnancy test will surely determine whether you are pregnant or not.

As the milk glands begin to develop during pregnancy, tender and swollen breasts are said to be another 5 weeks pregnant symptom.

Apart from tender and sore breasts that cause much discomfort, you may also observe that the areola around the nipples have grown darker during this week of pregnancy.

Many women also begin to experience morning sickness from the 5th week of pregnancy. You may experience vomiting and nausea during the early weeks of pregnancy.

Though this it is called morning sickness, the feeling of nausea and vomiting may be present throughout the day. However, usually morning sickness does not go beyond the first trimester, but there have been cases where women experienced this problem throughout their pregnancy.

Another symptom that is seen during the 5 month pregnancy is extreme fatigue and tiredness. You may observe that you feel tired and need to take rest quite frequently throughout the day, even without doing much work. You may not be able to remain awake after may be say 7 or 8 in the evening,

though normally you never went to sleep before 10 or 11 at night.

One of the most common symptom can be said to be the need to go to the washroom very frequently. This happens because of the excess pressure

that the growing uterus puts on the bladder.

Some other symptoms that can be seen during 5 month pregnancy include a rise in vaginal secretions and headaches that occurs because of hormonal changes.

It is also likely that you may feel extremely hungry during this stage of pregnancy.

Ultrasound scan 

Early pregnancy ultrasound scan usually diagnose multiple gestational sacs, and there by you know early on. However, early ultrasound scan can also miss an early multiple gestation, even though other symptoms leave you wondering if you are having twins. Some reports say that the appearance of sacs via ultrasound can be different by up to 4 days. Early ultrasound is also more helpful in determining how many sacs are present and whether or not your babies share the same sac (mono amniotic). Mono amniotic sacs occur only in identical babies and places the pregnancy at a higher risk for problems like cord entanglement.

Our advice 

a) Don't overdo it. 

b) Sleep at least eight hours a night.

c) Increase your rest time and if you can, have a siesta at the weekend.

d) At home, drop some of the housework and don't tackle any heavy physical tasks.

e) To avoid feeling drained, eat properly: don't skip meals and don't go more than 4-6 hours without eating so that you don't tire your body out.

f) Eat healthy foods that are easy to digest, especially in the evening.

g) Eat sufficient quantities: pregnant women's bodies work more (a 25% calorie increase). You need about 2500 calories at the start of your pregnancy, 

and 2800 from the 6th month onwards on average. Adopt a balanced diet (protein, carbohydrate and fat) to avoid deficiencies.

h) Limit your weight gain, but do not diet. You will be even more tired if you're struggling to move.

Nutrition

You should take milk, nuts, fruits and daily portions of vegetables. Women usually develop iron deficiency so it's better to be well-prepared and start having foods rich in iron levels like cereals, nuts, green leafy vegetables and fish etc. Cut down on caffeine and do not exceed a daily limit of 200 units of it in your diet. A cup of tea has approximately 30, coffee 50 and coke around 40. It's not particularly the 5th week which is a bit crucial. The first three months are very important and you should take good care because you are more vulnerable to a miscarriage during that time. Avoid having certain cheeses like ricotta, stilton, brie and soft white ones. Also avoid raw eggs especially runny yolks. Wash your vegetables several times before using them especially green leafy ones. Cook your meat thoroughly.

These precautions should be taken not only during the first three months but throughout your pregnancy period.

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