Guide to your 5 weeks pregnancy: Symptoms and the development of your baby

Wondering what symptoms are occurring during your 5 weeks of pregnancy? Find out what changes happen in your body. We will also be helping you with how to protect and take care of your baby.

Mommies! Are you in the 5th week of your pregnancy now? Don’t worry because this will be your ultimate guide! These are the important pieces of information you need to know when you are 5 weeks pregnant, and the signs and symptoms you may experience.

What are the signs and symptoms you can experience when your 5 weeks pregnant?

This stage of pregnancy is the time you will start feeling many challenges that comes with it. You may have heard from your mommy how hard it is to bear a child for a whole 9-month-long period. Well, if you are now pregnant you can say that “mom is right!” 

You might be thinking that it is too early for you to experience some symptoms. Even if your tummy does not grow in size yet during your 5th week, you can notice some changes happening in your body.  Some of these noticeable changes are the following:

• The pregnant may experience episodes of morning sickness

Morning sickness or also known as nausea or vomiting is a typical sign in the first trimester of your pregnancy. According to the study, at least 7 out of 10 pregnant women experience morning sickness in the first three months of being pregnant. It becomes worse during 9 weeks of pregnancy.

You can experience that you are about to throw up or throw up if you have this. Morning sickness does not mean also that it can just happen early in the morning, it can still strike any time of the day and night.

• Food Cravings

Noticing that you want this weird food combination? Have you been hating your favorite food and you are starting to like that flavor you hate before your pregnancy? Yep, food cravings are not just common during your menstrual period. It can also happen when you are pregnant.

The frequent hormonal changes in women are one of the reasons why pregnant crave food. This stage can start as early as 5 weeks into pregnancy. They will get intense during the second trimester but will eventually stop in your third trimester. A lot of women crave fatty foods like chips, others can also crave sweets like ice cream, cake, or sweetened drinks.

• Fatigue and Tiredness

You may also experience fatigue or tiredness as symptoms when you are 5 weeks into your pregnancy. It is because of many factors, including the hormone progesterone, lower blood sugar levels inside the body, low blood pressure, and an increase in the blood count of your body. 

During this time you may feel that you lack constant energy. You might even feel that you can not get up in the morning or you are about to slouch at any moment.

Fatigue and tiredness are often experienced not only in the earlier periods of pregnancy but also in the whole span of conceiving.

While it is normal, extreme tiredness or exhaustion is something you should be worrying about. It is best to consult your doctor or healthcare provider if you are experiencing severe and persistent fatigue.

• Change in your breast size

It is not just your belly that will start to grow but your breast too. Due to the changes in the hormones in your body, these are the things you should expect to happen. Your breast will become swollen because of the blood flow in the area causing it to become larger. It is also to prepare your body for your baby’s breastfeeding.

• Frequent Urination

There will also be a frequency of times that you will urinate because your uterus stretches. It is a completely normal part of your pregnancy. According to the data, there is about 80 to 90 percent of pregnant women, urinate between six to seven times within a day. 

It is also a good practice to always drink your water to prevent dehydration. 

• Abdominal Cramps

Yes, it is an almost familiar symptom with a menstrual period where you have to endure pain in your stomach area. As your pregnancy progresses, the fetus also develops. In order for your baby to have enough space in the uterus, it will continue to stretch too. This is the reason why you experience abdominal cramps.

Alongside this, pregnant women may also experience mild cramping or bloating of the abdomen. It is not alarming but if the pain is severe, consult the nearest doctor. Extreme pain during your pregnancy may be a sign of serious problems like a miscarriage. 

5th week of pregnancy: How big is your baby?

In this phase, it is possible to measure your baby’s size. But s/he is too small, her/his body is as tiny as a grain of sesame seed in the 5th week of pregnancy. In a 5-week span, the length of the baby can reach up to 1/17th inch or 1.5 mm.

The baby is continuing to grow and its major organ system is starting to develop, particularly the heart and the brain. You may also be amazed that the thing in your womb will be a baby because if you look closely, it resembles a tadpole!

In this phase, the embryo inside your womb starts to develop slowly. Inside the embryo, the cells separate into three layers to produce different body systems.

• The ectoderm or outer layer starts to develop the nervous system, including your baby’s brain and spinal cord. This layer is also responsible for the growth of your baby’s hair, skin, and nails.
• The mesoderm or mid-layer develops the circulatory system. Your baby’s heart and blood vessels also start to develop. The bones, muscles, and kidneys also start to grow in this layer.
• The endoderm or inner layer will be the baby’s lungs, intestines, and liver.

Week 5: Your baby’s development

Curious about how is your baby doing in your 5th week. Here is the list of the things you can expect:

• The development of your baby is relatively fast in this phase. Her/his internal organs like the kidney and liver start to develop.
• In the first 3 weeks, the fertilization of the baby takes place. Fertilization is the union between the sex cells of a man and a woman where the conception of a baby starts.
• The development of the baby’s heart also starts in this phase. The heart also develops chambers. This means you are near to hear your baby’s heartbeats. 
• Her/his intestines start to grow, and her/his appendix has already grown. 
• The neural tube also starts to appear, or the soon-to-be brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone of your baby. 
• In the 5th week of pregnancy, your baby also starts to grow her/his arms and limbs.

Taking care of yourself

It is important for each mother to know how can she maintain a healthy pregnancy. It is relevant also for the development of her baby. Here are the “do’s” you should be practicing in order for you to have the best pregnancy:

• It is important that you take care of yourself during this phase. Make sure that you will not stress out yourself, and take a good rest. Try to relax your mind and body. 
• Always take your prenatal vitamins. The prenatal vitamins help in the healthy development of the baby and prepare you for your delivery day. 
• Prepare an exercise routine appropriate for pregnant women. According to experts, an exercise routine helps for reducing back pains, bloating, and swelling. You can consult a professional on what is best to do. 
• Eat healthy foods. It is not required to have a strict diet. What is important is to have the right diet to get the needed nutrients for both mom and baby.
• You can talk over as wife and husband if it is the right time to spread the good news to your friends and relatives.

Tips for a healthy pregnancy

• Schedule your first prenatal check-up with your doctor

Visit your doctor immediately if you did not happen to yet. Getting to your checkups is important for a healthy pregnancy. Your doctor will give additional advice to keep you healthy for the span of 9 months.

For a healthy pregnancy, your doctor will possibly recommend that you should have your prenatal visits or tests starting in week 4. One prenatal visit every month.

• Possible tests that will be administered in your prenatal visit

The doctor could also give a whole physical exam. It may include weight assessment, blood pressure check, and breast and pelvic examination.

Follow the right process in checkups and tests. Fetal Ultrasound and Maternal blood testing are usually done during the first trimester.

Fetal ultrasound is an imaging technique that uses sound waves to detect and see the fetus in the uterus. Meanwhile, maternal blood testing is done to know the situation of the growing fetus.

These tests or screenings are done to prevent birth defects in a healthy pregnancy.

• Take Prenatal Vitamins

The prenatal vitamins contain folic acids that lower the chance of birth defects. More prenatal vitamins today have Omega 3 fatty acids. These nutrients are important for the brain and eye development of your baby. 

• Eat healthy foods

If you are on a diet, make sure to include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, dairy, and lean proteins. Maintaining a healthy diet is good for your baby. 

• Eat safely

Make sure to have a balanced diet. You can still eat your favorite food but it is important to check first if they are well-cooked, mainly the meats, poultry, and seafood.

• Avoid what is bad for your baby

Remember not to smoke cigarettes, don’t drink alcohol, and do not intake caffeine. The other prescriptions like over-the-counter medicines are sometimes bad. Always ask or tell your doctor about the medicines, herbs, vitamins, and supplements you take. 

Checklist for Pregnancy

•  Find out if there are chronic diseases in your family, and in your husband’s family. The doctor needs to know the possible conditions your baby will get. 
• Make sure that you have a vaccination against rubella and chickenpox. Usually, your doctor will recommend it if you have not had any of these vaccinations.  
• It is better to look for a doctor that can help you during your pregnancy. They can give you the right advice on taking care of yourself and your baby. 
• This is also an important situation to check on your work and lifestyle. If you think that your recent lifestyle is not good for your baby.

Your next week: 6 weeks pregnant

Your previous week: 4 weeks pregnant

Republished with permission from: theAsianparent Singapore

Additional information from Angerica Villanueva

Here at theAsianparent Philippines, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advise or medical treatment. theAsianparent Philippines is not responsible to those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend to consult your doctor for clearer information.