In no time, now you are 5 weeks pregnant. So what happens during this week? Deep in your uterus, your embryo is growing at a fast pace.
Baby’s Size
At this point, a 5 week’s embryo is about the size of an orange seed or a grain of rice, and he looks more like a tiny tadpole than a little human.
Your little bean is now made up of three layers – the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm. It will later form all of his organs and tissues.
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Baby at Week 5
Baby at 5 Weeks Pregnant
The amniotic sac which is the house or the home for the embryo floats in a sea of fluid. The embryo is the size of a sesame seed. The neural tube will develop into your baby’s brain, spinal cord and nerves.
The neural tube — from which your baby’s brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone will sprout is starting to develop in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to your little bean skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and tooth enamel.
The heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer or mesoderm. Your little bean tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood. The mesoderm will also form your baby’s muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous under the skin tissue.
The third layer, endoderm will house his lungs, intestines, and rudimentary urinary system, as well as his thyroid, liver, and pancreas.
In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to your baby, are already on the job.
5 Week Pregnant Belly
At 5 weeks pregnant, your belly may look unchanged or you may be a bit bloated or feel like you’ve already gained a pound. Heck, you might feel so sick that you can’t eat and worry you could have lost a pound.
All those scenarios are considered perfectly normal and totally okay! All pregnant women are different and how their bodies change throughout pregnancy varies widely.
Body Changes
Bladder: You may soon start to notice a more frequent urge to pee. Your blood volume is increasing, creating a lot of extra fluid that ends up in your bladder.
Embryo: About the size of a sesame seed, the embryo is made of three layers of cells that are folded over on each other.
Neural tube: At the fold of the top layer of the embryo is the neural tube, which will develop into the baby’s brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone.
Primitive placenta: The tiny blood vessels (“villi”) that make up the primitive placenta deliver nourishment and oxygen to the embryo.
Yolk sac: The yolk sac will soon yield its job delivering nutrients to the developing placenta.
Amniotic sac: The amniotic sac now houses the embryo, which floats in a growing sea of amniotic fluid.
5 Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms
- Mood swings: Your mood will starting to be unstable at one point. You will be happy one moment, and then suddenly crying out of nowhere. Find some ways to distract yourself like listening to music, going for a walk, or by watching some fun Netflix series.
- Morning sickness: You will feel unpleasant, nauseous, in the morning, evening, or worse, all day long. Drink enough fluids to prevent dehydration and avoid greasy, spicy and fatty foods that may trigger your nausea.
- Light bleeding or spotting: The common spotting should be no more than a few drops of blood, not even enough to cover a small pantyliner. This is likely just implantation bleeding, but you’ll want to mention it to your doctor so that he or she can rule out complications.
- Breast tenderness: When you are 5 weeks pregnant, there is a surge of hormones that will cause your breasts to ache as they continue to stretch in preparation for breastfeeding.
- Frequent urination: This will strike at any time of the day. This is because your kidneys are starting to have extra fluid to process, thanks to the increasing volume of blood in your body.
- Mild or no symptoms: Your belly may appear unchanged, or you may be looking and feeling bloated. Be sure to talk to your healthcare provider if you are feeling uneasy on any of the symptoms.
Tips for the Week
- Start taking folic acid.
- Start taking prenatal vitamin supplements.
- Stop smoking and drinking alcohol.
- Stop or reduce caffeine intake.
- Eat a healthy balanced diet.
- Make sure to have enough sleep.
- Drink lots of water to stay hydrated.
- Download a pregnancy app that will organize your pregnancy milestone.
It is true that you might be feeling sleepy all the time due to the high level of progesterone, lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and increased blood volume.
You may also tend to feel depressed and if you do make sure to consult your doctor for further assistance.
Make sure to take care of yourself, stay hydrated and get enough sleep. Even though it’s the 5th week of the first trimester, you still need to take extra care of both yourself and your little bean.
5 Weeks Pregnancy Checklist: Things You Should Do When You’re in this Week
Choose a Reliable Healthcare Expert:
If you’ve already found your doctor or midwife for the pregnancy consultation, you’re on the right track. But, if you haven’t yet, find one as soon as possible. You may have to consult the expert more often from now onwards. You can ask your friends and relatives for recommendations. Go for a trustworthy expert with in-depth knowledge, credibility, and efficiency at work.
Arrange Your and Your Family’s Medical History:
Make sure to keep your health records till now near you. Also, talk to both sides’ family members and gather overall medical history. It is essential to know whether any of the families have any record of genetic disorders or chronic health issues.
Be Ready to Follow your Pregnancy Milestone:
It is a journey that you and your baby have embarked upon together. You both will give birth to each other in a few months! Yes, while giving birth to your baby, you take rebirth as a mommy! So, keep track of your pregnancy milestone. You can take help from a reliable and user-friendly mobile app for it.
Ask Doctor before Taking Your Over-the-counter Medicine:
Consuming over-the-counter medicines is a common thing among us. But, when you’re already 5 weeks pregnant, even a common thing may cause a hazard due to the changes in your body. So, take your doctor’s advice before taking any medicine.
Calculate Your Due Date:
Although the doctor will take care of it, you can calculate your due date too. The usual duration of a pregnancy is 280 days or 40 weeks. You can mark the date of your last period and count 280 days from that day. It’ll help you to be prepared for your big day!
Quick and Healthy Recipes for 5 Weeks Pregnancy
Apple-cinnamon Oatmeal:
You can enjoy this overnight oatmeal recipe at breakfast. The recipe is simple, but it has abundant nutritional value. A tasty and healthy treat for your little sweetheart in the tummy!
Ingredients:
- Rolled oats
- Non-fat milk
- Cinnamon powder
- A small apple
- Walnuts
- Non-fat milk
How to prepare:
- Soak 2-3 cups of oats in 1 cup of milk.
- Add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon powder.
- Let it sit in the fridge overnight.
- Add chopped walnuts and apples to it and enjoy.
Drumstick Soup:
Another healthy and super delicious dish is on the platter! If you prefer to stick to your vegetarian diet while meeting your nutrition requirement during this stage of pregnancy, it is for you.
Ingredients:
- Drumsticks leaves
- Chopped Ginger
- Cumin seeds
- Chopped tomatoes
- Turmeric powder
- Black pepper powder
- Salt as per taste
- Water as needed
- Oil
How to Prepare:
- Heat oil in a pan and add 1 tsp cumin seeds.
- When they crackle, add 1 tbsp ginger. Saute until the raw smell goes away.
- Add chopped tomatoes and 2 cups of drumstick leaves. Stir and mix everything well.
- Sprinkle ¼ tsp turmeric powder, water and salt. Bring it to a boil.
- Sprinkle black pepper and serve hot with buns, rolls, etc.
Raw Banana Ball Curry:
Known as “kofta” in many Asian countries, raw banana balls is a delicious item to add to your meal when you’re 5 weeks pregnant. Prepare the balls and soak them in a curry! Your little star inside the womb will love you more than ever for such a delicious treat!
Ingredients:
- Boiled, peeled, and mashed raw banana
- Gram flour
- Cumin powder
- Chopped tomatoes
- Ginger paste
- Turmeric powder
- Chilli powder
- Coriander powder
- Mango powder
- Coriander leaves
- Green chilies
- Bay leaves
- Lemon juice
- Water
- Salt
- Oil
How to Prepare:
- Mix two cups of raw bananas, gram flour, salt, 4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves, 1 tbsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, and 1 tbsp mango powder.
- Knead the mix well and shape them into balls.
- Deep fry them in a saucepan and keep them aside.
- Next, heat the oil in a pan. Add 2 tbsp ginger paste and saute until it turns slightly brown.
- Add 1 tsp of each of the spices and 1 bay leaf, and stir well.
- When the oil starts to separate, add 1 cup of chopped tomatoes. Stir well until the tomatoes soften.
- Add water to make it gravy. Once the curry is ready, add the fried banana balls to it.
- Serve with rice.
Try these recipes and wait patiently for your upcoming pregnancy days.
Pregnancy and Genetic Disorders Questions to Ask Your Doctor
When you’ve your little star in your womb, It’s important to know beforehand if there are any chances of genetic disorders in your baby. Prenatal genetic testing informs you about that. Many couples tend to go for the test.
If you’re also taking the step ahead for it, we’re here for you. You must be confused and stressed enough before visiting the doctor’s chamber for the test. Let us help you to reduce your stress by pointing out a few questions to ask your doctor.
What type of genetic tests are there?
The parents have to go through carrier tests which find out if any of them is carrying the genes with disorders. Alongside these, pregnant mothers may have to go through some blood tests and ultrasound tests. Asking your doctor for detailed information will help you understand the whole process.
How accurate are these prenatal genetic tests?
Any test has its fair share of chances for errors. Still, asking your doctor about the rate of errors will help to stay calm and stress-free.
What are the chances you can pass the genetic disorders to your children?
Even if you and your partner are marked as the carrier of any disorder, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll pass it to your child. Ask your doctor for a better clarification about the possibilities.
If there is an abnormal result, what are my next steps?
When you come to know that your baby is going to be born with genetic disorders, it feels shocking. But, you’ve to stay strong and take the necessary actions. You may have to take medicines or go through some other process to prevent possible abnormalities. Or, in the worst-case scenario, you may have to abort the baby. The actions differ from case to case. Ask your doctor beforehand, regarding it, for personalized advice.
How soon after testing will you receive results?
It may take one day or a few more days, depending on the types of tests. Instead of waiting anxiously for the result, ask your doctor about a possible date.
Stay tuned to find out what happens in your upcoming 6th week of the first trimester. Don’t forget to visit Motherhood.com.my to get all the things for your soon-to-be-born little one!