
The fifth week of pregnancy is usually the time when you have just discovered that you are pregnant.
The fifth week of pregnancy is usually the time when you have just discovered that you are pregnant. This is the time when you have missed your periods, and you take a urine pregnancy test that turns out to be positive. You go through a lot of physical and emotional changes beginning from this stage, which is known as the first trimester of pregnancy. You must visit an obstetrician who will conduct a blood human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG; hormone) test and sonography to confirm the normal pregnancy.
Here are 13 changes in your body that you should expect at 5 weeks pregnant:
- Morning sickness: Morning sickness is the most common symptom during pregnancy. It refers to nausea with or without vomiting. Although typical during the first 3 months, the symptoms can extend beyond in some women. Despite the name, morning sickness can come at any time of the day.
- Tip: Stick to several smaller meals instead of few larger meals. Having ginger tea with a piece of toast may help.
- Food cravings and aversions: More than half of the expectant women may have a sudden craving for a particular food, whereas many others are suddenly turned off by their once-upon-a-time (before pregnancy) favorite foods.
- Need to pee often: The growing womb puts pressure on your bladder and causes you to take frequent bathroom trips.
- Tip: Do not hold urine for long; pee as soon as you get the urge to avoid urine infections. Drink plenty of water to avoid getting dehydrated.
- Fatigue: Your body is working hard to take care of you and growing a new life in your womb. It is OK to feel tired even after getting adequate rest and sleep.
- Breast changes: You may experience breast fullness, soreness, and tenderness as soon as you miss your periods.
- A range of emotions: You may go through mood swings frequently. It is not unusual to feel suddenly anxious, worried, excited, and depressed.
- Tip: If feelings of depression hamper your daily routine severely, talk to a friend or your partner or seek medical help.
Other signs and symptoms at 5 weeks pregnant include:
- Dizziness
- Abdominal cramps
- A heightened sense of smell
- Light spotting
- Constipation
- Increased vaginal discharge
- Chloasma or the mask of pregnancy (brown patches on your face)
Every woman may experience her own share of changes in the pregnancy. Some women experience a particular symptom more intensely than others, and some may not experience the same symptom in their next pregnancy.
The increasing hormonal levels are believed to be responsible for many of the changes experienced during pregnancy. Fortunately, all these symptoms usually subside or disappear completely as the pregnancy progresses. Do not hesitate to consult your doctor for any of the additional concerns you may have.
What about the baby at 5 weeks pregnant?
At 5 weeks pregnant, your baby, or embryo, is about the size of a sesame seed (around 1.5-2 mm long). Your baby's fingers and toes begin to take shape. Their heart, brain, and spinal cord are also beginning to form at this time.
Your baby also gets some of its blood vessels that make up the umbilical cord that supplies the baby all its nutrients. A small fluid-filled bag-like structure (placenta) begins to form around the baby that acts as the storage of food and baby’s waste material. You may be able to see the gestational sac but not your baby on an ultrasound. The baby’s heart is beating, but the ultrasound cannot detect the heartbeats during this week.
Once you know you are pregnant, schedule an appointment with your doctor to begin prenatal care and be regular with your follow-ups. They will guide you on how to best take care of yourself and your baby in this beautiful journey of pregnancy. Make sure you stay hydrated and have a diet balanced in complex carbs, proteins, and good fats.
Week-by-week guide to pregnancy. https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/pregnancy/week-by-week/1st-trimester/week-5/
Top What To Expect at 5 Weeks Pregnant? 13 Changes Related Articles
Can Dreaming of Being Pregnant Be a Sign?
According to the National Health Foundation, we all have four to six dreams every night. A few dreams we remember, whereas the most we forget. Humans have been studying dreams and their significance since ancient times.How Many Days After Your Period Can You Get Pregnant?
Getting pregnant just after your period is unlikely, but it’s not impossible. However, the chances of getting pregnant are low right after the periods compared to a few days or a week in the menstrual cycle.When Can You Find Out How Many Weeks Pregnant You Are?
A woman can find out how many weeks pregnant she is at any time during pregnancy. There are several ways to calculate how many weeks pregnant a woman is and the estimated due date or estimated date of delivery (EDD). Some ways are more accurate than others.Common Medical Abbreviations & Terms
Doctors, pharmacists, and other health-care professionals use abbreviations, acronyms, and other terminology for instructions and information in regard to a patient's health condition, prescription drugs they are to take, or medical procedures that have been ordered. There is no approved this list of common medical abbreviations, acronyms, and terminology used by doctors and other health- care professionals. You can use this list of medical abbreviations and acronyms written by our doctors the next time you can't understand what is on your prescription package, blood test results, or medical procedure orders. Examples include:
- ANED: Alive no evidence of disease. The patient arrived in the ER alive with no evidence of disease.
- ARF: Acute renal (kidney) failure
- cap: Capsule.
- CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure. A treatment for sleep apnea.
- DJD: Degenerative joint disease. Another term for osteoarthritis.
- DM: Diabetes mellitus. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
- HA: Headache
- IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease. A name for two disorders of the gastrointestinal (BI) tract, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
- JT: Joint
- N/V: Nausea or vomiting.
- p.o.: By mouth. From the Latin terminology per os.
- q.i.d.: Four times daily. As in taking a medicine four times daily.
- RA: Rheumatoid arthritis
- SOB: Shortness of breath.
- T: Temperature. Temperature is recorded as part of the physical examination. It is one of the "vital signs."
Exercise & Pregnancy
Pregnancy exercises and workouts for moms-to-be include Kegel exercises and prenatal yoga. A prenatal workout is an important part of healthy living. Try these safe exercises for pregnancy.magnesium sulfate
Magnesium sulfate is a salt of magnesium, a naturally occurring mineral, used to prevent and treat convulsions (seizures) from preeclampsia and eclampsia (toxemia) in pregnant women. Magnesium sulfate is also used to treat certain heart rhythm disorders, magnesium deficiency, and acute kidney inflammation (nephritis) in children. Side effects include flushing, increased sweating, low blood pressure (hypotension), depressed/poor reflexes, flaccid paralysis, low core body temperature (hypothermia), circulatory collapse, depressed cardiac function, central nervous system (CNS) depression, respiratory paralysis, excess fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), extreme drowsiness, and others.Is It OK to Exercise and Workout in the First Trimester of Pregnancy?
You should talk to your doctor to make sure it's safe for you to exercise during pregnancy. However, in most cases, exercising during pregnancy will benefit you and your baby.oxytocin
Oxytocin is a synthetic form of the natural human hormone oxytocin used to induce or improve uterine contractions during delivery and to prevent uncontrolled bleeding (hemorrhage) after the delivery. Common side effects of oxytocin include serious allergic reaction (anaphylactic reaction), premature ventricular contractions, postpartum hemorrhage, pelvic hematoma, irregular heart rhythms (cardiac arrhythmia), bleeding in the space between the brain and its membrane (subarachnoid hemorrhage), fatal afibrinogenemia, hypertensive episodes, nausea, vomiting, and rupture of the uterus. Oxytocin should not be used otherwise during pregnancy or when breastfeeding.What Happens if a Pregnant Woman Gets a Cold?
Having an ordinary cold shouldn't be harmful to the baby or mother. Pregnant women are highly likely to pick up a cold at some time during pregnancy because it's normal to catch two or three colds a year. A healthy lifestyle is a must to keep the immune system strong and to prevent colds.Pregnant? Don't Eat This
Do you know which common foods may be risky during pregnancy? Learn which foods to avoid, while pregnant, such as queso dip, lunch meat, coffee and more.