Pregnancy Week 5

Your Baby's Growth and Development

Your baby is making important changes during pregnancy week 5. During 5 weeks pregnant your baby's muscles, central nervous system and even bones start forming. More importantly, your baby's heart is starting to take shape around pregnancy week 5. That means your baby's heart will start dividing into many chambers and even start pumping a small volume of blood in the upcoming weeks.

Other important changes occurring during pregnancy week five include neural tube development. Your baby's skin, nails and even hair will also start to form in the top layer of cells.

Changes In Your Body

By week 5 pregnancy most people will not know you are pregnant yet... but you probably will! This is an exciting time of pregnancy, a time where you may decide to keep your good news private or tell the whole world.

For most of my pregnancies I told people shortly after finding out I was pregnant. Some people prefer to wait until they are 12 weeks pregnant when the risk of miscarriage declines significantly. I can tell you that by telling people, you will find yourself surrounded by support, love and understanding should something go wrong with your pregnancy.

But lets think positive! Most women will go on to have a normal and interesting pregnancy. You may start noticing some changes in your body by pregnancy week 5. Many women, especially mothers who have had at least one baby will notice their lower abdomen start pouching out. I noticed during my pregnancies two and three that by five weeks pregnant my stomach looked significantly more swollen. Often first time mothers however, will not notice any significant abdominal changes for a few more weeks.

You are probably experiencing many symptoms of early pregnancy by now, including sore breasts and nipples.

I remember even the feel of the shower on my chest was almost enough to send me screaming the first few weeks of pregnancy. It helps even this early on to wear a good support bra to help alleviate some of the discomfort you experience during pregnancy especially in your breasts.

You may also notice around this time your breasts may start appearing larger than normal. This is also a side effect of early pregnancy that is usually more pronounced during first pregnancies than during later pregnancies.

You may start also noting morning sickness around this time. Most women start realizing more severe morning sickness however, by about 6 weeks pregnant. More commonly women experience fatigue at five weeks pregnant. You may want to have an extra cup of coffee to help perk you up, but if possible you should try to limit your caffeine intake. Opt for more sleep if you can, in the form of a short afternoon nap or an earlier bedtime. This will work wonders for tired moms.

Despite what you may be thinking, exercise can also help perk up tired moms. If you have the time try to schedule in an afternoon walk or two. During my third pregnancy I was actually running about 3 miles every few days. I kept this up until about the middle of my second trimester. It really helped with my falling energy levels.

Many newly pregnant mothers find resting with a pregnancy pillow helpful during pregnancy week 5 and beyond. Pregnancy pillows like the Snoozer Full Body Pregnancy Pillow are ideal for pregnant mothers experiencing lower than normal energy during the fifth week of pregnancy and beyond. You can use a full body pregnancy pillow at home in bed, while resting on the couch, or even when lounging on the floor with your partner or other children. Pregnancy pillows are ideal for supporting a woman’s body, including her expanding abdomen and lower back throughout pregnancy. They are so comfortable in fact, many women find their partners trying to steal them shortly after delivery! If this is the case, you may find you need to invest in a separate full body pregnancy pillow for your partner, whether or not he is pregnant. By buying a pregnancy pillow early in your pregnancy, you will find you save yourself a lot of hassle later during your pregnancy when you have other items to consider, like baby crib bedding sets and baby showers to plan for.

Should I Take Prenatal Vitamins?

The answer is... yes! You should actually try to start taking prenatal vitamins before you become pregnant. During this week your baby's neural tube is forming. Taking prenatal vitamins supplies the body with much needed folic acid. Folic acid is important for preventing neural tube defects in babies. Most women will need roughly 1000 mg each day. The earlier you start taking your prenatal vitamins, the better for you and your baby!