4

Week 4

5

Week 6

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH BABY?

Your Baby at 5 Weeks Pregnant

Baby’s growth and size

Baby now measures about 0.13 inches (up from 0.04 inches last week) – go baby go…or should I say grow baby grow!

Your baby is still teeny tiny at week 5 but is growing rapidly. At this point, you can expect your embryo to get longer and more closely resemble a tadpole rather than an actual baby. Don’t worry though, this will change over the next several weeks! 

What’s new developmentally? 

Your embryo’s cells are separating into three different layers that will eventually form the different body systems. Can you believe that all of these incredible processes are already happening at just 5 weeks gestation – simply amazing, if you ask me! 

The three layers that are developing are:

  • Ectoderm (outer layer): will become baby’s outermost layer of skin, central and peripheral nervous systems, eyes, and inner ears
  • Mesoderm (middle layer): will become baby’s heart and circulatory systems, also will serve as the foundation for baby’s bones, ligaments, kidneys, and reproductive system
  • Endoderm (inner layer): will become baby’s lungs and intestines 

Fun facts about your week 5 baby

  • Despite being so very tiny, baby has more than tripled in size from last week
  • The brain and spinal cord (aka neural tube) are already starting to form! 
  • If you were able to see baby right now, you would notice that their head is much larger than the rest of their body due to rapid development of the brain and face

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH MAMA?

Week 5 of Pregnancy 

Week 5 pregnancy symptoms 

To learn more about these symptoms, why you might be experiencing them in pregnancy, and ways to get some relief, make sure you read my Early Signs of Pregnancy & Weird Pregnancy Symptoms That Are Actually a Thing article!

How should I be feeling at 5 weeks pregnant?

How are you feeling, mama? Have you started noticing any symptoms yet? It’s totally okay and normal if you haven’t. Some women seem to escape the early pregnancy symptoms all together and then for some, they don’t develop for another couple weeks.

Week 5 is when a lot of women learn that they are pregnant. If your cycles are regular then you should have missed your period by this point, which is the big clue for many!

Curious how your body is changing early in pregnancy? If you didn’t notice any bloating in the previous week, you might be feeling it now. It’s still too early for your pregnant belly to be noticeable to others but the bloat might make you feel as if everyone is in on your exciting “secret”. 

In addition to bloating, sore or tender breasts is one of the other more common early pregnancy symptoms. 

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

More Week 5 Info

5 weeks pregnant ultrasound

An ultrasound is not typically performed at 5 weeks unless you have a history of something that would increase your chances of miscarriage or other complications. 

If your provider recommends an ultrasound at 5 weeks, there are a couple potential reasons for this. One would be to estimate the age of your gestational sac. Other reasons might include if you have a history of recurrent miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies, or if you have conceived via in vitro fertilization (IVF).   

If you do have an ultrasound this early, you can expect it to be a transvaginal ultrasound. Your embryo is far too small to see with an abdominal ultrasound. 

What exactly is a transvaginal ultrasound? 

Your provider will insert a lubricated wand into your vagina to visualize your gestational sac. While it might be a bit uncomfortable, most tolerate it very well and have no issues. And luckily, you only have to do one or two this way before an abdominal ultrasound can be used. 

What if your provider doesn’t see anything when performing your transvaginal ultrasound? The more common reason for this is that it’s just too early to visualize the yolk sac, even with a vaginal ultrasound. Remember, baby is only 0.13 inches right now. In addition, there’s a chance that your dating could be off, making baby even smaller.  

Other reasons why your provider might not see anything during the ultrasound could be due to an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. Definitely not a fun thing to think about, I know, but just making sure you are aware of all the potential reasons. 

An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside of your uterus, most commonly in your fallopian tube. This is rare but can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention.

In addition to an ultrasound, your provider will likely order a blood test at this visit to check your hCG levels. While not always the case, decreasing hCG levels along with an inability to visualize a yolk sac during an ultrasound can indicate a non-viable pregnancy.

Brown discharge at 5 weeks pregnant

You’ve gone a big chunk of your life experiencing red vaginal bleeding every month. Now that you are pregnant, vaginal bleeding can absolutely be alarming but doesn’t always mean something bad is happening! Let’s talk about this.

Before I go into more detail, please note that any kind of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy warrants a call to your OB provider. My theory on this topic is that you should always err on the side of caution when it comes to bleeding in pregnancy – you can never be too sure. 

But typically, bright red bleeding indicates an active bleed whereas dark red or brown discharge is indicative of old blood. Period-like, bright red bleeding in pregnancy all too often goes hand in hand with certain complications. This kind of bleeding can mean a number of different things but determining the exact cause will require evaluation by your provider. 

As I mentioned, brown discharge during pregnancy typically indicates old blood and is not usually a cause for concern. It can be related to implantation bleeding, a result of normal pregnancy hormone surges, or can happen after sexual intercourse. Brown discharge on its own is not generally a concern, but if you have it accompanied by any other symptoms, it’s certainly worth a call to your provider. 

Some women do experience bleeding in the first trimester as baby implants to the uterine wall, this is more commonly known as implantation bleeding. Implantation bleeding is typically described as very light spotting and can actually occur before you even find out you are pregnant. 

I won’t go into all the other potential causes of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, because you can read more about them in this article. But just remember, any amount and/or color of vaginal bleeding should be promptly reported to your OB provider. 

If it is after hours and there’s not a way to reach a provider from your practice, you can always go to the emergency room for evaluation. 

5 weeks pregnant cramping: What’s normal, what’s not

Similar to how vaginal bleeding can be alarming and scary in pregnancy, so can cramping. Just like vaginal bleeding, there are different reasons for abdominal cramping, some more concerning than others. 

Light cramping might coincide with your embryo implanting into the lining of your uterus, which is also when you may experience implantation bleeding. 

Typically, light cramping early on in pregnancy is not a cause for concern. You absolutely wouldn’t be in the wrong to call your OB provider if you experience this though. I know a lot of mamas (especially if it’s your first pregnancy or you have experienced miscarriage(s) in the past) prefer the reassurance from their provider, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! 

While intermittent, mild cramping is typically harmless. Moderate or intense cramping, accompanied by bleeding might be a cause for concern and deserves prompt evaluation. Abdominal cramping and heavy bright red bleeding might indicate you are experiencing a miscarriage. 

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WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOUR BUMP?

5 Weeks Pregnant Belly

TIPS & RESOURCES FOR WEEK 5

Tips for 5 Weeks Pregnant

  • Choose a provider and research where you want to give birth – hint, there are more options than giving birth in the hospital with an OBGYN. Learn more about delivery options here and the main differences between OBGYNs and midwives here
  • Along the same lines, go ahead and schedule your first prenatal appointment once you’ve locked in step one
  • A lot of women start taking a prenatal vitamin while they are trying to conceive but if you haven’t started one yet, go ahead and do that! I personally loved Ritual’s prenatal vitamins when I was pregnant
  • The iron that’s in most prenatal vitamins might cause constipation so throw in a daily stool softener (I recommend Colace) if you notice any issues! If you want to learn more about ways to cope with constipation in pregnancy this IG post should help!
  • Sign up for MLN Weekly Pregnancy Updates to stay up to date on everything going on with your pregnancy. So much good information and it’s all free!
  • For more first trimester info, head here, where I discuss ALL the things you need to do once you get that BFP!

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