5th Week of Pregnancy
Sorry, moms-to-be, but Week 5 isn’t much different from Week 4.
Fatigue will probably still be your biggest symptom. Whatever you do, don’t have another cup of coffee to offset feeling tired! (Why are you still drinking caffeine, anyway?). Give your body a break and rest as much as you can. If you’re working outside the home and need a pick-me-up, avoid the soda machine and instead get outside for some fresh air and a brief walk.
“Morning sickness,” the nausea associated with pregnancy, may start now, but more than likely won’t begin for some weeks yet. In fact, the term “morning sickness,” is a misnomer, because pregnancy nausea can occur at any time of the day. Most “morning sickness” will get better after the first trimester, but some women suffer it throughout their pregnancy. That’s why it’s good to know natural ways to deal with it.
First, keep some crackers and seltzer water or club soda on hand. Eating a cracker or two, or drinking a small class of fizzy water, can offset the nausea. Some women find water with lemon or ginger tea helpful. If nothing seems to work, talk with your doctor before you try any other remedy, even something as seemingly innocuous as extra Vitamin B-6, another natural remedy. Every woman’s body responds differently to pregnancy, so always be cautious about anything that could potentially harmful the fetus.
And speaking of that little embryo, at Week 5 it’s hardly bigger than a small grain of rice, but big things are happening. The heart is developing out of the mesoderm, or middle layer of cells. The heart will divide into chambers to begin pumping blood. The mesoderm is also where bone, cartilage and muscles will develop. The top layer of cells, called the ectoderm, will produce the neural tube mentioned in Week 4, along with hair, skin, sweat glands, fingernails and toenails. A third layer of cells, the endoderm, is where the lungs, intestines, thyroid and pancreas develop.
At this stage of your pregnancy, there are some warning signs of possible complications to watch out for. One of these is what’s known as an ectopic pregnancy, something that can occur in 1 out of 100 pregnancies.
An ectopic pregnancy is when the fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube. Abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding and nausea could be signs of an ectopic pregnant, but only your physician can diagnose the condition properly. If an ectopic pregnancy is suspected, your doctor should order a test to check the levels of HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, in your blood. HCG levels in your blood typically double every 48 hours when you’re pregnant. If your levels of this hormone don’t show this rate of growth, the next step might be to perform an ultrasound test to try to locate the embryo. Should an ectopic pregnancy be confirmed, your doctor will want you to undergo surgery immediately, because the location of the embryo means that the pregnancy can’t be concluded successfully. Sad as this outcome is, it’s important for you to have surgery right away to avoid serious damage to the fallopian tube that might interfere with your future ability to conceive.
There are other complications that can be detected this early in a pregnancy. One is known as a “blighted ovum,” in which the fertilized egg may implant, but the embryo doesn’t develop. Another complication is what’s called a “molar pregnancy,” when the zygote is somehow abnormal from the moment the sperm fertilizes the egg. These complications can require surgery, or they may result in miscarriages. No one knows why they happen, and it’s important that you not blame yourself if they should occur.
While it’s wise to be aware of the signs of potential complications, worrying about them won’t help. The statistics cited above show that most women go on to have normal pregnancies and deliver fine, healthy babies. Keep a relaxed attitude and go about a healthy lifestyle, and you’ll be doing everything you can to help that tiny embryo inside you develop fully into a human being.
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