5 Weeks Pregnant: What to Expect

You have finally stepped into the week when there can be no doubt about your pregnancy. If you are pregnant, you will find out this week because by the 5th week, you will have already missed your period by about seven days, the HCG hormone in your body will be high, and you will be eager to take a test and find out what is happening. So, you have officially become a member of the pregnancy club. Congratulations!

At this early stage, significant developments are already underway, both for you and your growing baby. While it might still feel surreal, this is when your body adapts to pregnancy, and your baby starts forming its basic structure. If you want to know what to expect at five weeks pregnant, you’re in the right place! Continue reading to learn more.

Your Baby’s Growth During Pregnancy – Week 5

The embryo is growing fast inside you, and your baby now looks like a small tadpole with a primitive head and tail. The embryo now has three layers – the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm. These three layers will later develop into various body parts and complete your baby’s features. The neural tube also starts to develop this week in the top layer or the ectoderm. Your baby’s brains, spinal cord, nerve, and backbone will all sprout out of the neural tube. His heart and circulatory system have started to form in the mesoderm. In fact, in the 5^th week, your baby’s heart will start splitting into various chambers, beating and pumping blood, and all this is happening with the help of the yolk sac that is actively providing nourishment to your baby through the red blood cells (1) (3). Exciting, isn’t it?

What Is the Baby’s Size?

At 5 weeks pregnant, the baby’s size is as small as an orange seed or an apple seed. The embryo looks more like a tadpole with undeveloped head and tail, but this will change, and in less than 8 months from now, you will give birth to a healthy baby (4).

Common Body Changes

By the 5th week, you have received plenty of indications from your body that you are pregnant. It is time to do the pregnancy test, and on confirmation, break the news to your partner. The pregnancy hormone, HCG, is pretty high in your urine by now, and you are 99% likely to get a positive result if you are actually pregnant. Mood swings are the most obvious change that you and the people around you must adapt to for the next nine months. Other 5 weeks pregnant body changes include hormonal fluctuations that may cause symptoms such as fatigue, breast tenderness, mild cramping, and increased sensitivity to smells, which differ from woman to woman. We will discuss some common ones that are also pregnancy symptoms.

Symptoms of Pregnancy at Week 5

The pregnancy symptoms will be more obvious from this week until the end of the first trimester. Only in a handful of cases do these symptoms last throughout the pregnancy, which can be a little tough. Here are a few common signs of pregnancy at five weeks (2).

• Aching and sore breasts is one of the most common and prominent symptoms during week 5 of the pregnancy.
• Well, from this week on, you may realise that morning sickness is not really ‘morning sickness’. It can happen any time of the day. Most moms feel nauseated throughout the day till the end of the first trimester. The smell of some food items may make you through up instantly.
• The baby’s development is picking up speed leaving you exhausted. It is ok to feel tired and nap anytime during the day if you want to. There is really not much you can do about it, other than to take rest when you have to.
• Your kidneys have started to expand now, and you may feel like going to the loo more frequently than ever!
• During the 5^th week, if you feel cramps in your stomach, it may mean that your uterus is expanding and stretching your ligaments. But if the cramp is abnormally painful, then consult your doctor right away.
• Spotting after sex could be because of the pressure on the sensitive cervix. Since it’s the 5^th week already, consulting the doctor if it occurs is not a bad idea.

In a few cases, mothers-to-be don’t go through any of the above symptoms, or these symptoms just come and go. But that is completely normal, and not having pregnancies symptoms doesn’t mean that there is any problem with your pregnancy.

Belly At 5 Weeks of Pregnancy

At 5 weeks of pregnancy, your belly is not going to look any different. It may feel a little bloated, or you may feel like you have gained about one kilogram, but that is rare. There may not be any pregnancy weight gain during week 5. In fact, many moms suffering from constant nausea and vomiting may lose a little weight. But don’t worry about it. You have 8 months ahead of you to gain a lot of weight.

5 Weeks Ultrasound

Your doctor may not advise you to have an ultrasound scan during week 5. Only women with a history of pregnancy complications may be advised to have a five-week pregnancy ultrasound. As mentioned before, at week 5, your baby looks like a tadpole and is the size of an orange seed. Also, your baby’s heart starts beating this week (6), but none of this can be seen or felt during the ultrasound. All you may see in the ultrasound is a thickened uterine lining which slowly moves up and down.

What to Eat?

It is a fact that pregnant women must eat right all the time. 5 weeks pregnant foods to eat should focus on providing essential nutrients to support your baby’s early development and your overall health. However, a big question is how much of that is possible starting in week 5 and continuing until the end of the first trimester. Food aversions are a simplified term used to define the distaste for food at the sight you develop during this phase. Especially the sight of egg, chicken, and other protein-rich poultry food may drive you crazy. Here are a few tips on how to put together a protein-rich 5th-week pregnancy diet (2) (3).

• Find protein-rich food outside poultry. Indulge is soy pasta, tofu, nuts, legumes, beans, and certain grains.
• Hate milk already? There is always cheese and yogurt to supplement the calcium from the milk and that’s good enough.
• Greens make you turn red? Don’t hesitate to replace them with orange veggies and lots of citrus and other fruits.

Treat yourself with what you like. Some carbs here and there will not harm you. Stay calm because if you are lucky you will start enjoying your food by the end of the first trimester.

Tips & Care

Rest and sleep can make a world of difference. So, shut your eyes and take a nap whenever you feel like it. Eight hours of sleep is mandatory. Make room for it in your daily schedule. The soaring progesterone levels, low blood sugar, low blood pressure, and increased blood volume is going to leave you very tired. Rest and sleep is the only way to boost your mood. Hence, have guilt-free sleep time for yourself. Here are a few 5 week pregnancy care tips:

Dos

• Consult your doctor and get a blood test done at a medical centre.
• Knock out unpasteurised food and under-cooked meat and egg from your diet (5).
• Find healthy, tasty, and desirable replacements to various nutrients.
• Fine tune your taste buds with the help of vitamin B6, ginger capsules, nausea reducing lozenges or lollipops, and acupressure wristbands.
• Include some healthy and light exercises to build strength and endurance.
• Get yourself a supplement of prenatal vitamin with folic acid.
• Drink lots and lots of water.

Don’ts

• Avoid junk food.
• Quit smoking, drinking or using drugs.
• Quit caffeine.

What You Need to Shop for?

Your shopping bucket for week 5 stays uncomplicated. Buy yourself a book on pregnancy, or a pregnancy journal, comfortable cotton bras, stretchy pants, leggings, and anything else that’s loose on the tummy. Your skinny jeans’ buttons may feel a little uncomfortable on your bloated tummy, so avoid them.

FAQs

1. Should I start taking prenatal vitamins?

Yes, if you haven’t already, begin taking a prenatal vitamin that includes folic acid, iron, and other essential nutrients to support your baby’s development and your health (1).

2. Can I exercise at 5 weeks pregnant?

Moderate exercise, like walking, swimming, or prenatal yoga, is generally safe and beneficial. Always consult your doctor before starting or continuing a fitness routine during pregnancy (7).

Being five weeks pregnant starts a new chapter in your unique story. With the proper care, a healthy lifestyle, and a little patience, you’re giving your baby the best start.

References/Resources:

1. You and your baby at 5 weeks pregnant; NHS; https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/week-by-week/1-to-12/5-weeks/

2. Week 5; NHS; https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/1st-trimester/week-5/

3. 5 weeks pregnant: baby’s development, cravings and your diet; Tommy’s; https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/im-pregnant/pregnancy-week-by-week/5-weeks-pregnant

4. What happens in the second month of pregnancy?; Planned Parenthood; https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/pregnancy/pregnancy-month-by-month/what-happens-second-month-pregnancy

5. Pregnancy Calendar: Week 5; Nemours KidsHealth; https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/week5.html

6. Pregnancy Week by Week; March of Dimes; https://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy-week-week#5

7. Exercise in pregnancy; NHS; https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/exercise/

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