Welcome to Weeks 4-6 of Your Pregnancy!
Your Baby in Weeks 4-6 of Pregnancy
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At 4 weeks of pregnancy, your baby is still extremely small, measuring only about .014 to .04 inches long. That is roughly the equivalent to 1/2 to 1mm long, which is quite tiny! Your baby will slowly begin to change by the time you are 4 weeks pregnant and he or she will begin to resemble more of a small tadpole with eyes than an egg.
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The implantation into the uterine lining during week 4 of pregnancy will become more aggressive to ensure that he or she has a safe and cushioned home until birth. While fetal development is still in the beginning stages, the blastocyst, or ball of cells that makes up your baby, will imbed deeper into the lining of the uterus. It's at this time that the amniotic cavity is beginning to form and that the placenta is starting to take shape.
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The placenta will help support and nourish your baby throughout your pregnancy. Your blood will carry vital oxygen and nutrients through a vascular network within the placenta to help foster fetal health.
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There are several different layers and groups of cells inside the womb which will eventually develop into your baby's organs, nervous system, brain and body parts.
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When you reach 4 weeks of pregnancy, you've reached a milestone known as the beginning of the embryonic period. The baby's organs will begin to develop and with this being such a critical time in your baby's development, it's crucial that you kick any unhealthy habits and pursue a fit and healthy pregnancy.
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When you reach 5 weeks of pregnancy, you may not even know you are pregnant yet, but a tiny heart is beating in the baby. It will have a fast beat right from the start, somewhere between 125 and 175 beats per minute. There isn’t a lot of blood or complete circulatory system yet, but the heart will appear to be pumping or beating. It is gearing up and strengthening for the future!
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Throughout week 5 of pregnancy, the central nervous system, muscles, bones and heart will begin to form. Early skeletal development is also probably underway around 5 weeks of pregnancy. This isn't a certainty, as every person is unique, so just know that your baby will probably develop at a different rate when compared to others.
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As your baby's heart develops in week 5 of pregnancy, the heart will begin to divide into separate chambers and start to pump blood. The heart is formed from the middle layer of cells called the mesoderm. Other organs that will develop from this layer include the muscles, cartilage and bone.
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The placenta and umbilical cord are also continuing to develop in week 5 of pregnancy and the neural tube starts to take shape in the top layer of cells known as the ectoderm. Ultimately, the skin, hair, nails and even the sweat glands will develop from this layer of cells. A third layer of cells, known as the endoderm, will develop into the lungs, intestines, thyroid and pancreas.
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The size of the blastocyst has grown tremendously and is now between 1.5 and 2.5 mm. 2.5 mm is only as long as a blade of grass is wide. Another point of reference or size comparison would be a small grain of rice. Even with its tiny size, your baby is actually growing in many other ways as his or her vital organs will continue to develop throughout week 5 of pregnancy and beyond.
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While your baby is still very small, it has almost doubled in size from last week. The placenta will begin forming rapidly around the embryo, but it won’t be ready for hormone production for another seven weeks.
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The spine and spinal cord develop rapidly in week five on your baby. The spine will stick out like a tail since the embryo is still very small, making it look like an animal. Don’t worry though – the rest of the body will grow and catch up to the spine, making it look human soon enough.
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Week 6 of pregnancy brings about more growth as the baby growing inside will more than double again this week and reach 4 to 6 mm in size. Four millimeters is getting pretty big but it's still only size of a small pea. An ultrasound will be able to pick up the baby and see all of the working parts thus far, believe it or not.
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Even though they are incredibly small, the arm and leg buds will emerge. They will stick out of the trunk and be relatively small in comparison to the body, but they will catch up. The arms and legs will be very skinny as the muscle mass and fatty deposits have not started. The basis for the liver, pancreas, lungs and stomach can also be seen by a trained expert, but not fully developed or functioning yet. This baby is well on its way to growing.
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At week 6 of pregnancy, your baby is finally starting to look more and more like a little human, although it still has a while to go yet before it will actually resemble one. Dark spots should be forming where the eyes and nostrils will eventually take shape in week 6 of pregnancy.
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There may also be small pits on the sides of the head where the ears will develop and tiny buds that will form into the arms and legs at roughly 6 weeks pregnant. For several weeks the hands and feet will be connected by a layer of webbing between the fingers and toes. Your baby will start responding to sensory input and start moving all on his own in these next few weeks.
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At 6 weeks of pregnancy the heart should now be beating at about 100 to 140 beats per minute and blood will begin to circulate throughout your baby's body. Your healthcare practitioner may be able to see the beating of the heartbeat during pregnancy week 6 using ultrasound, though it may still be a few weeks before the heartbeat is detectable by a Doppler device.
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Your baby would actually be able to exhibit reflexes in response to touch even though you are only at 6 weeks of pregnancy. This is possible because the central nervous system is already developing and starting to link the muscles in the body with the forming limbs.
Your Body in Weeks 4-6 of Pregnancy
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Week 4 is probably the earliest you would even be able to get a result from a store bought urine test. The pregnancy tests for hCG, which is the Human chorionic gonadtropin hormone, in the urine stream. When there is an embryo developing, the hCG doubles in amount everyday in your system. It takes a few days for it to build up enough for it to change the strip on the pregnancy test. That’s why you can get a false negative on a home pregnancy kit – you haven’t waited long enough for the hCG to build up. Rarely will you get a false positive from a home pregnancy test.
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Are you feeling more tired than usual? It’s a sign that your body is working overtime to create the cells that will form the embryo. You may yawn constantly and other people may even notice how much you are yawning and how tired you look. Don’t take it personally, if they comment – they don’t know what’s going on yet. They may suspect, but they won’t outright ask.
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Feeling tired at 4 weeks of pregnancy shouldn't surprise you given the amazing work your body is performing to support your new baby. Many women compare these symptoms to those they feel around the time of their periods.
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While you may experience nothing more than menstrual symptoms at 4 weeks of pregnancy, you may endure more than a bit of nausea and cramping. Some women experience cramping during this time and are absolutely positive that they are about to get their period, only to find that they are actually pregnant soon after.
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Symptoms that may begin during week 5 of pregnancy include breast tenderness and headaches. Your hormones are in overdrive and your body may not be able to keep up with the overload, resulting in a headache. Drink some water and sit with your feet propped up for awhile. It will help a load! Avoid caffeine drinks as they may increase the breast tenderness as well. There isn’t a whole lot you can do, so just make the best of it and know there are only a few short weeks of morning sickness.
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Your belly area will still be pretty small at 5 weeks of pregnancy and you probably won't be showing. Others most likely won't be able to detect that you are pregnant for several more weeks. Some women, particularly moms who have gone through childbirth before, have reported that they notice more bloating in their abdomen at 5 weeks of pregnancy when compared with earlier weeks.
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Morning sickness is quite common at 5 weeks of pregnancy but it often won't set in for a few more weeks. Morning sickness isn't limited to morning time. In fact, the nausea associated with pregnancy can come at any time of the day, morning or night.
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Some women are plagued with morning sickness during their entire pregnancies, though most morning sickness gets better after the first trimester. The good news is there are many things you can do to help alleviate morning sickness as you follow your pregnancy week by week.
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One of the most common symptoms at 5 weeks of pregnancy is fatigue and a complete lack of energy. While this is common throughout pregnancy, it's usually more intensive during the earlier weeks or first trimester. One of the best remedies is rest and as little extra stress as possible. Don't resort to coffee or caffeinated beverages as this can affect a developing fetus. Try some light exercise or stretching, or take a walk outside and get some fresh air.
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Even though you are at week 6 of pregnancy, you probably haven't started to show yet. This doesn't mean that you won't be able to detect subtle changes in your body. Your jeans may start to fit less comfortably around the midsection but you won't be ready for maternity clothes just yet. One thing you might opt to do to extend the period of time you wear ordinary clothes is invest in one or two pairs of pants a size bigger than your normal clothing or purchase a Bella Band which has proven to be a comfort- and clothes-saver for many a new mom!
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During week 6 of pregnancy, early symptoms of morning sickness will increase and you should have a pretty good hunch you are pregnant if you don’t already. You may only experience mild discomfort, such as bloating, fatigue and nausea. Extreme cases of morning sickness include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, soreness, backaches and headaches. You may have one symptom or every symptom. Morning sickness is impossible to predict and every single woman is different.
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If you haven't already, you may start to experience some weight gain at 6 weeks of pregnancy. Most women will typically gain around 5 pounds during the first trimester but some will gain more and some a little less. Surprisingly enough, some women actually lose some weight during the first trimester but this tends to be a result of nausea, morning sickness, and the toll the pregnancy is taking on her body.
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Your waist area will begin to become a bit thicker, especially if this is your second or third pregnancy. At 6 weeks of pregnancy, your uterus will also begin changing in size as your pregnancy progresses. At 6 weeks of pregnancy your uterus is probably the size of a normal plum.
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Spotting can sometimes occur in the early weeks such as week 6 of pregnancy, but it's typically nothing to worry about. That said, if you ever have concerns, it's best to call your healthcare practitioner. Even if you don't think it's unusual, you'll want to make sure it isn't a sign of current or impending problems.
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