5 weeks pregnant

This week marks the start of the embryonic period, a time when the mass of cells becomes distinct as a tiny little human being.

This is the first week when you probably have missed your period. The hCG hormone levels are now also high enough to confirm with a pregnancy test that you’re having a baby 😊

Your Child’s development
The beginning of the third week after conception marks the start of the embryonic period, a time when the mass of cells becomes distinct as a human.  Your Child is now growing fast and measures about 1 mm in size — around the size of a small sesame seed.

The heart: The heart is forming as a little tube, and Your Child already has some of its own blood vessels in which blood is beginning to circulate. A string of these blood vessels connects the baby with you and will later become the umbilical cord. 

Tiny tail: Your Child’s outer layer of cells folds to form a hollow tube called the neural tube. This neural tube grows a little tail during this week like a small tadpole, but it will move back into the spinal cord long before your due date. Most of the cell development at this time takes place in the brain.

Your development
By now you should have missed your period, which implies that you’re pregnant. This means your body is working hard to grow a new life, so it’s completely normal if you’re overwhelmed by tiredness.

Morning sickness: Many of your body’s hormones also rise rapidly during this week, which means morning sickness may set in. Unfortunately, there’s little you can do except to modify your diet and wait for it to pass. It may stop in the next couple of weeks, but some pregnant women say they are able to reduce it by eating peppermint or ginger.

What you can do now
Your Child will absorb whatever goes into your system. Thus, it’s now time to embrace a healthy diet — so eat nutritious foods, and if you are not sure that you are getting everything Your Child needs, take prenatal vitamins. 

Eat well: If you like junk food, deep fried things, or processed foods, try to at least replace some of these meals with grilled vegetables, fresh fruits, pan fried fish, or nuts. Stop consuming any amounts of alcohol and other toxins.

Please acknowledge
We are trying to be as accurate as possible, but despite great progress in the last 100 years, there are still many unknowns about pregnancy and a childs’ prenatal development. We, therefore, want to remind you to be mindful of the fact that the information presented might not be accurate or may not apply to your individual pregnancy or child.