5th week of pregnancy: The 5th week of pregnancy at a glance
The 5th week of pregnancy is particularly exciting with regard to the development of your child, as his heart develops and begins to beat independently. Important limbs and blood vessels, but also the spine, the gastrointestinal tract and the brain develop in the 5th week of pregnancy.
Theinitial examinationin the 5th week of pregnancy has shown that you are pregnant. Congratulations! Now a lot of new things come to you, you get amaternity recordand have to pay attention to your diet. In addition, you shouldrefrain from alcohol and cigarettes from now on. But one by one, learn how your body changes and how your baby develops.
Index
ToggleDevelopment of your baby in the 5th week of pregnancy
The 5th week of pregnancy is an important time for your child. In order to support its healthy development, you should now pay particular attention to anadequate supply of iodine and folic acid. The 0.5 to 1 millimeter large embryo develops into an oval disk. It now resembles a flying saucer, which also comes from another world. It consists of three cotyledons (ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm) from which the various organs develop:
- The outer germ layer forms the cells for the development of the nervous system, the sensory organs and the skin.
- The mesoderm (middle germ layer) gives rise to the heart and the blood vessel system as well as the connective tissue.
- From the endoderm (inner germ layer) develop the internal organs such as intestines, lungs and the genital organs.
- In the midline of the germinal disc, there is a thickening (neural trough), from which your child’s nervous system later develops.
- The head develops from the anterior part of the germinal disc, the rest of the body arises from the posterior part.
Your little child’s heart hasn’t started beating at this point. However, many important plants are developing in the 5th week of pregnancy. The torso, head and limbs can already be seen. The brain and spine are formed, as is the gastrointestinal tract. Also muscles, soft bones and blood vessels of your baby are now created in the 5th week of pregnancy.
Signs of pregnancy in the 5th week of pregnancy
Your pregnancy shows up for the first time by missing your period. With a regular cycle of 28 days, the period is due in this week. Apregnancy testfrom the pharmacy already brings to light on the day on which the menstrual period should begin, with a certainty of 90 to 98 percent.
The first feelings of tension can also appear in the chest in the 5th week of pregnancy. Your breasts appear firmer, larger, or tight, and the nipples may be sensitive to touch. Through the release of the pregnancy hormones progesterone, estrogen and prolactin, the glandular tissue of the breast increases while the fatty and connective tissue regresses. Find out in our post “Signs of pregnancy” what else speaks for the fact that you are pregnant.
The uterus is not yet or only very slightly enlarged in the 5th week of pregnancy and cannot yet be felt through the abdominal wall. During the vaginal examination by the doctor or midwife, however, the uterus already appears somewhat softer. The cervix can still be moved in all directions, it only becomes firmer from the16th week of pregnancy. However, thecervixis already well closed by a mucus plug so that no bacteria can rise from the vagina into the uterus.
The vagina is also different. It feels softer and more elastic than before due to the increase in pregnancy hormones. Under certain circumstances, you may feel a pull in the abdomen.
The calorie requirement is about 2,200 calories per day until the13th week of pregnancy. But it also depends on your height, weight and age. In the 5th week of pregnancy, therefore, you will not see a tummy that betrays your condition.
Initial examination in the 5th week of pregnancy
If you suspect you are pregnant, it is best to go to the gynecologist to confirm your suspicions. Of course, you can also take a pregnancy test in advance. They are freely available in the pharmacy and can already provide you with a safe result in the 5th week of pregnancy. They are correct in 90 to 98 percent of all cases. At the first check-up, the doctor will confirm the pregnancy with an ultrasound examination. He also takes an anamnesis. He asks questions about previous illnesses and operations and gets a more detailed picture of your state of health. Then he will advise you on furtherprenatal careand give you the maternity record.
Questions about the 5th week of pregnancy
Are spotting normal?
In the 5th week of pregnancy, it is not uncommon for spotting to occur. As a rule, these are harmless. One reason for slight bleeding could be the hormone fluctuations, which occur especially during the time you normally had your period before your pregnancy. Even if spotting in the first trimester of pregnancy is harmless in most cases, you should have it checked by the gynecologist.
What does 5th week of pregnancy mean?
If you are in the 5th week of pregnancy, your embryo is three weeks old. Because there is a difference between the age and the week of pregnancy. The first two weeks of pregnancy only serve to calculate the approximate date of delivery. Thus, the calculation begins about two weeks before fertilization, with the first day of the last period.
It is counted as follows – if you are in the 5th week of pregnancy, you are in the fourth week and x days pregnant:
- 4+0= 1st day of the 5th week of pregnancy
- 4+1 = 2nd day of the 5th week of pregnancy
- 4+2 = 3rd day of the 5th week of pregnancy
- 4+3 = 4th day of the 5th week of pregnancy
- 4+4 = 5th day of the 5th week of pregnancy
- 4+5 = 6th day of the 5th week of pregnancy
- 4+6 = 7th day of the 5th week of pregnancy
Can back pain already occur?
Back pain is a common symptom of pregnancy. Some women unfortunately already in the 5th week of pregnancy below. In many cases, they occur at this early stage of pregnancy due to heavy or incorrect lifting. The muscles are overloaded and so it can quickly lead to back pain. In this case, it is advisable to seek advice from a physiotherapist or the doctor.
When do I have a maternity record?
You will receive the maternity record at your first appointment with the gynaecologist. The maternity record contains the most important information about the course of your pregnancy. These are not always easy to understand, as the maternity record contains many foreign words and abbreviations. Here we explain all the contents to you.
When do you feel the pregnancy?
Since not every woman feels physical changes immediately after missing the period, which indicate pregnancy, it may be that feeling different or discomfort is not noticed until several weeks later. In some women, the implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus even leads to a slight bleeding, which can be confused with the period bleeding. In this case, you probably won’t feel pregnant because you’re not considering this possibility. Learn more about the signs of pregnancy.
The hCG value (human chorion gonadotropin), the pregnancy hormone, can be detected by a medical examination as early as six to nine days after fertilization. The body produces this as soon as the fertilized egg implants in the uterine lining. Until the end of early pregnancy, the hCG level increases continuously. Between the 8th and 10th week of pregnancy, the maximum concentration of the pregnancy hormone is reached. After that, the value slowly decreases again.
Here you can get an overview of the hCG normal values in the individual weeks of pregnancy:
- 3. SSW = 5 to 50
- 4. SSW = 50 to 500
- 5. SSW = 100 to 5,000
- 6. SSW = 500 to 10,000
- 7. SSW = 1,000 to 50,000
- 8. SSW = 10,000 to 100,000
- 9th to 10th week = 15,000 to 200,000
- 11th to 14th week = 10,000 to 100,000
Tips and hints for the 5th week of pregnancy
Avoid alcohol, nicotine and medication
As soon as you miss your period and you suspect that you are pregnant, you should refrain from alcohol, nicotine and unprescribed medications, as these can cause considerable damage to your child’s development. Your baby does not break down the alcohol and nicotine can, for example, lead to an increased risk of allergies, hyperactivity or underdevelopment in the womb. But don’t worry if you had a in the first two weeks of your pregnancy. Because here the “all-or-nothing principle” applies. Learn more about this in our article “Alcohol in pregnancy”.