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You’re 5 weeks pregnant! You’ve likely just found out you’re expecting—congratulations, Mom! Here’s what’s going on this week with your baby and your body.
How Big is Baby?
This week, baby is teeny-tiny, measuring just 0.118 inches, or 3 millimeters long.
What’s New with Baby?
That itty-bitty babe has a beating heart! Cardiac motion can be detected as early as 5 weeks, 5 days.
What’s New with Mom?
Feeling a little nausea or fatigue? Feeling nothing at all? Both are normal, Mom. Pregnancy symptoms could start around now, or they might still be a few weeks away (lucky you!). The first symptom was likely your missed period.
Fun Fact
The ovary which released the egg is creating what’s called the corpus luteum cyst, a fluid-filled sac. “This is what protects the pregnancy during this gestational age so that the baby can grow,” says Dr. Joanna Forbes, an Ob/Gyn at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Joanna Forbes, M.D., is an Ob/Gyn and assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She specializes in all aspects of general Ob/Gyn, including well-woman exams and minimally invasive Ob/Gyn surgery.
What to Know About the First Trimester
It’s normal to feel a wide range of emotions when you first find out—or even suspect—you’re expecting. And you’re likely wondering one thing: What do I do next?
First things first—start with taking a home pregnancy test. “If positive, reach out to your Ob/Gyn to schedule a confirmation of pregnancy visit,” says Forbes. “If not already doing so, start taking prenatal vitamins.”
That first visit will happen in the next few weeks, depending on when your last period was. “We date pregnancies based off the first day of their last menstrual period. Since we know cardiac motion is usually seen by 6 weeks, if the patient isn’t having any bleeding, we will bring them in between 6–8 weeks for a sonogram to confirm pregnancy,” says Forbes.
Forbes says that as long as everything is going well, you can expect to see your Ob/Gyn about once a month during this first trimester. But call your doctor right away if you experience vaginal bleeding or severe pain, or severe nausea and vomiting where you can’t keep any food down.
As you visit your Ob/Gyn over the next 35 weeks, and particularly if you use a patient portal like MyChart, you may encounter some confusing abbreviations. Bookmark this guide, put together by doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center, to help you decipher notes like NIPT (non-invasive pregnancy test) or FTS (first trimester screening). This way you’ll stay informed and empowered throughout your pregnancy.
Wondering what else to expect over the course of your pregnancy? Fatigue, breast tenderness and nausea or vomiting are common symptoms you might encounter in the first trimester, or 12 weeks. Forbes recommends taking over-the-counter vitamin B6 and Unisom to cope with the latter, if needed. “We usually recommend the Unisom at night,” she says. “It will help sleep and also help with morning nausea symptoms.”
During the first part of pregnancy, women do not need any extra calories (beyond the recommended 2,000 a day) to give their baby everything they need—in fact, “eating for two” is a common pregnancy myth. Doctors recommend that women at a healthy weight gain 25 to 35 pounds throughout their pregnancy. “Some people will gain more at the beginning and less at the end and vice versa,” says Forbes. “Usually we try to limit weight gain in the first trimester, but again some patients are different.”
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This blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute the provision of medical advice or professional services. This blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
The above article was written by DFWChild editor Amanda Collins Bernier with information provided by UT Southwestern Medical Center as part of their sponsored content.
