Development of the Baby
Your baby, who is only one point young at 5 weeks of pregnancy, is ready for miraculous transformations in order to grow inside you. It’s a very new embryo! The cells in the embryo come together to form the neural tube. During this period, 3 main layers of the embryo called ectoderm, mesotherm and endoderm are formed. Ectoderm is the structure that forms the baby’s nervous system, spinal cord system, ears, eyes, connective tissues, inner ear, skin and hair. Mesotherm forms the heart and circulatory system and internal organs. Again, this layer provides the formation of muscles, bones, reproductive organs and kidneys in the future. Endoderm is the layer that forms the internal organs such as the lungs, intestines and bladder, thyroids and pancreas.
The 2 structures that make up the brain and the first stages of the coccyx have begun to form. The 5-week-old baby received a tube image extending from the brain to the tail. Throughout this tube, the formation foundations of some organs are laid. At week 5, the embryo continues to develop in a fluid-filled bubble called the amniotic sac and grows in this sac throughout pregnancy. For several weeks, the baby is only fed by a structure called the yolk sac, which is covered with membranes. The placenta continues to produce blood cells from the 5th week until the pregnancy is fully formed. While the yolk sac continues to provide blood cells to the baby, the placenta and umbilical cord, on the other hand, will begin to perform their duty to hold on to the baby’s mother, and thus to life.
Ultrasound Image
During the 5th week of pregnancy, your baby’s development continues in an exciting way. In general, expectant mothers wonder whether the 5-week-old baby will be seen on ultrasound. The first ultrasound is usually done vaginally for a healthier evaluation of the pregnancy. Since the baby is still a rapidly developing cluster of cells, it is seen as a tiny white spot on the ultrasound. The 5-week-old baby looks like a tiny frog in an ultrasound image. It is also likened to a shrimp image as it starts to take on a C shape at the end of this week. Your doctor will calculate the height of this image of your baby on ultrasound. The heart starts to beat from the 5th week of pregnancy, but its sound will not be heard on ultrasound. The heart, the first organ to start working, makes an average of 90-100 beats per minute this week. In the baby in the 5-week gestational sac, the spinal cord will begin to form in the section between the brain and the tail.
Changes in the Mother's Body
Pregnancy hormones begin to be secreted rapidly in the body of the expectant mother who becomes pregnant. In the 5th week, the mother begins to show signs of pregnancy. The delay of the menstrual day is the most obvious of the signs of pregnancy. Expectant mothers with menstrual irregularities may not realize that they are pregnant yet. Expectant mothers who have passed the menstrual period usually do a pregnancy test at home first. If the pregnancy test applied with urine is positive, this means pregnancy. Some expectant mothers may have low levels of Beta hCG (pregnancy hormone) during the 5th week of pregnancy, and in this case, the urine test may not be positive. In such a case, the expectant mother may ask her doctor to perform a pregnancy test through blood. At the first examination, the doctor asks the expectant mother for blood group and Rh determination, complete blood count, jaundice (hepatitis B) test, urinalysis and urine culture, rubella, toxoplasma and CMV values.
Sleepiness and fatigue can also be seen among the 5-week pregnancy symptoms in expectant mothers. Mild or severe nausea and vomiting may begin in some expectant mothers. Some expectant mothers do not feel nausea during pregnancy. Sensitivity may begin in the breasts. Situations such as frequent urination and craving may occur. Excessive salivation may also be among the symptoms of the 5th week of pregnancy. Since there is hypersensitivity in the sense of smell, some foods may be disgusted. There is also a metallic taste in the mouth.
Bleeding may occur in some expectant mothers during the 5th week of pregnancy. If bleeding is observed during 5 weeks of pregnancy, the expectant mother should definitely inform her doctor. Even if the doctor states that everything is fine with the baby during the examination, he/she can tell the expectant mother to have a more careful pregnancy. And she may suggest following up with the expectant mother more often.
What Do Spouses Think?
Prospective mothers who receive the news of 5 weeks of pregnancy usually share the happy news with their spouses first. This news may make some men very happy, or if it is sudden, it may cause some to have a dull reaction. The positive contributions of mutual understanding and calm communication are very great in this important process, where a new period is entered as a couple. The fact that fathers are researchers on issues related to the pregnancy process and baby care, being with their spouses in routine examinations and taking an active role in all decisions made during both pregnancy and childbirth will strengthen their bonds with both their spouses and their babies in the journey of becoming fathers.
Points need to be considered
If you have nausea and vomiting in the 5th week of pregnancy, you should consume frequent and small amounts of non-spicy and fat-free foods. If possible, do not cook at home, as sensitivity to smells is one of the most important causes of nausea during these weeks. If you have nausea, sipping liquids and drinking a glass of water in an hour is sufficient for fluid intake. If the severity of nausea and vomiting increases, you can also start nausea medications with your doctor’s recommendation.
Approximately 2 months from five weeks of pregnancy are critical weeks for neural tube development in the formation of the baby. Therefore, if you have not started pre-pregnancy, it is very important that you start folic acid supplementation as soon as you receive the news of pregnancy at week 5 in order to prevent neural tube defects in your baby. For the healthy development of the neural tube, which is a structure that includes brain tissue and spinal cord, doctors recommend folic acid supplementation to expectant mothers every day for the first 2-3 months of pregnancy.
You should start taking care of your diet from 5 weeks of pregnancy. You should eat a protein-rich diet and be careful not to overeat sugary foods. If you want to overeat, you should share this with your doctor. Your doctor will create a special nutrition program for you.
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