During your pregnancy, one of nature’s greatest miracles takes place within you as your baby grows and develops.
The new life needs 40 weeks to grow from a tiny cell structure to a perfect baby with an average height of around 51 cm and an average weight of around 3400 g.
This is what happens in the 1st-4th week of pregnancy
Although it is called the first to fourth week of pregnancy, it is good to know that in the 40 weeks of pregnancy, the first two weeks of your normal cycle are included. The actual fertilization with the fusion of the oocyte and sperm does not take place until the nominal third week of pregnancy. After fertilization, the egg is transported into the uterus via the fallopian tubes and implants there. You yourself often do not even notice much of these major events in your body, and may very well consider the first signs to be normal menstrual inconveniences.
This is how your baby will develop in the 5th to 8th week of your pregnancy
In the 5th week of pregnancy, your baby is three weeks old and around 2 mm tall. In the next time, the foundations for your baby’s development will be laid: the eyes, ears and mouth appear, the spinal cord, as well as the head, heart, arms and legs are formed. At the beginning of the 6th week of your pregnancy its heart starts beating. Your baby’s head forms, the brain develops, and what is known as the neural tube closes. Now the abdominal and chest cavities as well as the digestive tract begin to develop. The first protrusions that will later become arms and legs can be seen and your baby can already make its first movements. During the 7th week of pregnancy, your baby slowly gets a face, doubles its previous weight and forms the most important organs. Depending on how the baby is lying, with a bit of luck, your baby’s heartbeat can now be detected in ultrasound. In the 8th week of your pregnancy, your baby already weighs 1.5 g and is 9 mm tall. It already resembles a tiny human with a relatively large head. The eyes, ears and organ of equilibrium develop and the cartilage cells that previously formed the body structure are replaced by bone cells.
What does mom feel?
The period is missing or is significantly weaker than usual – time for a pregnancy test! These weeks are a time of major hormonal changes for the expectant mother. Some women feel more of it, others less, some nothing at all. Good to know: As different as we all are, our bodies react differently during pregnancy, so that neither strong nor missing signs of pregnancy are any reason for concern.
The first thing many women notice is changes in their breasts. The areolas become darker in color and breasts are often tense. Some women suffer from pregnancy symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or heartburn, and exhaustion and mood swings are not uncommon. You can find tips against morning sickness here. It may surprise you, but it is not uncommon at this stage of your pregnancy to experience painless, light spotting. This is usually completely harmless, but should be clarified by your doctor to be on the safe side.
The visit to the doctor
During these weeks (up to the 10th week of pregnancy) your first medical check-up is due. The embryo and heartbeat become visible in the ultrasound. The size of your baby is measured and the expected due date is calculated. Your doctor will also take this opportunity to check your blood values and advise you on what to watch out for now. You will also receive your maternity log. Your doctor will record the results of all examinations during pregnancy in it. From now on, it is best to keep this important document with you at all times.
Good to know
Remember: you are the most important person in your baby’s life. Only you can now ensure that your baby is not lacking for anything, nobody else in the world can do that!
For the healthy development of your baby, by now at the latest, you should completely refrain from smoking, alcohol and other drugs of any kind. Make sure you eat a healthy diet with lots of valuable vital substances and fiber. If you have been taking fertility vitamins before your positive pregnancy test, please continue. If you have not already done so, you should at least supplement folic acid now to protect against neural tube malformations in your baby. To protect yourself from infections that could endanger your child, you should avoid raw meat, raw eggs and raw milk products during your pregnancy. Always wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before consumption and cleaning the litter box should now be done by someone else to protect against toxoplasmosis. When you feel tired and exhausted, take breaks. Please don’t feel guilty if you put your feet up. However, you should still ensure regular exercise in the fresh air. If you live in a partnership, let your partner participate in this exciting time and also talk about your worries and fears – these are completely normal.
After your first visit to your doctor, you can also inform your employer. You are now under dismissal protection and are no longer allowed to carry out certain work. Because of the high risk of miscarriage in early pregnancy, many mothers choose to keep the good news to themselves for now.
