4 Weeks Pregnant

At 4th week, If you have no period and a positive test result, you are pregnant !

When your pregnancy is confirmed, it’s natural to experience a mixed bag of emotions – excitement, disbelief, joy, and anxiety. Everything is about to change forever for you and your partner. Give yourselves time to take in the big news. You may not feel pregnant yet, but momentous changes are taking place in the hidden world of your uterus. Step by step, the building blocks of life are being set in place.

Embryo at 4 Weeks Pregnant

1.The amniotic sac is a fluid-filled sac that cocoons the developing embryo.

2.The chorionic cavity surrounds the amniotic sac and is bounded by a membrane called the chorion.

3.The embryo now measures 2.5mm.

4.A fold down the back of the embryo marks the beginnings of the spine.

5.Chorionic villi reach into the wall of the uterus to form the placenta. The villi contain blood vessels that tap into your body’s blood supply to access nutrients for the baby.

6.The umbilical cord connects the baby to the developing placenta. At first it is rather short and has yet to develop any coils.

7.Embryonic tissues are already forming into a structure that will become the heart.

8.The yolk sac nourishes the embryo until the placenta is established and can provide nutrients through its blood supply.

Right now, your baby is the size of on orange seed and his or her heart and circulatory system are finally developing. The best part is that the hCG hormone in your body is high enough to confirm that you are final expecting.

Your baby’s development in 4 Weeks Pregnant

Deep down there, your embryo is growing at a fast pace. At this stage, during the fifth week of your pregnancy, your baby is now the size of a sesame or orange seed and resembles more like a tadpole, than a human.

Right now, your baby is made up of three important layers:  the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm that will soon form its own organ and tissues. The ectoderm is forming the neutral tube as a result developing your baby’s brain, nerves, spinal cord and backbone. Apart from this, this layer will lead to the rise of skin, nail, mammary, sweat gland, hair and tooth enamel of your baby. The mesoderm, the middle layer, is going to form the heart and circulatory system of your baby. From this week onwards, your tiny bundle of joy is going to form his heart, dividing itself into chambers, beating and pumping blood. Along with this, mesoderm will constitute your baby’s cartilage, bone, muscles and subcutaneous tissues, which will form under the skin tissue. The endoderm, the third layer, will complete your baby’s lungs, intestines and premature urinary systems. This will also constitute your baby’s pancreas, liver and thyroid.All while this is happening, your baby’s primitive placenta and umbilical cord are already on the assignment of delivering nourishment and oxygen to your baby.

It might be difficult to comprehend, but right now you baby is like a like a curled tube and not like a ball. While the one end of your tube will become your baby’s head, the other will be his or bottom. It is between these two ends that your baby’s spinal cord is forming – a start of your baby’s central nervous system taking shape.

In the 5th week of pregnancy, your baby has a pear-shape yolk sac that is filled with fluid, which will help nourish his or her requirements. Your baby’s early stage heart is going to pump blood to the walls of the yolk sac, where it gets familiar with the circulation process. Right now your little kid’s heart is just a small tube at the moment. Apart from this, your baby’s organs are rapidly developing. Your baby’s brain has been divided into two lobes by the start of this time and his respiratory system will appear from behind his face. Now, it will continue to grow downwards as he or she develops, further branching out 23 times along with the sides of the body. Right now, his or her arms and legs are equivalent to tiny buds and are minuscule and paddle-shape. Soon, your baby will be visible to the naked eye.

Changes in You in 4 Week Pregnancy

Soon, you are going to be holding a prince or princess in your hand. As of now, your hCG hormones are high enough for doctor’s or a pregnancy test to confirm that you are pregnant. By now, your life might have fully changed as you have been aware about our pregnancy and the pregnancy-related discomforts.

This is one of the first joyous moments of being pregnant! As it is during this week that your sonographer will be able to see your baby via ultrasound. During this week, you will be able to see a dreamy image of tiny baby tucked within your gestational sac. And the moment you will see his or her heart beating, we bet you and your partner will have tears of joy rolling through!

During the first few days/weeks of pregnancy, your baby-to-be is going to be fed by the yolk sac – a place that provides all the right amount of developmental feeding and nutrients an embryo needs till the time the placenta fully forms and functions at a later time in in pregnancy. It is only towards the closing of your first trimester that your yolk sac shrinks in size and can no longer be detected by the sonogram.

Right from frequent urination to sore breasts, fatigue and nauseous feeling, in the early weeks of pregnancy you must have started witnessing all sort of pregnancy symptoms. Even the outside world cannot see any of the dramatic changes and developments happening inside of your body, you surely know that you are preparing for a healthier life from here on.

Now, you will also to find out which type or form of exercise would suit you the best. Will walking on treadmill or outside, or yoga be your preferred mode of physical workout. Even though some women are often asked to put a hold to their exhaustion and nausea because of extreme exhaustion and developing symptoms of morning sickness, opting for light stretching, meditation and anything that enriches your mind and soul is a must-opt practice. This all will help in perking up your strength and endurance while helping you manage that extra weight and keep the ache and pain and stress-loaded occurrences in pregnancy at bay. Not only this, a healthy exercise can also help you get rid of physical labour pain later.

Nutrition for 4 Weeks Pregnant

• Right balance of carbohydrate, protein and fat is important now: Even though many times in the past you have continuously tried to ditch eating pizzas and ice creams, but have continuously failed, then this is the right time for you to do so, because perhaps the biggest motivation of your life is here: motivation to nurture and develop a beautiful and healthy baby. At this stage, whatever you are consuming is getting absorbed by your body not only for your baby’s health, but also for keeping your bones strong. At this stage, a healthy pregnancy diet must constitute of:
• Fruits: Choose fresh fruits and eat upto 3-4 servings a day. You should also eat dried fruits or 100 homemade percent fruit juice.
• Vegetables: Think of a rainbow when filling your plate with ample amount of vegetables. Eat a minimum of 3-5 servings per day and choose between reds (tomatoes, red peppers), orange (sweet potatoes, winter, squash), green (broccoli, spinach, rocket leaves) and yellows (corns, yellow peppers). Also, do include around half a cup of raw veggies in the form of salads in your diet.
• Dairy foods: Dairy is necessary for your baby’s bone health and overall growth and development. Drink a minimum of one serving of dairy in the form of milkin a day. Yogurt, processed cheese and so on should be apart of your diet. Opt for low-fat or skimmed variety of milk whenever you can. For women who are lactose intolerant, opt for calcium-fortified foods, such as soymilk or almond milk.
• Protein: It is important to guzzle down a minimum of 2-3 servings of protein in a day in the form of poultry, lean meat, fish and egg prepared in low-calorie sauces and curries. Vegetarian mothers can opt for lentils, nuts, seeds and split peas to fulfil their protein requirement.
• Whole grains: It is recommended to eat a minimum of 3 servings of whole grains per day, in the form of cereals, crackers, breads and pasta. This helps in providing the body with the right amount of fiber, which helps in keeping the body’s bowel function stable, while keeping constipation and haemorrhoids at bay.

Nutrition for Baby

• Load up on Vitamin C: One of the biggest things you need to take care of when stepping into the 5th week of pregnancy is to eat plenty of Vitamin C. This is because your baby’s cells are growing fast and they need Vitamin C for adequate growth and development. Red peppers, limes, organs and kiwis are all good sources of Vitamin C.
• Pop in prenatal vitamins: You should be consuming a minimum of 0.4 mg of folic acid by this stage in the form of prenatal vitamin. Not only this, make sure your prenatal vitamin has right amount of Vitamin D and iron content in it to aid the adequate development of your baby.
• Look beyond the belly: Now is the time to maintain your overall health and not just concentrate yourself on your belly health. Be well informed and make best choice throughout your pregnancy. Organise your gynaecologists visit every week and maintain a good communication with him or her. Also, start scheduling your routine dental visits and promptly address other concerns as when they occur.
• Be stress free: During this stage, many women tend to worry way too much regarding the health of their baby. This can genuinely harm your pregnancy and baby. From birth defects to labour pain to premature babies, women should not let the fears take over and should take each and every day as it comes.

Common Worries in 4 Weeks Pregnant

• Increased urination: It is during the 5th week of pregnancy that your uterus begins to expand, hence putting a greater amount of pressure on your urinary bladder. It so happens that even though you have just come out of the washroom, you have this insane urge to go back again and urinate with added pressure from your uterus. This is indeed one of the most common and rather the most uncomfortable symptom of pregnancy. However, tempted you might be, but do note that cutting back on fluids at any cost isn’t advisable at all. Also note that pain or burning sensation during urination is not normal and should be checked by the doctor immediately as it can be a bladder infection, also known as cystitis – a condition that is often accompanied by a fever.
• Ginormous breasts: If you have always lusted for bigger breasts, then this is the time when you wish is about to granted true. It is often seen that during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, women tend to have swollen. You might also experience breast swelling or pleasant tingling sensation. This happens because of spike in the production of estrogen and progesterone. You might also witness a slight darkening around the pimple area as tiny glands tend to grow there, preparing your breasts for breastfeeding. Not only this, you might also witness a map of blue veins all around your breasts, which can also be a major cause of shooting pains or throbbing sensation. Everything to do with breast tension and soreness is bound to subside by the end of first trimester of pregnancy. Taking warm (and not hot!) showers is one of the quickest way of soothing sore breasts.
• The major morning sickness: You might suffer from sickness, nausea, committing, cramps, or fatigue at any time of the day due to morning sickness. Though mostly women tend to experience this from the sixth week of pregnancy, some women might suffer from it early on. Eat small and regular meals all throughout the day in order to tackle morning sickness. If this problem persists to an unmanageable level, then do visit your doctor as it might be a sign of hyperemesis gravidarum – an extreme type of morning sickness, which might also require the patient to be hospitalised for a while.
• Lightheadedness and abdominal cramping: If your blood pressure tends to run lower than the normal, then it might lead to fainting or dizziness during pregnancy. If you are experiencing bloating or cramping, then this is caused because the egg is implanting or your uterus is stretching.
• An increase in vaginal discharge: If you are experiencing a thin, white, slight smelling milky discharge, then it is completely normal during pregnancy However, if you witness yellow or green vaginal discharge, followed with strong smells and redness or itching, then you should contact your healthcare provider immediately, as it can be a sign of vaginal infection.

What Experts Suggest When 4 Weeks Pregnant ?

“By now you must have found about your pregnancy and must have witnessed of the most common symptoms of pregnancy, such as tingling or soreness in breasts, going through morning sickness, needing to pee more often and feeling more tired than the usual. Do schedule your visit to ob-gyn soon and start your prenatal care from early as it will ensure a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Soon this excited news is followed by worry. Worry of miscarriage, how you will tackle and go through your pregnancy, gaining weight during pregnancy, labor pains and so on. Do take each day as it comes and talk to your gynaecologist and partner about your problem. In fact, at this stage the only things you should be worried about are getting an infection, eating right amount of healthy foods and not exercising enough. At this stage, do not hesitate to confide in your partner with your worries, queries, joys and overall emotions. This is perhaps a start of new level of intimacy between you two. A candid communication with your partner is a great way to help and nurture your relationship to grow, as your baby does.”

 Dr. Mangala Ramachandra, Consultant Obstetrics & Gynaecologist Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore