5 Weeks Pregnant: The second Month

Baby's Growth and Development at 5 Weeks Pregnant

After weeks of rapid cell development, your baby takes on a more distinct form. During the fifth week of pregnancy, here's what's happening inside:

• Her heart and circulatory system take shape — a bulge indicates where your baby's heart is developing. By the end of the 5^th week of pregnancy, your baby's earliest blood vessels form.
• Around the 5^th week of pregnancy, your baby's heart begins to beat and may be visible on an ultrasound.
• The umbilical cord replaces the yolk sac. The umbilical cord works with the placenta to bring nutrition and oxygen to your baby and remove waste.
• At 5 weeks pregnant, your baby is the length of the tip of a pen, about 1/17 inches, and growing rapidly every day.

Your Changing Body at 5 Weeks Pregnant

Although later pregnancy is more dramatic to the world externally, the first weeks of pregnancy include the most dramatic internal changes for you. All the systems in your pregnant body change to help your new baby develop. During your 5th week of pregnancy you may start to notice the following:

• Feeling fatigued? Your body produces more blood to carry oxygen and nutrients to your baby. Your increase in blood may be especially high at 5 weeks pregnant, placing demands on your circulation. Your heart rate increases to keep pace, and these changes may cause fatigue, dizziness or even headaches.
• At 5 weeks pregnant, you may be experiencing a few other symptoms of early pregnancy. This can include breast changes, nausea, heightened sense of smell, frequent urination, or mood swings.
• Most women start to feel symptoms at 5 weeks pregnant. But every pregnancy is unique. Some symptoms may come later or not at all.
• Around the 5th week of pregnancy, the placenta that will help nourish the baby grows and secures to the uterus, which may cause light spotting.
• By 5 weeks pregnant, you may find that odors from your daily routine can cause nausea. You may want to identify the source and avoid smells that bother you.
• If you experience dramatic mood swings in early pregnancy, you're not alone. You may want to share your feelings and get the emotional support you need from your partner, family, and friends.