5 weeks pregnant: Your body is changing!

Now that the pregnancy has been confirmed, 5 weeks is the time for most women that they start feeling pregnant. With hormone levels increasing, it is also the time doctors can tell patients when their due date is.
For most women, it is around the 5-week benchmark that they begin to experience the most common symptoms of pregnancy at its peak which is morning sickness and nausea.Also, this is the time that the famous pregnancy cravings take over. It officially marks the end of the first month of your pregnancy and time to start taking precautions, like avoiding certain foods which might be harmful to your developing fetus.
How big is the baby?

The embryo growing inside is almost the size of a seed of an orange or an apple. Yes, it’s that tiny, measuring about 0.13 inches of all. It is after this that the baby starts to grow big.
What is going on inside?
For the baby’s health, 5 weeks is the time when body parts start to develop and connect with the neurons in the brain. Baby’s heart, brain and the spinal cord are still forming and in about a week, the heart will become fully functional.
Symptoms experienced
It’s rightly said that the first trimester is often the toughest to handle during the entire pregnancy. The body starts to go through so many tiny changes, it can be hard to keep count. At the same time, some women feel no difference whatsoever and do not really experience symptoms. Pregnancy is different, this way for every woman. Some of the commonly experienced symptoms at 5 weeks include:
Increasing hormones may cause your breasts to stretch and expand, causing you pain and tenderness. Sore breasts are one of the earliest signs of a pregnancy.
Once you are pregnant, you will find yourself making frequent trips to the bathroom. As the kidneys expand and make room for the baby’s needs, you have the tendency to urinate more frequently.
Nausea and sickness: More popularly known as morning sickness, frequent nausea and vomiting can be expected after the five-week mark and continue to stay till the end of the first trimester. If you are expecting twins, the symptoms multiply. However, it’s very possible that some women do not experience troubling sickness at all. That’s totally normal and consider yourself lucky if you do!
5 weeks is also the time when tiredness and fatigue start to hit you. You will start to feel more exhausted, tired as the body demands you to take rest. Taking small, short naps may help you maintain your energy throughout the day. Also, make sure that your diet remains steady so that you do not lose out on more energy and lose blood sugar as well.
Cramps: As the ligaments stretch and the embryo implants itself in the uterus, experiencing light cramps are totally normal and nothing to worry about.
Faint spotting: Spotting or bleeding a bit can worry some but is also a sign of the embryo implantation. Spotting can also be experienced after sexual intercourse, as the cervix is very sensitive at this stage.
Mood swings: Since the body is just out of the regular ‘period’ phase, experiencing mood swings is very common and it can be harder than PMS for some women.
How does a 5-week old pregnant belly look?
The first month of pregnancy is over but it’s hard to spot a proper belly by this time. As you begin to gain a little weight, many women feel bloated but as the weeks progress, you will eventually gain weight. Relax, it’s only the beginning of the journey!
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