Pregnancy Week Five

Welcome to week five of pregnancy! This week is a good week to take a home pregnancy test to confirm you are pregnant. Already, your baby has gone through an incredible amount of changes. Right now your little embryo is already nestled safe and sound in the lining of your uterus. This week he or she will begin to split into three layers of cells, which I'll further discuss in a few moments.

You should also definitely be feeling rather pregnant by now. If your one of the lucky women to get morning sickness, it might begin this week. You and your baby are both changing fast and this is just the beginning.

Right about now, you may or may not feel pregnant. Every woman and every pregnancy is different. If you have already taken a test and confirmed that you are pregnant, your probably looking for the signs or checking your figure in the mirror every ten minutes. However, it's still too early for you to have gained any weight, though you may be bloated. As matter of fact, if you're experiencing any morning sickness, you're probably losing a little weight. This is normal, but if you're like me you'll still worry. When in doubt look to your doctor for reassurance.

You may also be feeling some tingling or soreness of your breasts or perhaps your areolas are darkening. Some women even begin to feel a constant need to urinate this early. And you will definitely be feeling more tired. I slept through most of the first two months of my pregnancy. Getting out of bed to go to class, was tough. Finally some women experience a metallic taste in their mouths. I never had this experience but I do know that as you progress through your pregnancy your senses will heighten slightly. My sister swore she smelled dead fish throughout the end of her first trimester and beginning of her second. Imagine having to deal with that!

This week your little baby-embryo is snug as a bug in your uterine wall. He or she is also splitting into three layers of cells: the ectoderm, the mesoderm and the endoderm.

The Ectoderm is the top layer of cells. This layer will become the neural tube, which will eventually become the spinal cord and the brain. Skin, hair, nails and sweat glands also develop in this layer of cells.

The Mesoderm is the middle layer of cells. Most of the changes this week are occuring in this layer. Your little one's heart is growing and developing in this layer. Even though your baby is as tiny as a grain of rice, your baby's heart has chambers and is beginning to pump blood! His or her muscles, cartilage, bone, umbilical cord and your placenta are also developing from this layer.

The Endoderm is the final, bottom layer of cells. There is not as much activity as the first two layers going on in here. Still things are changing and developing. Your little one's lungs, intestines, thyroid and pancreas will are developing in the endoderm layer.

Some Advice
You've probably started feeling morning sickness. You've probably also noticed that it should be called any-time-of-the-day sickness. If you're beginning to feel this horribly uncomfortable and inconvenient side effect of begin pregnant there's a few things you can do to help. For one thing I totally recommend carrying crackers or bread around; something that can absorb the acid. Some women find that eating six smaller meals that are high in carbs instead of three normal meals a day helps prevent the awkwardness and discomfort of morning sickness. Finally, most doctors recommend avoiding fatty, or spicy foods to prevent morning sickness. This didn't help me, but as I said every woman and every pregnancy is different, so give it a try. You never know!

Suggestion:
You'll probably begin outgrowing your bras real soon as your breasts prepare for nursing. You might consider investing in either some nursing bras or jogging bras. Pregnancy will get rather uncomfortable, so start taking steps to help make it as comfortable as possible. If you're worried about money, I'd suggest to start with a couple jogging bras and then get a few nursing bras as you enter your third trimester. You don't want to get a nursing bra and then grow out of it before the baby's even born; what good would that do you? Jogging bras will stretch with you until you're ready for nursing bras.

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