Week Four Of Pregnancy

Week 4 Of Your Baby’s Development! 

Your baby is the size of a poppyseed

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Baby is still not big enough for you to see clearly and at this stage is still a cluster of cells rapidly changing. You might think of him or her as being the size of a tiny poppyseed. At about this time, cells begin to form into three layers, the outer layer will become baby’s eyes, hair, skin, brain and nervous system.

The middle layer will become the skeletal structure, the muscles, blood circulation system, and tissues. The innermost layer will become the internal organs. The cells are all designated to do their specific functions at this time and nothing changes here until the delivery of your healthy, bonny baby.

Week 4 Of Your Health, Mind & Body Changes!

When you are in week 4 of your pregnancy, you have officially stepped foot into the embryonic stage of your pregnancy. This stage continues until week 10. The fertilized egg or blastocyst is embedded into your uterine wall.

Pregnancy Tests

This is now a good time to take your pregnancy test because your hCG levels are likely to be high enough to read a positive result. Testing early in the morning is the best idea. Some ‘at home’ tests can pick up a positive results as early as 5 days before your missed period, however, it’s more accurate to test after.

The physical changes you experience at this stage could include a sense of fullness in your tummy and maybe even some pelvic cramping. Think of how you feel right before your period starts and you have a fair picture of what you may be feeling right about now. A bloated feeling is also quite common and you may actually be more ‘gassy’ than usual.  Your breasts and nipples may be tender and you may feel that your breasts look rounder too.

The common pregnancy complaint of disliking previously loved foods may make an early appearance now. Even thinking about certain foods may really turn you off or make you feel nauseated. Frequent urination is another development for you this week but you may find that you can only pass limited urine during each try.

On the mental/emotional front, you may be really sensitive right now. Don’t be surprised if you get irritable quickly or don’t really have a lot of enthusiasm or excitement for anything…except when your pregnancy test comes out positive, of course!

“I didn’t even know I was pregnant yet but a dead giveaway was feeling so sick when my husband was cooking onions. The smell of them made my stomach physically cramp up and I wanted to vomit“  Daisy

Week 4 Of Your Next Steps!

• You may want to try and take a pregnancy test now.
• Make your appointment with your GP who can do a thorough blood test and ask for an obstetrician referral (if they’ll give one at this stage, some like to wait until after your initial dating ultrasound scan).
• Ease mood swings and irritability with some yoga, meditation or music or whatever else it is that makes you relax and wind down (maybe long walks in a nearby park or catching up with friends).
• Avoid situations where your body may get too overheated because this can be bad for your growing little one (such as saunas or hot spas).
• Avoid starting any new vigorous exercise routine without consulting your doctor first.