Congratulations on your pregnancy! In this article you will be able to read about everything related to your pregnancy in week 5. You'll find information about the baby's development, how the mother's body is changing and tips you might need along the way. In week 5 of pregnancy, the embryo is the size of a peppercorn.

Baby: What happens when you're pregnant in week 5

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Now it's up to us and our experienced midwives to guide you through the next nine months. We are here to guide and support you along the way, but also to provide you with any important and interesting information you may need.

If you want to share your thoughts and experiences with other pregnant or parenting women, you can always turn to Baby Journey - The community! Find out more here!

What happens in the fifth week of pregnancy?

The embryo you are carrying is about two weeks old, but the pregnancy is referred to as week 5. The embryo is one millimeter in size and has three different cell layers that are the start of what will develop into a fetus. The different layers are already forming different parts and organs. For example, the top layer will form the brain, skin and nervous system, and the bottom layer will form the stomach and intestines.

Nidation bleeding

Have you experienced minor bleeding by now? Then it may be due to the so-called nidation bleeding, which is perfectly normal and can occur when the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining. The bleeding can be anything from a few drops to a small spot that you see in your underwear. This comes from the lining where the fertilized egg grows in. Often, this happens around the time you expect your period to arrive, which makes it tricky to know whether it's your period coming or a nidation bleed due to fertilization. However, if you are reading this, you have most likely suspected a pregnancy and taken a pregnancy test that has confirmed it.

Fertilization and ovulation

Now you are pregnant and this means that one (or two!) eggs have been fertilized when you ovulated. Ovulation usually occurs 12-16 days before your next period and involves the egg being caught by the fallopian tube inside the woman. At fertilization, the man's sperm then meets the woman's egg in one of the fallopian tubes, where one of the sperm will enter the egg first and win the race.

Four days after fertilization, the egg will migrate towards the uterus and around day six it will attach there. Then you are officially pregnant! At this point, the fertilized egg or embryo is called a blastocyst and it will hatch when a hole forms in the eggshell. The blastocyst will then reach the uterus and embed itself in the lining of the uterus.

Once in the uterine lining, the embryo divides. Some form the placenta and amniotic membranes, while others form the embryo itself. Depending on where in the uterus the embryo attaches, the placenta will start from there. This means that you can have a placenta at the top of the uterus, which is called the fundus. Alternatively, in the front or back wall of the womb. You can also have a low-growing placenta. However, the location of the placenta is something you will hear more about as the ultrasound approaches!

The placenta and hormones

The placenta produces the hormone HCG, which in turn stimulates the production of progesterone. You probably recognize this from taking a pregnancy test, as it is the levels of HCG that affect the test and show whether you are pregnant or not.

What is the corpus luteum?

The place in the ovary where your egg has detached is now replaced by a corpus luteum (or yolk sac as it may also be called). This is called the corpus luteum in Latin, and is actually the shell of the egg. The corpus luteum produces the pregnancy-preserving hormone progesterone, and the ovaries produce the hormone oestrogen. One of the reasons the corpus luteum secretes hormones is to allow the lining of the uterus to mature and get ready to receive the fertilized egg. Once the placenta is formed later in pregnancy (around week 10), it will take over that job!

The fertilized egg is called a blastocyst at this stage and grows into the lining and wall of the uterus. Part of the blastocyst will first form the yolk sac, which later develops to form the placenta. Its main function is to supply oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the fetus via the umbilical vessels, and then to receive the nutrient- and oxygen-poor blood back from the fetus via the umbilical vessels.

Mom: Wow, you're carrying a baby!

Now your body is in full swing, creating an embryo. 

Your way of life

Perhaps you are already experiencing breast tenderness, nausea and a burning pain in your stomach? Molar pain is similar to the pain many women feel before their period, which can make it difficult to figure out if it's actually a sign of pregnancy or if your period is coming. Luckily, your pregnancy test has given you a definite answer! In fact, the pregnancy test cannot be wrong, although it may feel like you need to do another handful of tests to be on the safe side.

If you have no pregnancy-related symptoms at all, this is perfectly normal. How you feel during pregnancy varies enormously from woman to woman. From now on, it is a good idea to go in with the attitude of never comparing your pregnancy with anyone else's.

folic acid

All pregnant women are recommended to take folic acid supplements (400 micrograms/day) until the 12th week of pregnancy to reduce the risk of spina bifida in the fetus. You can continue with folic acid supplementation throughout your pregnancy if you wish, it will not negatively affect you or your pregnancy. You can find folic acid in pharmacies or health food stores!

Folic acid is a type of B vitamin that is produced artificially. You can get the same vitamin from the food you eat, in which case it is called folate instead. Foods high in folate include: legumes, green leafy vegetables, various types of cabbage, berries, mangoes, whole grain products and liver pate. Try adding one of these options to your regular diet, such as adding extra green leafy vegetables to your dinner, mangoes to your yogurt, or liver pate to your sandwich.

Contact with the midwife clinic

When you find out that you are pregnant, you should call the midwifery clinic you want to go to and tell them that you are pregnant. All midwifery clinics offer similar basic programs according to the region you live in and you can choose to register wherever you want. Many people choose a midwife's office that is close to work or home.

Once you have made contact with your BMM (Midwifery Clinic), the midwife will schedule an intake appointment. The time of the first visit may vary, but it is usually scheduled between weeks 6 and 10. You do not need to prepare in any way, but if you have questions about the pregnancy, the midwife's visits are a good opportunity to ask them.

At the first visit to the midwife, you will talk about how you are feeling and set a date for your due date. Then the midwife will determine your blood type, measure your blood sugar and take your blood pressure, among other things. You will also schedule appointments ahead of time, so you know how often and when the visits will take place.

You should feel safe with your midwife and have the opportunity to discuss your thoughts, questions and feelings about the pregnancy. If something doesn't feel right, you can always ask to see another midwife.

Weeks of pregnancy

Pregnancy weeks start counting from the first day of your last period, even though fertilizing intercourse has not actually taken place yet at that time. Around day 14 after your first period, you ovulate, and only then can the egg be fertilized by a sperm and lead to a pregnancy.

Menstrual cycle and ovulation

If your menstrual cycle is 28 days, which is the average, then the pregnancy starts counting two weeks before the actual conception. This means that the actual pregnancy is 38 weeks, although we usually talk about a pregnancy as 40 weeks. If your menstrual cycle is regular and you get a positive pregnancy test on the day of your missed period, this means that you are in week 4+0. If you're pregnant for the first time, the counting method can be a bit confusing, so let's clear it up:

In short, the number 4 means that you have completed four full weeks, and +0 means that you have completed four full weeks and zero days (exactly four weeks). When you are in 4+6, it means four full weeks +6 days. Here in the Baby Journey App, you will quickly realize that it says you are in week 5 when you are in week 4+0. Let us explain: it means you are in the fifth week of pregnancy, but you have not completed five full weeks of pregnancy yet. Imagine how people talk in sports, for example football. 4 minutes are played (four full weeks) and the 5th minute of the match is underway (fifth week).

To make this even trickier, health professionals usually talk about gestational weeks. This is how many weeks and days the fetus actually is. In other words, health professionals will always say you are in your fourth week when you are 4+0 weeks, while in the vernacular they always talk about the week you are inside i, i.e. week 5.

Here you can read about pregnancy in week 6.