Hey there, pregnant mamas and dadas-to-be! Welcome to week 5 of your pregnancy and of my pregnancy. Whether you just found out the news or have known for a week, it’s certainly an exciting and emotional time you will never forget. Trust me, I have five kids (with number six on the way) and I can distinctly remember the moment I found out I was pregnant each time. Now, when it comes to birth times and weights, don’t ask (my kids always do) because they have all melded together, and I feel guilty for not being able to remember each one.

5 Weeks Pregnant: Recurring Symptoms

5 Weeks Pregnant: Common Symptoms

5 Weeks Pregnant Bloating

Your growing baby may not be the only reason why you are feeling so large — UGH! Thanks to our favorite new best friend, hormones, your muscles have begun to relax. Unfortunately, the hormone changes happening during week 5 of your pregnancy impact sections of your digestive system. Progesterone slows down digestion, which can cause a buildup of gas, causing you to bloat. I’ve been eating high fiber foods and drinking lots of water, which has significantly reduced my bloating, thank goodness.

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Cramps

Having cramps in your abdominal region during pregnancy is a normal but anxiety-provoking symptom. Early on in pregnancy, this cramping may be associated with the implantation of the fertilized egg into the uterine lining. Later on in pregnancy, cramps are often uterine contractions in preparation for labor. However, if you do note bleeding accompanying your cramps, immediately contact your doctor as this may be the sign of an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage.

Excess Saliva

You’re not drooling because the food looks so delicious. If you are experiencing morning sickness, a side effect of your nausea may be excess saliva or ptyalism. Whether you’re actually producing more saliva or just swallowing less, having a watery mouth early in pregnancy is definitely one of the most annoying symptoms. Because of my lack of morning sickness (thank goodness), I haven’t experienced this. However, through research, I’ve learned that brushing your teeth and avoiding starchy foods will stop you from constantly spitting during pregnancy. Plus, once your nausea begins to subside around the second trimester, this symptom will go away, as well.

Food Cravings/Food Aversion

If you’ve rushed your partner off to the store looking for the weirdest foods in the middle of the night, chances are you have food cravings. Or if the smell of hotdogs has you rushing for the toilet, you may have a food aversion. I’ve been lucky to have not had a hankering for the infamous pickles and ice cream (although I’m always craving chocolate) but it’s totally normal if you do. While you definitely should indulge occasionally, make sure you eat healthy foods that are beneficial for you and your baby, even if they aren’t exactly what you’re craving. Let me know in the comments if you have any weird pregnancy cravings or a taste aversion.

Urinate, Repeat

During the first trimester, you’ll probably got really nice, strong thighs given the amount of times you’ll have to squat down on the toilet to take a pee. Due to my issue with frequent urination during this pregnancy, I certainly have felt like I was wearing my carpet down on the way to the restroom. As you progress into the second trimester, your uterus will move into the center of your abdomen. While this sounds scary, it’s actually a blessing. This means your baby will be placing less pressure on your bladder, bringing an end to your constant trips to the restroom. For me, this will hopefully mean that I will finally be able to get some sleep at night.

Morning Sickness

Good morning?? Perhaps not. The birds may be chirping, the roosters may be crowing, but your stomach is not planning on giving you a peaceful morning. The name is deceiving, as it is perfectly normal to have morning sickness at night. After having had five babies with another on the way, I have been fortunate to have never experienced morning sickness. A combination of nausea and vomiting, morning sickness likely will be present during your first trimester. As you head into the second trimester, you likely will experience less morning sickness as the weeks progress. That’s something to get out of bed for. Check out my article 5 Tips for Pregnancy Nausea if you continue to have morning sickness. As a tip, try to snack in small amounts throughout the day to keep a little food in your stomach at all times. Ginger ale and lots of fluids can also help relieve the nausea. Keep track of what foods in particular seem to trigger morning sickness, so you can avoid those.

Spotting

Along with cramping, spotting is another common occurrence during pregnancy that causes anxiety. There are a lot of factors that can cause bleeding, including implantation of the fertilized egg into your uterine lining, pap smears, internal exams, or sex. These factors can irritate your more sensitive cervix, as can a vaginal or cervical infection. Contact your doctor if you do have any concerns. If your spotting increases to the amount of blood you see with your period, this may be something more serious, so call your doctor immediately.

Stages of Fetal Development: Baby Growth & Size at 5 Weeks

At week 5, your baby weighs less than .04 ounces and is .05 inches long, about the size of a peppercorn. During this week, your baby will transition from the shape of a ball into an alien-like shape, notably composed of a head and tail (?!?). Don’t freak out like I did when I found this out, as your little one’s tail will disappear in the next couple of weeks! What a relief! 

Beginning this week, your baby’s heart will begin to beat. Unfortunately, mamas, I must tell you that you cannot hear it yet via an ultrasound. However, the heart and the rest of the circulatory system is the first organ system to undergo development, largely due to its important role in providing the nutrients necessary for the other organs and organ systems to develop. Throughout this journey, your baby’s heart is at the center of it all.

Mamas, beware! Weeks 5 and 6 are the weeks you must tread through most carefully. During these weeks, your baby is at the highest risk of developing birth defects as a result of external factors. Make sure you are not drinking nor doing drugs. Stick to your healthy pregnancy foods, and eschew the foods set forth below as well as household chemicals. Talk with your doctor for a comprehensive list of things to avoid during this time.

My Pregnant Belly Progression

Right now, there isn’t much to see — it definitely doesn’t look like my oven has a bun in it! For right now, my doctor has allowed me to continue my exercise routine, which I’ve been keeping up with, although I definitely have to push myself because I’ve been so tired lately. Check out my 5 weeks pregnant belly!

What am I allowed to eat?

As detailed during Week 4, during pregnancy, you should aim for a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids, DHA, folic acid, calcium, iodine, protein, and Vitamins D and B12. Additionally, you should try to increase your daily caloric intake by 300 to 500 calories. By week 12, your doctor will probably be happy with a weight gain of around 4 pounds, which was around what I gained by this point in my prior pregnancies. Weight gain is a natural aspect of pregnancy, needed to support and sustain the life of another human you’re carrying inside of you! Don’t sweat it. After the baby comes, and especially if you continue breastfeeding, you can lose the weight. Being up at night and running around caring for a newborn are great exercise routines, to boot. 

One way to make sure you get these extra calories is to have a second breakfast. People do say after all that breakfast is the best meal of the day — why not have it twice? 

You should also talk with your doctor about taking prenatal vitamin supplements, which contain important vitamins and nutrients needed to ensure the health of you and your baby. Make sure to get lots of Vitamin A, folic acid, calcium, iron, and Vitamin C, as well as other vitamins and nutrients. These prenatal vitamins supplement the healthy foods that contain lower amounts of these important nutrients. Putting this chart together reassured me because kale salads have been a staple for me during this pregnancy.

Your Pregnancy at 5 Weeks: Prenatal Appointments

It is unlikely you will have a prenatal appointment so early in your pregnancy, but you might want to try a home pregnancy test or visit your doctor for a pregnancy blood test.

Week by Week Pregnancy Food Guide: Healthy Foods for You & Baby

You should avoid eating the following foods during your pregnancy:

• alcohol (a no no during pregnancy)
• bean sprouts (risk of salmonella)
• caffeine (high levels can increase the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight or a difficult birth)(limit to 200mg/day)
• chilled seafood such as raw oysters (risk of listeria)
• cold cured meats (deli meats, cold cuts) including salami, parma ham, chorizo and pepperoni (risk of listeria and toxoplasmosis, infection from bacteria)
• energy drinks (can have high levels of caffeine and other ingredients not recommended for pregnant women)
• foods with soil on them (wash fruit, vegetables and salads to remove all traces of soil and visible dirt)
• hot dogs (risk of listeria)
• liver products (contain high levels of retinol, which is a type of Vitamin A)
• pâté (contains high levels of retinol, which is a type of Vitamin A)
• processed foods (tend to be high in sugar and salt) (stick to fresh, pure ingredients)
• raw or partially cooked eggs (risk of salmonella)
• raw shellfish (risk of bacteria and viruses that can cause food poisoning)
• raw or undercooked meat (risk of toxoplasmosis, infection from bacteria)
• seafood that is high in mercury (including shark (flake), broadbill, marlin and swordfish (eat no more than once a fortnight and eat no other fish during that fortnight) and orange roughy and catfish (eat no more than once a week and do not eat any other fish during that week).
• sugary foods (limit sugars to 30g of free sugars a day) (recent studies show that a high-sugar diet during pregnancy can impede a child’s brain function)
• supplements containing Vitamin A (excessive amounts have been shown to cause birth defects)
• pre-packaged fruit and salads (risk of listeria)
• processed foods (tend to be high in bad fats and sugar)
• rockmelon (risk of listeria)
• sashimi and sushi (risk of listeria)
• soft-serve ice cream (risk of listeria)
• unpasteurized cheese (especially mould-ripened soft cheese, such as brie, Camembert, and chèvre) and milk (risk of listeria)

Note: if you would like to eat peanuts or foods considered to be highly allergenic) go ahead as exclusion of foods from the maternal diet during pregnancy has not been shown to prevent allergies in your baby.

Aim to eat foods that are high in calcium, iodine, zinc, protein, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, omega 3 fatty acids, folic acid, Vitamin C, iron, and magnesium.

Drink tons of water and consider eating cooked eggs, kale, cauliflower, red bell peppers, granola, spinach, broccoli, avocados, quinoa, blueberries, bananas, yogurt, nuts, eggs, sweet potatoes, whole grains, lean meat, carrots, oats, and oranges. For more on pregnancy nutrition, check out Week 4 and check back in each week for a healthy pregnancy recipe.

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How Many Months Is 5 Weeks?

Doctors typically don’t measure your pregnancy based on months for a very good reason: months have a different number of days and weeks, meaning that the month during which your pregnancy began would influence the month of pregnancy you’re in. However, since 4 weeks of pregnancy equates to 1 month, figure that at 5 weeks, you are a little over 1 month pregnant (while having just begun your second month of pregnancy).

Week 5 Pregnancy Checklist

Resources

• What to Expect & What to Expect When You’re Expecting – 5th Edition (2016)
• The Bump
• Baby List
• Parents.com
• Pregnancy Birth & Baby
• Healthline.com
• WebMD
• The Mama Natural Week to Week Guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth (2017)
• Mayo Clinic’s Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy – Second Edition (2018)
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists