Pregnancy Week 4
Baby’s Growth During the 4th Week of Pregnancy
The start of the fourth week of pregnancy marks the beginning of the embryonic period. Beginning now and lasting until your tenth (10) week, your baby’s organs will begin to develop and some may even begin to function. This is the most crucial time for your baby as it is the time when he/she will be the most vulnerable to anything that might interfere with development.
At this stage, your baby is just an embryo at about the size of a poppy seed only consisting of two main layers: the hypoblast and the epiblast, from which all organs and body parts will begin to develop.
Your bay has now completed the journey from your fallopian tube to your uterus. Once settled in your uterus, it will split with one half becoming your baby and the other half forms the placenta.
What will become the placenta, the primitive placenta, is also made up of two layers. The primitive placenta’s cells are tunneling into the lining of your uterus, creating spaces for blood to flow so the developed placenta will provide oxygen and nutrients to the growing baby.
Now present in your womb is the amniotic sac which will be your baby’s home, the amniotic fluid which will cushion and protect your baby during growth; and the yolk sac that helps deliver nutrients to the baby until the placenta has fully developed and produces your baby’s red blood cells.
Body Changes in the 4th Week of Pregnancy
Typically during the fourth week you might be able to find out that you’re pregnant, and should your pregnancy test return a positive result, it’s time to call your practitioner’s office and schedule your first prenatal checkup. Though most practitioners won’t see you until you’re about eight weeks along unless you have had fertility treatments, a medical condition, are having symptoms that need to be checked out, or problems with a previous pregnancy.
If you’re testing negative at the end of the 4th week of pregnancy, even with an early results pregnancy test, you still might be pregnant. You may have miscalculated your ovulation or fertilization days, or your hCG levels may not be high enough yet for even a sensitive pregnancy test to detect. Try testing again at the end of your 5th week, or if you’re as impatient as many other women hoping to find out that they’re pregnant, it doesn’t hurt to test every day or every other day until you definitively find out – the only thing that hurts is the price of some of the pregnancy tests on the market nowadays.
It’s typical that you’re taking a multivitamin that should contain at least 400 micrograms of folic acid. Once you’re sure you’re pregnant, you may need a bit more folic acid – about 600 micrograms per day in which case we suggest switching to a prenatal vitamin.
Medications, prescription or over the counter should be discussed with your practitioner to ensure safety for you and your baby.
Pregnancy Tip For Week 4
While you can certainly take a pregnancy test now, for the most accurate result wait until the end of the fourth week or one week after your expected period. If you can’t wait, studies show that the most accurate pregnancy test is the First Response, Early Results Pregnancy Test.
