Pregnancy Week 4

What’s happening to your baby?

Your baby ball has rolled a long way and has now reached your uterus. Once in the uterus, she becomes what is called a blastocyst (still a primitive form of your baby) made of a group of around hundred cells.

Week 4 is one of the eventful weeks for your baby blastocyst as she implants into your uterine lining, laying the foundation for her cozy womb to live and grow in the next nine months. Implantation connects your baby with the blood vessels on your uterine wall. And aha! You are beginning to mother your little thing with oxygen and nutrients through your blood.

Your baby blastocyst is branching out this week into an embryo and placenta. Embryo is what will grow into your baby in the coming weeks while the placenta will make the nourishment support system to your growing baby until she is born.

Also, an active growth sprout of your baby’s organ development is beginning now. The neural tube which will evolve to your baby’s brain and spinal cord is already established. Amniotic sac, the protective covering, and amniotic fluid, the cushion system for your growing baby, are also formed by now.

What’s happening to your body?

At around the time you are expecting your period or even a few days earlier, implantation of your baby ball into her new home may cause a mild bleeding in you. Referred to as the implantation bleeding or spotting, it is usually light red, light brownish or light pink in colour. Unlike your regular period flow, implantation bleeding is meager that it may easily go unnoticed. Feel assured that spotting is normal at week 4 and unless the flow appears heavy, there is no reason to get anxious about it.

During implantation, some women experience mild cramps in the abdomen, similar to that during a period. However, it is generally not severe. Unless you experience an unusual cramp that is severe, it should not raise an alarm about your pregnancy.

You still might not be aware of your pregnancy, which is normal too.  Most pregnant women do not make the slightest guess that they are pregnant until their period gets delayed by at least a few days to a week.      

If you have a 28-day cycle, you might miss your period by the end of this week though most likely, you may shrug it off as a delay, unless you have been meticulously following your pregnancy with an eye for every detail of it. 

                                                                                                                                                Tips and advice for Pregnancy Week 4 ·         Decide on your OB

Your obstetrician (OB)-gynecologist shall become an important member of your family soon. She/he will be the primary source of communication about your growing baby. Hence, it is essential to put in considerable time and thoughts into choosing your OB.

You may want to decide first on where you want to deliver your baby. If you are starting a fresh search for OBs, you may then look in for an OB practicing closer to your preferred location. Alternatively, if you feel convinced about an OB you have already heard about or consulted with, there isn’t anything wrong in fixing him/her in your mind.

Here are a few helpful questions to ask an OB or yourself while deciding:

ü  What are the OB’s consulting hours? Does it fit in your schedule?

ü  Which are the hospitals she/he is associated with? What is the quality of the medical facilities and service provided in the hospital you prefer? Does the hospital accept your insurance?

ü  What are the OB’s birth plan preferences? Does it sync in with your family’s plan?

ü  Is the OB available on an emergency?

ü  What would be cost of your consultation and birth plan with the OB? Will it get covered by your insurance or fit in your medical budget?

·         Buy a pregnancy test kit

You may soon need a home pregnancy test kit. Week 4 is a good time (though not a better time) to perform a home pregnancy test. It is ideal to wait for a week to 10 days after you miss your period to check your pregnancy with a test. For now, storing a pregnancy test kit in your refrigerator isn’t a bad idea.

·         Begin taking prenatal vitamins

Your OB might advice to schedule your first appointment when you are around 6-8 weeks pregnant. However, doctors recommend pregnant women to start taking prenatal vitamins early, because your baby’s organs are actively developing in the first few weeks.