4 Weeks Pregnant – Pregnancy Week 4

4 Weeks Pregnant – Baby’s Development

At 4 weeks pregnant, your tiny embryo has two layers of cells called the epiblast and hypoblast. Soon they’ll develop into all of your baby’s body parts and systems. You are in the first trimester.

You normally don’t have your first ultrasound examination until at least week 6, but if you’re having twins, an ultrasound might spot the gestational sac as early as halfway through week 4. Before the placenta forms, a yolk sac develops. This sac produces blood and helps to nourish your young embryo.

At this time, just a week after fertilization, baby-making is still in its infancy, so to speak. At 4 weeks, your body is gearing up big time.

The embryo and your uterus are making contact during this week because the blastocyst that you will call your baby begins to connect itself to the uterine lining.

4 Weeks Pregnant – Bleeding

In about 25 percent of pregnancies, implantation bleeding occurs as the bundle of cells burrows its way into the uterine wall. It is typically very scant, either light pink, light red, or brown, and occurs before your expected period.

Don’t mistake it for your period and do not worry about the bleeding; it isn’t a sign that something is wrong. You might feel a light pressure in your abdomen (nothing to stress about!) and your breasts may feel a little tender and become bigger (but prepare for more growth spurts!).

Within 6 to 12 days after fertilization, the egg starts to release human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the pregnancy hormone that will very soon give you a positive result on your home pregnancy test or clinic test. hCG alerts the corpus luteum (which is actually an endocrine gland) that it must stick around and produce progesterone and estrogen to nourish the pregnancy until the placenta takes over in about 8 weeks.

At 4 weeks pregnant, the due date for your baby can be estimated. This will be 40 weeks from the first day of your last period. Remember, your estimated due date is simply that, an estimate. Most babies are born at 38 to 42 weeks (and babies of first-time moms are likely to arrive toward the latter date). Only a few babies make their debut right on schedule, so don’t make plans around the estimated date.

4 Weeks Pregnant: Common Signs and Symptoms

If you discover spotting at 4 weeks—right around the time that you would have had your period—don’t be alarmed. This is usually a sign that the embryo has become implanted into the uterine wall. You don’t have any spotting at all? Don’t worry about that, either. One-quarter of pregnant women experience implantation bleeding, but not having this sign doesn’t mean that you’re not pregnant.

4 Weeks Pregnant – Self-Care Tips 

Most vitamin D comes from the sun or from drinking milk. If you do not spend much time outdoors, you will need to get your vitamin D from other sources. Vitamin D is important for maintaining healthy teeth and good bone structure. It also helps you absorb calcium, and you already know why you would like to soak up plenty of that. Get your vitamin D from canned sardines, fortified milk, fruit juices, and egg yolks.

At 4 weeks of pregnancy, you may not smoke, and if you hang with people who do smoke, it would be best to stay away from them. Recent research has found that exposure to secondhand smoke may increase your risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, extrauterine pregnancy, and other complications.

4 Weeks Pregnant – Nutrition & Exercise

Your baby needs some fats, especially essential fats such as omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3 fat docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a major component of the human brain and retina, and it is important for your baby’s developing brain and eyes. You can get DHA from oily fish, such as trout, anchovies, sardines, or wild salmon, or from DHA-fortified eggs.

Swimming is a fun, safe, low-impact exercise that has many cardiovascular benefits. It also allows you to feel weightless no matter how many extra pounds you gain! Like any aerobic exercise, swimming boosts your body’s ability to use oxygen, and this is good for you and your baby. Swimming laps improves your circulation and increases your endurance. Attempting to swim for a minimum of 20 minutes 3 to 4 days every week will help you to feel less tired and sleep better.

At 4 weeks pregnant, food aversions may strike, sending you running from foods that contain important nutrients. Luckily, you can easily avoid your aversions by practicing the fine art of substitution. If animal foods, including eggs, are making you ill, switch to one of the plethora of other protein sources, such as soy, nuts and legumes, beans, and certain grains (especially quinoa and couscous), or hide what you consider offensive by adding ground beef to your casserole or minced chicken to your pasta dish.

If you have an aversion to milk, get your calcium from a variety of other dairy products, from cheese to yogurt, or sneak that offensive white liquid into smoothies or soups.

4 Weeks Pregnant – Doctor’s Appointment

Pregnancy week 4 is the time to make your first doctor’s appointment! Some obstetricians ask that you wait until you’re at least 6 to 8 weeks pregnant before a visit, but because early prenatal care is so important, it is best to get something on the calendar as soon as you’ve got a positive bioassay on a home pregnancy test. Make sure to research the type of doctor or midwife you want before making the appointment.

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