5 weeks pregnant
Our guide to your 5th week of pregnancy
Your Baby
Your baby is now using its own tiny heart to pump blood around its body. Still a tiny embryo and looking more like a tadpole than a baby, this little being is now beginning to form organs.
Your baby is made up of three layers. The endoderm will go on to develop into organs and tissues. The mesoderm will blossom into muscles, cartilage and bone. The ectoderm transforms into skin, hair, nails, tooth enamel and sweat and mammary glands.
You
You are probably just getting to grips with the fact you are pregnant. Bodily changes are small and you might not even have noticed them. However, it’s now time to see the midwife and investigate your anti-natal options.
Take some time for yourself. You need to relax and allow your body to adjust. Your hormones are now all over the place, so you can end up being sad, happy then angry all in the space of one afternoon. Do not worry; this is normal.
You will be feeling tired and you might start to feel bouts of dizziness. Your body is providing for another person now, so take more time to rest and try and sleep for an extra hour every night.
Your diet
You have something growing inside of you and it needs a broad selection of nutrients to grow strong and healthy. You will find yourself starting to crave certain foods and may even find your diet completely changes; vegetarians have suddenly become meat eaters and red meat lovers feel sick even at the smell of animal flesh.
In the first trimester, one of the most important foodstuffs you need to give your baby is folic acid. Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps to protect your baby from developing nervous system defects. Scientists have proven a diet rich in folic acid can help prevent spina bifida. Your baby is building its very own nervous system in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, so during this time you need to keep your folic acid intake high. It is found naturally in pulses, green vegetables and certain fruit. But, if you want to make sure you are getting a sufficient amount, take a folic acid supplement. Your recommended daily folic acid intake is 400mcg for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Your little baby also needs protein to develop muscles and organs, calcium to build strong bones and iron to produce a rich red blood count. Avoid excess sugars because this is likely to send your blood sugar levels on a roller coaster ride leaving you exhausted. Opt for a diet rich in starches, vegetables of various shades – particularly green and purple – and dairy products low in saturated fat.
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