Overview of that week

During the fourth week, the fertilized eggs implant deep in the lining of your uterus. Your body now begins to recognize that a pregnancy has occurred and starts to prepare for the upcoming months. In some cases, the symptoms of pregnancy begin early so you might even be able to know that you are pregnant towards the end of this week. If you suspect a pregnancy, you can get an at home test kit which might show accurate results by the end of the fourth week. 

Baby development

From a single cell, by the fourth week, your baby has grown to resemble a tadpole. Your baby will be called an embryo at this stage. The embryo’s vital organs start to form and develop at the beginning of this week. The initial weeks starting now are extremely crucial for a baby’s development so you need to be extremely cautious during that time.

After the implantation takes place in the womb, a placenta begins to form. Placenta is the organ through which your baby will receive nutrients throughout the pregnancy. Starting now, the amniotic fluid will start to fill up in the sac where your baby will swim for the next 36 weeks.

Body changes in mother

Implantation:

You might feel some mild cramps and light bleeding during the implantation due to hormonal changes. 

The implantation also might cause the primary symptoms of pregnancy like nausea and bloating. Due to the timing of the implantation, some women tend to confuse it with a light period. However, the implantation bleeding only lasts for some time, unlike your regular menstrual period. 

Tenderness in breast:

Similar to right before your period, your breasts will also start to grow during this week. You might feel that they are more tender or sore than usual. Slowly you might start to notice that your nipples start to get darker.

Nausea and vomiting:

Not every woman has to suffer from the symptoms of pregnancy. But if you are among the majority of women who do, nausea and vomiting is one very common and frequent symptom in the early weeks of pregnancy. Your sense of smell is also heightened causing you to be irritated towards a certain food or smell. 

Fatigue:

In the early stages of pregnancy, your body starts to produce a record amount of progesterone causing you to feel exhausted throughout the day.

Stomach distress

Blame the increase in pregnancy hormones for causing a bloated stomach, indigestion and acid refluxes.  

What should you do and don’t

• Drink plenty of water to avoid constipation.
• Consume healthy food that are not too high in sugar content and avoid carbonated beverages as your chance of digestive distress is extremely high.
• Exercise in a moderate amount and stretch to ease the discomfort.
• At home pregnancy test kits might be accurate if you use them around the end of this week.
• Avoid consumption of alcohol and don’t smoke if you are trying to get pregnant or are pregnant.
• If you get a positive urine test, schedule a visit with your doctor or OB/GYN.
• Stop going into hot tubs and saunas.
• Start taking prenatals vitamins, folic acid and other supplements if you haven’t already started by this week. 
• If you have been taking regular medications or supplements from before your pregnancy, ask your doctor if they are safe to continue or if you need to search for alternatives.