Being 5 weeks pregnant starts a whole new period in your pregnancy. It is around this time that most women begin to experience those dreaded two words, morning sickness. But, morning sickness isn’t the only thing taking place with you and your baby as you will soon see. Here’s a look into pregnancy week 5 and what is now happening with you and your growing baby.

Week 5 is the time that many new mothers-to-be actually discover they are pregnant. They have now missed their last period and most likely had a pregnancy test that has delivered the exciting news. Although you may have just found this out, your new baby has been growing the entire time!

Baby

At week 5 of your pregnancy your baby has grown to approximately 0.05 inches long. Amazingly, that is less than 1/10 of an inch long.

What is even more amazing this week is that a miracle has taken place. Your baby’s heart has now started to beat! This happens when the plate that forms into the heart has developed to the point that the heart starts beating. No, you can’t hear it of course, but it is. A true miracle indeed.

In addition, this week is when the neural tube begins to fuse. Are you taking folic acid supplements? If so, this is where they play an important role in development.

Mother

As mentioned earlier, although you are not showing any outward signs of being pregnant, you sure are on the inside. This is the time that some women begin feeling the effects of morning sickness. (You can find out more on morning sickness in my blog).

Are your breasts feeling sore at times? If so, you may want to start wearing a jog bra. It gives them much better support and helps with the soreness.

Believe it or not, there is a percentage of women who will never experience morning sickness during their pregnancy. If this is you, you are indeed blessed!

Continue to eat healthy during your pregnancy. Try to avoid high fat foods or those containing lots of sugar. You will not only feel much better, but you’ll avoid the extra weight that you will not have fun trying to take off later.

Congratulations on being 5 weeks pregnant. Although it may not seem like it at times, it will go by fast.



By: Terry Edwards

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Couples trying for a baby are overjoyed on discovering the pregnancy. It is one of the happiest times for a woman to feel a part of creation; one cannot thank heaven enough for the blessings. Creating life is a miraculous feeling; one must develop a happy and positive outlook towards life and enjoy every moment of the pregnancy. It not only brings with it an expanding waistline but also many other body changes. To enjoy the fruits of motherhood one must take these changes in the stride and maintain good health and a happy attitude for the well being of both the mother and the baby.

Basics of a healthy pregnancy

Some of the early signs of a pregnancy are nausea and vomiting, indigestion, heartburn, over sensitivity in taste and smell towards common foodstuffs, backaches, headaches and general pains, fatigue and tiredness, swelling and soreness of breasts, change in body and complexion, and sleeping trouble.

As the body undergoes hormonal changes to accommodate a new life, a woman may feel initially feel uncomfortable. Try to overcome them by making some changes in your life pattern. Do not resort to over the counter medicines without consulting your doctor. Try a few simple methods to help you feel better:

Eat small meals at frequent intervals

Lie down and rest when tired

Apply heat to ease aches and pains

Avoid alcohol and smoking

Avoid strenuous exercises

Take small walks in fresh air

Wear loose and comfortable clothes

Call your doctor if the problems persist for professional help.

The emotional and mental changes are a part of pregnancy, along with the massive changes in the body. Do not get overly alarmed, but maintain good pregnancy health with proper nutrition, exercise and positive outlook towards life. Listen to the body signs and remain happy. Do not let irritability and mood swings disturb the life. The body’s metabolism and the growing baby in the uterus can interfere with leading a normal life and disturb sleep patterns. Find ways to relax and get over these problems for a happier outlook during the pregnancy.

Do not hesitate to call your gynecologist, doctor or a midwife if there are any signs of problems or something is bothering you. Any abnormal vaginal bleeding, fluid leakage, fever, swelling of body, persistent pains and cramps or changes in baby’s movements call for immediate attention by a doctor. Remedial measures in time leads to a happy and enjoyable pregnancy.

Keeping a pregnancy journal is another great idea, to keep a record of the happenings and feelings experienced by you during your pregnancy. It is a way of focusing on a your successes or changes to pave the way towards positive outlook and change in perspective during pregnancy. It also serves as means of sharing your personal experiences during pregnancy with other people, friends or family. Pregnancy journal can be reference record for your subsequent pregnancies too.



By: Apurva Shree

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Gaining weight during pregnancy is normal and part of nurturing the unborn baby. But even though it is necessary to gain weight to nurture your baby, it doesn’t mean that you have to gain excess weight.  It is not advisable and dangerous to diet during pregnancy and it is also dangerous to become overweight during pregnancy. Pregnancy excess weight will put you and your baby’s health at risk.

It is important that you know the proper weight gain during pregnancy. Your doctor can recommend the required weight gain based on your pre-pregnancy weight. It is also important to gain weight at a stable rate to avoid inconvenience like backaches, varicose veins and stretch marks. Monitoring your weight gain will prevent you from gaining pregnancy excess weight.

Pregnancy excess weight can put your health at risk. There are health risks associated with obesity like preeclampsia causing high blood pressure and fluid retention during pregnancy. You will also be prone to gestational diabetes, arthritis and cardiovascular disease.

Aside from those health risks mentioned, pregnancy excess weight will also put you at high risk of experiencing difficulty during delivery that may lead to caesarian section.  You may also find it difficult to recover after delivery and you may experience postpartum infections.

Pregnancy excess weight or obesity is also associated with numerous birth defects and may put your baby in danger. If you are overweight during pregnancy, there is a high tendency that your baby will also be overweight making it difficult for your baby to be delivered or to pass through your birth canal causing injuries on the shoulder.

It is important to watch your weight during pregnancy, eat healthy foods and stay active with exercises appropriate for pregnant women. Obesity can put you and your baby’s health at risk. While you are concerned with your health and your baby’s safety, of course, as a woman you also want to look good while pregnant. We live in the world that beauty and appearance matters a lot and pregnancy excess weight will not make you look good.   

Did you know that you do not have to go through pregnancy feeling overweight and unattractive? You can avoid pregnancy excess weight and you can get fit to enjoy an easy labor and safe delivery. Find out more visit Pregnancy Without Pounds.

To know more about women visit All About Women.



By: Gerry Restrivera

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Pregnancy health has a lot to do with the happy pregnancy. If you can keep yourself happy during the period of the pregnancy then your pregnancy health can be much better. Although, keeping yourself happy is always better for you at any point of the time yet it is truer when any symptom of pregnancy is observed. When you feel happy you can take the things more positively. This positive attitude is the secret of pregnancy health for any pregnant woman.

Positive Mindset

The best way to maintain the pregnancy health is to keep you happy. So, instead of looking here and there for the pregnancy health one must concentrate on the methods of happiness. Although, it is true that what can be a sure formula of happiness for one person may not work that much effectively for the another one yet we can say that if a person can keep himself in the positive frame of mindset then he or she has learnt the art of keeping himself or herself happy.

Keep Yourself Busy In Meaningful Work

Another good method for maintaining the pregnancy health is that the pregnant women should keep themselves involved in the constructive and meaningful work. In the process of giving something to others you develop a healthy relationship with the others that is very important for the pregnancy health. Once you achieve the happiness, you also get the feeling inside you that this happiness is your treasure and nobody can ever take it from you. This kind of feeling of the satisfaction creates a positive effect on the overall body health.

Whenever we observe early pregnancy symptom in the woman we should try that she develop a feeling of belief in herself. When a pregnant woman concentrates on what is best she is having rather than focusing on any negative point then it becomes a big factor for the improved pregnancy health. Here are some suggestions on how we can keep the pregnant women in a happy state of the mind. The first and the most effective method is to make her realize that she is going to create an extra ordinary thing in the life by creating a new life.

Another very effective method of keeping the pregnant woman happy for the better pregnancy health is to tell her that she is going through the rare opportunity in her life when she has the liberty of eating whatever she wishes at whatever time she like to eat. Tell her that instead of concentrating on the unpleasant changes taking place in the body of the pregnant woman she should try to focus on the jealously looking faces of the others because of the motherly glow on you face.



By: Saurabh Jain

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On at least three separate occasions, I can remember having the privilege of breaking the news of a young woman’s pregnancy from my side of the dentist’s chair. I use the word “privilege” with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek, however. After all, the diagnosis was only determined because of the patient’s tender, red, swollen gums. Ouch!

Talk about taking the good news with the bad . . .

Known as pregnancy gingivitis, this unpleasant condition is often assumed to be one of the natural consequences of the hormonal changes often found in pregnant women. The hormones involved, estrogen and progesterone, are secreted in progressively greater concentrations throughout most of pregnancy. While this reaction is necessary for preparing a woman’s body for the journey ahead, the resulting flood of hormones results in a variety of effects.

Hormones tell the kidneys to retain water in order to build blood volume to have enough to nourish the placenta. Thus a pregnant woman has 40% more fluid in her body. As a result, this increases the amount of fluid in all the cells in the body, including the gum tissues, which causes them to become “puffy.” Between the time of conception and the seventh month of pregnancy, hormones will triple in quantity, and then remain at that heightened level until delivery.

Meanwhile, as if she doesn’t have enough to contend with, the pregnant patient with hormones out of whack is swollen and tender and sometimes cannot do an effective job with her oral hygiene.

I am pleased to tell you that with above standard oral hygiene, this condition can be almost entirely avoided. Remember, it is the bacteria, not the hormones, which cause the gingivitis. Despite the fact that the statistics reveal 50-75% of all pregnant women develop pregnancy gingivitis, that doesn’t have to mean you. If you are reading this book after the fact, you can be assured that this condition is reversible with proper home care, techniques, tools, and medicines.

Dr. Thomas Rams, professor and chairman of the Department of Periodontology at Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia, says, “There are hormonal shifts in pregnancy that reduce the gingival tissue resistance to infection, and there is also an increased risk that the hormones circulating will help promote the growth of certain bacteria and plaque, which causes inflammation.”

Rams also says, “In periodontitis, bacterial plaque infection not only causes inflammation of gingival tissues like gingivitis, but also progressively destroys connective tissue fibers and surrounding bone anchoring teeth to the jaws, resulting in the loss of teeth.”

Knowing how to minimize the bacterial biofilm in your mouth, and especially along the gum line, is the key factor in preventing pregnancy gingivitis and the escalating symptoms that often continue during pregnancy. However, a woman needs to be taught before she gets pregnant how to eliminate bacteria on a daily basis.

Because gums can be painful, puffy, and bleeding during pregnancy, the tendency is to avoid touching them. However, it is imperative that you practice good oral hygiene during pregnancy to avoid both tooth decay and gum infections. Pregnancy, with its three-fold increase in hormones, may exaggerate the body’s normal response to dental plaque.

It need not increase your risk of getting gum disease . . .

Although relatively rare, the body’s response to inflammation may produce another offset of the “joy” of childbirth: a pregnancy “tumor” (also called pyogenic granuloma). This “tumor” may develop on the gums in response to the irritating bacteria that collects there. Rest assured, however, that these growths of extra tissue are usually painless, and totally benign. However, if they get large these “pregnancy tumors” can become annoying and should be treated. Meticulous oral hygiene is the answer to avoiding the inflammation associated with these growths, and it is comforting to know that they usually subside after childbirth.

Fascinating Factoid: “Occasionally chewing sugarless gum is helpful to increase the amount of saliva in your mouth, without contributing to the risk of gingivitis. It may also be helpful in averting the nausea so common in the first three months of pregnancy.”

Brushing, flossing, and irrigating daily (all done gently but deliberately) are important in preventing gingivitis, during pregnancy and anytime in your life. In addition, it is important to pay attention to eating more healthfully for yourself and your baby, by substituting fruits, cheese, nuts, and vegetables for those sugary foods you might have enjoyed before becoming pregnant. If your gums are tender and brushing is painful, try ice, or several helpful over the counter products that will soothe painful gums. These include:

*Gly-oxide

*Peroxyl mouth rinse

*Amosan oral rinse

*Anbesol liquid

*Orajel Mouth-Aid

(Please be sure to ask your doctor if she has objections to any of these products.)



By: Shiela Wolf, RDH “Mama Gums”

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