The fifth week of pregnancy isn’t a great deal different from the fourth week, so rest assured you’ll still have crazy mood swings, still need to pee every 5 seconds and still the world will have no idea you are carrying a little person inside you.
Now might be the time to start thinking about what you eat, because what you eat, your baby eats. You should be trying to aim for at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day and two portions of meat, poultry, fish, pulses or eggs. Remember to make sure you’re getting enough calcium in the form of an extra glass of milk, some hard cheese or a pot of yogurt. If you are a vegetarian you may want to take some additional vitamins or mineral supplements. It’s always a good idea to talk to your midwife first and see what she recommends.
It is wise to avoid certain foods in pregnancy as there is a possibility they may harm your baby. Foods you should eliminate from your diet are unpasteurised milk, soft or mould-ripened unpasteurised cheese, such as camembert or stilton, raw or soft boiled eggs and raw or undercooked meat. These can carry harmful bacteria which might lead to food poisoning and could harm you and the baby. Tuna should be limited within your diet, to no more than four medium cans per week, as it contains high levels of mercury, which can harm the nervous system of your unborn child.
Your baby is approximately 5 mm long this week, which is about the same size as a grain of rice. It is in the process of developing its neural tube, which will later form the brain, nerves and spine. The heart is just starting to form, dividing into separate chambers to get ready to start pumping blood. This week is baby’s first growth spurt and if all of the above wasn’t enough, it will start growing its kidneys and liver too. No wonder you’re feeling tired.