Signs and Symptoms at 4 Weeks Pregnant

At 4 weeks pregnant, it’s likely you’ve only just found out the happy news. If you haven’t already booked in to see your GP, make an appointment to have your pregnancy confirmed. Start writing down any questions you may have so you can take them along to that appointment. This will be the beginning of many appointments with health care professionals. You can read more about the different appointments you’ll have throughout your pregnancy here.

It is a big week because you officially enter the first trimester of your pregnancy. Congratulations! When you experience signs of early pregnancy at 4 weeks, your baby is only the size of the head of a pin. This week, the embryo splits in two, with one of the halves developing into the placenta.

As an organ connecting the developing fetus to the wall of the uterus, the placenta delivers nutrients and oxygen to the baby throughout the entire pregnancy. The other half of the embryo starts to grow cells that will soon form your baby’s spinal cord, backbone, and brain.

Changes to Your Body

This is the week when a blood or urine test can accurately detect a pregnancy. Another of the pregnancy symptoms at 4 weeks is observing that your period is late.

While there’s a lot going on inside your body, symptoms often don’t start until a few weeks down the track. But you may have noticed that your breasts are sore or swollen, or that you feel more tired that usual. Even though your symptoms won’t be that pronounced, you still need to make make some lifestyle changes, such as avoiding alcohol, certain medications, and specific food.

Keep in mind though that, although rare, a home pregnancy test can show a false positive. This happens if the test is not sensitive enough to detect your pregnancy hormones yet. So, even if you get a positive result on a home pregnancy test, you should still schedule a blood test to confirm the results.

Although from the outside there are not yet any noticeable signs and symptoms at 4 weeks pregnant, you should ask your doctor or obstetrician to recommend a good pregnancy multivitamin. Taking this supplement helps provide your growing baby everything that he or she needs.

Lifestyle Considerations

While it may be tempting to tell family and friends the good news when you get signs of early pregnancy at 4 weeks, many people prefer to wait a bit longer. By the second trimester, the risk of having a miscarriage drops substantially.

Try to eat a healthy, well-rounded diet, and drink plenty of water and make sure you become familiar about what’s safe to eat while you’re pregnant, and more importantly, what foods you should avoid.

Food to avoid in pregnancy

Commit to getting enough rest and relaxation too. Start financially planning for the baby, if you haven’t already begun. Also, find out what medical insurance you require and what exactly is covered or not covered.

General Advice

At the first signs and symptoms at 4 weeks pregnant, ensure you start to make any lifestyle changes necessary if you have not already begun to do so. If you are a smoker, for example, talk with your doctor about effective ways to quit. Avoid recreational drugs and alcohol too as these substances can damage the developing embryo. If medications you take might negatively affect the baby, see your doctor to determine whether alternative brands are a better fit for your body now or see here for more detail.

You may also want to record your baby’s development by starting a book devoted to your little one. Suggestions for ways to document growth in the book include taking photos of your profile each week and journaling milestones along the way, including when you swapped your regular pants for the maternity kind. Doing so enables you to remember these markers for years to come.

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