Introduction

Excited to get confirmation whether you are pregnant or not. Hold on!! The time is near. As your journey of pregnancy progresses you will feel noticeable changes in your body. These changes might feel hard sometimes but in the end, you are going to have a precious gift that will make you forget every hard time you have faced in the 9-month-long journey of pregnancy.

As week 4 of the pregnancy starts you can usually feel some changes in your body but even if you don’t there is nothing to worry about. Thinking why? Because now the time is near you can go to the doctor and get your tests done to get confirmed results or even strip tests will give you a clear picture of your body. During week 1 or week 2 strip tests might give you misleading results but by the 4th week of pregnancy, your body produces enough pregnancy hormones that give a clear picture to you.

Week 4 of pregnancy marks the end of 1st month of your pregnancy journey. Do you want to know more about week 4 of pregnancy? What are the possible symptoms and how your and your baby’s development is going on in week 4 of pregnancy? Keep on reading this article because you will get all your answers here.

Implantation and fertilization

The process of fertilization (where the sperm and egg meet) is usually completed by week 3 of pregnancy but implantation can linger on until week 4 of pregnancy. Implantation is the process where the fertilized egg is attached to the uterine wall and the process of division starts. You may feel cramping, belly pain, or even bleeding but don’t just confuse it with your menstrual cycle as these symptoms of implantation are common in most pregnancies.

After the implantation process your body undergoes an unlimited chain of changes for the next 36 weeks. But the first and the most obvious change you’ll notice is a missed period of course. Ta Da and your pregnancy journey have officially begun.

What’s after implantation? If your body has already gone through implantation in week 3 of the pregnancy then by week 4, your body is busy producing the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to sustain your pregnancy. HCG signals the body to produce enough quantity of progesterone and estrogen as these hormones sustain the pregnancy until the next step which is placenta formation. The next step in this nine-month-long pregnancy journey is the formation of the placenta.

Placenta and embryo formation

The whole journey of pregnancy is no less than a miracle itself. During week 4 of pregnancy, you still may not have any idea if you are going to be a mom, but your little one has already found a home in you. As the egg travels through the fallopian tube as we explained in week 3 of pregnancy and attaches to the uterine wall, that’s a home for your baby-to-be for the next 8 to 9 months.

The process of rapid division starts and splits the cells into two major groups. Half of the cells will form an embryo that ultimately will grow to be your son or daughter whereas the other half of the cells will form a placenta. The placenta is the lifeline of your little bundle of joy as long as he/she stays inside your body. The placenta is responsible for providing nutrients to the growing baby until delivery. Proper formation of the placenta is vital for the development of your baby whereas placental abruptions can cause complications in your pregnancy.

A lot is going on in your body, but are there any visible symptoms of week 4 of pregnancy? Let’s have a look at the symptoms of week 4 of pregnancy.

Symptoms of week 4 of pregnancy

Although week 4 is too early to observe any noticeable symptoms in your body especially if you are not waiting to get pregnant or you don’t have a planned pregnancy. But every pregnancy is different and it is possible that you may experience some symptoms in week 4 as well.

Some of the most common symptoms of week 4 of pregnancy include:

• Tenderness in breasts
• Extreme tiredness and exhaustion
• Increased urge to pee
• Nausea or vomiting
• Increased sense of smell and taste
• Food aversions
• Bloating and gas
• Mild or severe cramping
• Mood swings

You might or might not feel these symptoms but does it mean nothing is going on in your body as well? Absolutely not!! Let’s have a look at the changes your body is experiencing in week 4 of pregnancy.

Women’s body in week 4 of pregnancy

During week 4 of pregnancy although women’s bodies experience no physical change a lot is going on inside the body. The uterus has already started growing and the body has signaled the brain and ovaries not to produce more eggs for the next nine months or so. Besides, there is a sudden rush of hormones that facilitate the woman’s body during pregnancy. Soon, milk ducts will start forming to prepare the breasts for milk production. In short, women’s body is going through many rapid changes that will begin to show very soon.

Pregnancy tests

By week 4 of pregnancy, you are in the position to get your strip test done at home. It’s better to visit the doctor for a scan after you get the confirmation through the strip test. Details of pregnancy strip tests can be seen in week 1 of pregnancy. But, even if you get a negative result you can try it again after a couple of days as the level of HCG hormone rises in your body.

Checklist of week 4 of pregnancy

To ensure a healthy pregnancy, make sure that you are taking good care of yourself. Some of the vital precautions you should take include:

• Eat a healthy diet and skip junk food.
• Take your vitamins, especially folic acid
• Quit alcohol and smoking
• Stay active but don’t overburden yourself
• Take proper rest
• Don’t lift heavy objects or do strenuous work
• Be positive and stay happy

Conclusion

Summing up our whole discussion of week 4 of pregnancy, we can conclude that although week 4 is the very initial stage of pregnancy it still holds an important place in the whole journey of pregnancy. Placenta and embryo formation are the highlights of week 4 and their successful formation marks a healthy pregnancy for the next 36 weeks.