Until now the changes that take place are internal and do not come into notice easily. But post 4 weeks of pregnancy i.e. when a mother is entering into her 5th and 6th week, most of the changes that occur are visible. In order to know the changes let us first observe what happens when a mother is 5 week pregnant. Following are the changes that occur during the 5th week:-
• Till now the embryo was just a mass of cell but from now onwards it starts taking a distinct shape. Formation of spinal cord as well as brain starts taking place from the neural tube. The heart is formed from the bulge like structure present in the centre of the embryo. Followed by all these development the most important part i.e. placenta develops.
• After the placenta formation is complete, chronic villi are formed which are small and thin finger like projections. These chronic villi help in providing nutrition directly to the embryo.
With the above mentioned changes, the mother now becomes 6 week pregnant and is now exposed to new set of changes. The changes from here on are critical in the sense that any disturbances during this week may cause abnormalities in the baby. Following are the changes that take place during this week:-
• The major development that takes place during this week is the nervous system and the baby’s brain. The formation of optic vesicles start occurring that may later get transformed into the eyes.
• Passageways are also formed that later get converted into inner ears.
• When ultrasound examination is done during this week, sensation and the beating movement of the baby’s heart can be noticed.
• By the middle of this week, the development of the respiratory as well as the digestive system also starts taking place.
• The baby’s arms and the legs start budding out.
• The measurement of the baby during this week is around 3 to 6 millimetres from crown to rump region.
Diet Chart during the 5th and 6th Week
Since nausea and fatigue becomes common during this week therefore the mother has to take care of the food which she eats. There may be some foods that may cause abnormalities in the body directly leading to miscarriages. So following is a comprehensive list of food items that should be avoided:-
o Cheese from the sources like goat, feta, camembert
o Foods that contain raw eggs
o Hot dogs as well as deli meats which come under the category of processed milk
o Juices, apple cider as well as unpasteurized milk
o Fish, Meats as well as shellfish
By eating the above mentioned foods a toxin may be generated in the body which may cross the placental layer. After crossing the placental layer if the embryo comes into the contact with the toxin then miscarriage may take place. So utmost care of diet needs to be taken care while the mother is in this span of the pregnancy.
Adams Hall is an experienced journalist and the editor on Women Health topics, but he is a specialist in Pregnancy information write-ups. Adams writes on various matters such as pregnancy weeks related topics such as 6 weeks pregnant, 7 weeks pregnant and 8 weeks pregnant etc. He has been appreciated for his quality work by many reputed health magazines.