Week 5
You are already into month 2 and probably don't even realize you are pregnant yet! Your babies heart is developing, as is the brain and muscles and bones. Early pregnancy tests are becoming more popular and are becoming more sophisticated in detecting HCG (the human growth hormone that signals pregnancy). |
 Image used with permission by ~Stephanie~ |
While it is still recommended that you wait til at least the first day after your missed period, there are many tests that can detect HCG as early as 10 days past fertilization.
Ectopic Pregnancy
Ectopic pregnancy (also known as a tubal pregnancy) is a pregnancy in where the fertilized egg doesn't leave the fallopian tube, and instead implants into the fallopian tube wall. Roughly 1 in 100 pregnancies is a tubal. Some of the symptoms of a tubal are severe cramping, pain in the shoulder, headaches and nausea. Sometimes the signs can be overlooked as just the normal symptoms of pregnancy. This can be very dangerous to the mother as it can cause the tube to rupture as baby begins to grow. This can cause severe bleeding and in some cases death. A lathroscopy is usually used it a tubal pregnancy is suspsected. A small incision is made in the bellybutton. This will allow the doctor to see the tubes and the implanted baby. If the baby truly is developing in the tube, another small incision is made in the lower abdomen so that the developing baby can be removed.
The next several weeks will be crucial to your baby's growth. Make sure you are taking your prenatal vitamins, drinking plenty of fluid and eating a healthy diet, as well as getting plenty of rest. Your journey to motherhood has begun!
While the following ultrasound picture may not look like much, the dark spot is the sac that your baby is growing in. It is one of the first signs of pregnancy.
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