You are 4 weeks pregnant. 1-3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 Born & Birth stories

By the end of this week, you will most likely be expecting your period to come. However, if you are pregnant your period will most likely not come. Some women do experience some spotting or even a light period. It is also possible to have your period and still be pregnant! If you do miss your period, you might begin to think about a possible pregnancy! Home pregnancy tests are not as reliable as blood tests at this point. A blood test will detect a positive pregnancy test at this point because the hormone, human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), has been secreted.

At this point in your pregnancy, your growing baby is very small and is about 1 mm in length. One mm is about half of the size of a typed letter `o`. You are still not showing at all and you have not yet gained any weight. Even though you are in the very early stages of your pregnancy, many great changes are occurring. The implanted embryo is embedded deeper in the lining of your uterus and the amniotic cavity is beginning to form. The placenta is also forming and will be delivering oxygen and nutrients to your developing baby. This week the blastocyst begins to transform into an embryo. The embryo will have three different layers with different types of tissue. The inner layer will form the lungs, liver, digestive system and pancreas. The middle layer will become the skeleton, muscles, kidneys, blood vessels and heart. The outer layer will become the skin, hair, lenses of eyes, tooth enamel and the nervous system.


A clear result. If you tried it a few days ago and the result wasn't as convincing as in this picture, try it again now to be sure!

Even though you have not yet gained any weight, you need to be prepared to gain weight during pregnancy. Gaining a healthy amount of weight is crucial for the health of both mother and baby during pregnancy. You can control your weight gain by eating healthy and nutritious meals and snacks. During pregnancy you are eating for two, but that does not mean you have to eat twice as much!

Your body now starts producing a hormone which stops you having your period, and it shows in your urine.

It is now possible for your pregnancy to show up on blood tests, and even home pregnancy tests.

About 1 in 3 women have a light bleeding at this point. This happens before you would expect your period to arrive. Unless accompanied by cramping, backache or increased bleeding, a small amount of blood being discharged should be considered as implantation bleeding which is nothing to be concerned about.

At this point, your baby is still not visible to the naked eye.

See also:
Ovulation Calendar (When can you do a home pregnancy test?)
Home pregnancy tests
Missed-Period-FAQ