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What is my baby doing at 4 weeks pregnant?
You realize it isn't doing much of anything past existing as more than a mere blastocyst.
A what?
It is barely more than a clump of cells.
I've heard about newsletters that say your baby is this big, weights this much, developing
this way.
At this point, it has developed from a clump of cells to something like a tadpole, though
the heart is beating.
It starts beating early.
The embryo has a placenta now, instead of a yolk sack.
How big is it?
Two weeks ago, it was the size of a period on a sentence. Now it is the size of a sesame
seed.
I've heard this phase of development is important.
They put folate, a B vitamin, in baked goods to make sure women get enough of the nutrient
at this phase of development to prevent neural tube defects.
I don't think I know what that is.
It turns into the spinal cord, brain and nerves. Adding folate to everyone's diet reduced the
rate of neural tube defects like spina bifida by a third.
I've never been told go eat some bread, but that's sounding like a good idea.
They added the nutrient to bread because nearly everyone eats it, and you're eating it even
before you know you're pregnant.
I know.
Yes, but a lot of women say my period is late, I wonder if I'm pregnant. Many women at this
point are doing a little dance finding out they are pregnant or bouncing in worry as
they wait for the test results.
We actually planned this one.
The baby is starting to differentiate into different sections as the circulatory system
and heart develop, and the internal organs are starting to differentiate.
You have all kinds of different organs.
It has to separate out all the kinds of tissue to say this will become lungs, this will become
intestines, and that's what is going on at this point.
We're a long way from the baby has fingers but the finger webbing is only half way gone.
We're at the point where it is starting to grow shoulder buds and still has a long tadpole
shape before it starts to grow legs.
What else should I know?
I know some women discovered they were pregnant by going to the doctor for a chronic stomach
bug, and finding out it is actually a bun in the oven.
Not all women develop morning sickness.
But this is a point where you want to limit alcohol consumption, nearly all medications.
Don't you mean all medication?
If you have a thyroid condition or take some other maintenance medication, talk to the
doctor now to try to prevent birth defects or a miscarriage.
Okay, that's a valid point.
Right now, the kid is still developing internal organs and has weeks to go before its main
focus is growing and putting on finishing touches. And you want prenatal vitamins to
maximize the odds of a healthy outcome.
So one of the things I need to be doing is scheduling a doctor's appointment with the
obstetrician.