4 Weeks Pregnant - Week-by-week guide (2024)

FAQs

What should I be doing at 4 weeks pregnant? ›

Baby is already undergoing important development at week 4 of pregnancy, so start taking a prenatal vitamin if you're not already. Look for one with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid and remember to take it daily.

Your Body. The embryo continues to implant in your uterus, burying itself deep within the endometrium. Some women have slight cramping and spotting during this week while implantation happens. They might mistake this for a period, especially because this is around the time their monthly period was due.

You probably don't look pregnant yet. If it's your first pregnancy you might not start showing until at least week 12. However, if this isn't your first baby, you may start showing sooner, as the muscles in your uterus (womb) and belly may have been stretched from your last pregnancy.

At 4 weeks pregnant, you might experience a bit of bloating and cramping particularly in your abdomen, as your uterine lining is getting a bit thicker, and the swelling means your womb is taking up more space than usual.

The do's during the first trimester of pregnancy include getting prenatal care and maintaining your health, rest and mental health; the don't include drinking alcohol, smoking, using drugs, eating dangerous foods and engaging in risky behaviors.

The typical hCG level around four weeks of pregnancy is around 140 mIU/ml⁵, so a high hCG level can be generally considered to mean you are pregnant.

Yes, you can bleed heavily and still be pregnant. Heavy bleeding doesn't always mean you've miscarried. It may be a sign of preterm labor or another serious problem that needs medical attention right away to keep you and your baby healthy.

Some symptoms, such as nausea and breast tenderness may be even more intense with a twin pregnancy than with a single pregnancy, if felt this early at all. Some women have reported "having a feeling," or "just knowing" they were pregnant with twins, although this certainly isn't the case for everyone.

At the end of the 4th week of gestation, the heartbeats of the embryo begin. The heart, whose development starts at the 3rd week of gestation, has rapid and irregular contractions capable of pumping the blood inside the vessels.

With a typical 28-day cycle, your ovary releases an egg on day 14. It lives 24 hours or less. If it gets fertilized, it takes another 5-6 days to travel through your fallopian tube and implant itself in your uterus. You're officially pregnant on about day 21.

When do pregnancy cravings start? ›

If you're going to have cravings, it's common for them to start in the first trimester around the fifth week. It is even possible you get cravings at 1-week pregnant! The cravings might lighten up by the second trimester or continue right up until your baby arrives.

It will still take some time before your belly starts showing that you are pregnant. And yet you will be able to feel that your womb has grown. Lie down on your back and press gently just above the edge of your pelvic bone.

You may experience some bloating at the beginning of pregnancy, and your clothes might fit a little snugly, but you probably won't be showing a baby belly at one month pregnant. Read more about when you might start showing.

Most pregnancy tests will be positive by the time you've missed your period. Other early pregnancy symptoms include feeling tired, feeling bloated, peeing more than usual, mood swings, nausea, and tender or swollen breasts. Not everyone has all of these symptoms, but it's common to have at least 1 of them.

Things like missing your period, sore or tender breasts, feeling more tired and nausea (morning sickness) are common symptoms of early pregnancy. Some people have symptoms of pregnancy before they miss their period.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) doesn't recommend bed rest as a routine treatment. They, instead, recommend reducing your usual activities instead of stopping your activities entirely.

Whether you should be lifting during pregnancy or not is a question for your health care provider, but the general rule of thumb is to let someone else do it for you. Women who are at risk for premature labor may need to stop lifting objects after the first trimester.