I haven't been in to see a doctor or midwife yet - so everything I've discovered has been based either on my own knowledge or pregnancy, or website that has pregnancy calculators. After the shock of discovering I was pregnant began to dissipate (ever so slowly ...) I became extremely curious as to what the due date would be and how far along I was. I knew my last menstrual period (LMP) was around October 6th. Which, according to various online calculators, puts me right at 5 weeks. It's a bit confusing how we discuss pregnancies in the United States. When we say "5 weeks" - that actually means your 6th week since your LMP (they count the first week as a "zero") and only 3 weeks since conception. Other countries would consider me to be at 3 weeks. But since we are in the United States and the doctors and midwives count from the LMP, I am currently 5 weeks pregnant. The due date can also be calculated based on LMP. According to the computer's calculations, I am due on July 13th (right around, anyways). I couldn't remember exactly if my LMP was on the 5th or 6th because it was our wedding week and everything got a bit crazy.
The pictures of a fetus at 5 weeks is quite startling. It is beginning to shape itself into a little semi-human-like form (more "semi-" at this point than "human").
Toward the end of this week, the fetus's heart
actually begin to beat. It will start off at around 80 beats per minute, then increase slowly over the next few weeks to 140-160. It already has bones, a nervous system, and muscles. Sometimes early skeletal development is even seen! The placenta and umbilical cord are in the early stages of development as well!
I still have no signs or symptoms of being pregnant, other than a slightly bloated feeling in my abdomen (which could very likely just be in my mind) - and of course that extra little blue line. I re-checked today ... just to be sure. Still there! Time to call a midwife and make an appointment!
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