Week 4

Although I am probably a few days into my 4th week of pregnancy, I don't know for sure. Right now, I think my due date is February 19th. But it may be the 18th. Either way, I am around 4 weeks 3 days pregnant. I will get my official due date at my OB appointment on June 24th.

Here is what babycenter.com is saying:

Your pregnancy: 4 weeks

How your baby's growing:

This week marks the beginning of the embryonic period. From now until ten weeks, all of your baby's organs will begin to develop and some will even begin to function. As a result, this is the time when she'll be most vulnerable to anything that might interfere with her development.

Right now your baby is an embryo the size of a poppy seed, consisting of two layers: the epiblast and the hypoblast, from which all of her organs and body parts will develop.

The primitive placenta is also made up of two layers at this point. Its cells are tunneling into the lining of your uterus, creating spaces for your blood to flow so that the developed placenta will be able to provide nutrients and oxygen to your growing baby when it starts to function at the end of this week.

Also present now are the amniotic sac, which will house your baby; the amniotic fluid, which will cushion her as she grows; and the yolk sac, which produces your baby's red blood cells and helps deliver nutrients to her until the placenta has developed and is ready to take over this duty.

How your life's changing: Sometime this week, you may be able to find out whether you're pregnant. For the most accurate results, wait until the end of the week to take a home pregnancy test. (You can try one now if you like, but you're more likely to get a correct result a week past your expected period.)

If the test is positive, call your practitioner's office and schedule your first prenatal appointment. Most practitioners won't see you until you're about eight weeks along, unless you have a medical condition, had problems with a previous pregnancy, or are having symptoms that need to be checked out.

If you're taking any medications — prescription or over-the-counter — ask now whether it's safe to keep taking them. And be sure to alert your caregiver to any other issues of concern.

You should already be taking a multivitamin that contains at least 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid. Once you're pregnant, you'll need a bit more — 600 mcg a day — so switch to a prenatal vitamin if you haven't already.

The next six weeks are critical to your baby's development. The rudimentary versions of the placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to your baby, are already functioning. Through the placenta, your baby is exposed to what you take into your body, so make sure it's good for both of you.

If your home pregnancy test is negative, take another at five weeks if you still haven't gotten your period. Many urine tests are not sensitive enough to detect a pregnancy at four weeks.

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Here is a list of early pregnancy symptoms I found at www.womens-health-questions.com and how I am feeling about each one:
-Missed period - YES!
-Just "feeling" pregnant- NO
-Breast tenderness - Maybe a little more that normal. More than breast tenderness, it is my nipples that are bothering me. They are always hard, which is making them sore. They almost feel bruised. I have been feeling this for a few weeks.
-Fatigue- NO, in fact it's been the opposite. I'm waking up too early, but I'm not sleepy.
-Frequent urination- NO
-Nausea- NO
-Dizziness and/or Fainting- NO
-Food cravings, or aversions to foods- NO
-Sensitivity to aromas- NO
-Morning sickness- NO
-Heartburn and/or constipation- NO, but this is a tricky one. One of the side effects I noticed after stopping the acne medication (which was a diuretic) was less frequent pooping. But it wasn't to the point of painful constipation. In fact, I have had diarrhea a few times over the last few days, not constipation.
-Mood swings, irritability- Maybe more nagging on Dom that normal, but not an extreme amount (I guess we should ask him!).
-Higher body temperature- I don't know. I didn't ever get on the Basal Body Temperature bandwagon. I didn't have a chance to get desperate enough since I got pregnant on my first month of trying.
-Low back pain- NO
-Implantation bleeding- NO
-A positive pregnancy test- YES! On a HPT and a blood draw.
-Bloating and weight gain- Another tricky one. I have noticed bloating and weight gain as a side effect of stopping the diuretic. But maybe it was just related to getting pregnant. I will never know.

More than anything, I just have an overwhelming fear that something will go wrong. In fact, I am going for another blood draw in just a few minutes. I wanted to make sure my Beta HCG was doubling. I have no reason to believe it isn't, but I need the reassurance. I wonder if I will ever stop needing reassurance. My guess is NO!