Chorevia

Day 37 of 280 · 5 weeks + 2 days

A stronger nose

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 4 sources · Plain-text version

The face is taking shape, and so is your sense of smell. Today you map the smells that turned on you and hand the list to whoever cooks.

Size this week
about the size of a sesame seed
Length this week
around 2 mm from head to bottom
A woman standing at an open kitchen window with her eyes closed and a hand near her nose, evening light, her partner at the stove behind her with a pan.

Five weeks and two days. If the coffee you loved last month now smells like a problem, this note is for you. A face is forming; a nose is forming; and your own nose has quietly changed sides.

Your baby

One pale sesame seed on a dark slate board, photographed close up in soft daylight.

Around 2mm long, about the size of a sesame seed (NHS). This week, the NHS says, "the face is starting to take shape, with a tiny nose and little eyes, which stay closed until around 28 weeks" (NHS). Behind the face, the nervous system, brain and spinal cord are forming (NHS).

Your body

A stronger sense of smell is on the NHS's list for this week, alongside nausea, fatigue, sore breasts, and more frequent urination (NHS). The two are connected: MedlinePlus says a stronger sense of smell and gastric reflux can make nausea worse (MedlinePlus). The exact cause of morning sickness is unknown, though most experts think hormone changes trigger it (MedlinePlus).

"Morning" is a misnomer. NICHD says nausea can start 2 to 8 weeks after conception, can occur at any time of day, and for some people continues through the pregnancy (NICHD). What helps, from the same MedlinePlus page: avoid large meals and snack as often as every 1 to 2 hours during the day; seltzer, ginger ale, and sparkling water may help, taken between meals rather than with them (MedlinePlus).

Try today

  1. The smell map

    Time: 5 minutes, then a handover

    1. Write the three smells that have turned on you: the coffee pot, the fridge, a colleague's lunch.

    2. Write two smells that help, or at least don't hurt. Cold food often has less smell than hot food; note what you've noticed.

    3. Hand the first list to whoever cooks in your house, and put the second list on the fridge.

    4. Add one practical change: a window open while cooking, leftovers eaten cold, the bin emptied more often.

    Make it work:

    A stronger sense of smell can make nausea worse (MedlinePlus), so this is not fussiness; it's the one lever you have that doesn't involve a pill. If a smell on the list belongs to your workplace, you decide whether and when to say why.

Watch for

  • Normal

    nausea that comes and goes, at any time of day (NICHD).

    Go to the ER

    or seek care immediately for severe nausea and throwing up, meaning you can't drink for more than 8 hours or eat for more than 24 hours (CDC).

  • Normal

    being put off food by smell.

    Call your provider

    if you vomit blood or material that looks like coffee grounds, or if vomiting does not improve with home remedies (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    feeling faint for a moment when a smell hits.

    Go to the ER

    or seek care immediately for dizziness or fainting; it's on the CDC's list of urgent maternal warning signs (CDC).

For you

If you're the partner: the smell map is your job to act on, not hers. Take over the smells she names, every one of them, without being asked twice: the cooking, the bin, the fridge clear-out, your own coffee drunk somewhere else if it's on the list. It isn't an overreaction; a stronger sense of smell is on the NHS's own list for this week (NHS).

If you live alone, or the person who cooks is you: cold meals, the window, and snacks every 1 to 2 hours (MedlinePlus) are the plan, and there is no prize for cooking through it.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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