What To Ask Your Doctor
Even during these first days of pregnancy, your doctor can provide lots of information. They are the best person to explain how to count your pregnancy weeks, and how to determine your fertile window. If you suffer from fertility issues, they can also keep track of your uterine lining growth and the maturation of your eggs. You should also go to your doctor if you experience any abnormal symptoms, such as excessive abdominal pain or bleeding.
Your body is in full preparation mode for pregnancy during the second week of pregnancy. If youre trying to conceive, keep track of any ovulation symptoms to boost your chances of conceiving and then, wait for that positive pregnancy test
Development Of The Embryo
The next stage in development is the embryo, which develops within the amniotic sac, under the lining of the uterus on one side. This stage is characterized by the formation of most internal organs and external body structures. Most organs begin to form about 3 weeks after fertilization, which equals 5 weeks of pregnancy . At this time, the embryo elongates, first suggesting a human shape. Shortly thereafter, the area that will become the brain and spinal cord begins to develop. The heart and major blood vessels begin to develop earlierby about day 16. The heart begins to pump fluid through blood vessels by day 20, and the first red blood cells appear the next day. Blood vessels continue to develop in the embryo and placenta.
Almost all organs are completely formed by about 10 weeks after fertilization . The exceptions are the brain and spinal cord, which continue to form and develop throughout pregnancy. Most malformations occur during the period when organs are forming. During this period, the embryo is most vulnerable to the effects of drugs, radiation, and viruses. Therefore, a pregnant woman should not be given any live-virus vaccinations or take any drugs during this period unless they are considered essential to protect her health drugs or use social drugs or illicit drugs at some time during pregnancy… Common.TooltipReadMore).
Tips For Moms Partner:
The fact that your babys arrival is around the corner may cause you to question your priorities. Begin to think about what you want your life to look like once your baby is born.If you want to be present for your babys birth, it may take a little planning, especially if you travel for work.Once your baby is born, is there a way you can ensure that you have time for both your baby and your partner? Is working from home to some degree a possibility?These are just some things that both you and your partner need to be thinking about during pregnancy week 32.
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Checklist For The First Trimester
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Find a good prenatal healthcare provider who can help you throughout your pregnancy and during childbirth. Make your first appointment as soon as you know you’re pregnant.
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Ask your provider what tests or scans are recommended for you based on your medical history, and mark these in your calendar.
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Find out how you can get the flu shot.
What Should I Be Feeling At 12 Weeks Pregnant
Your body is working hard, and you may wonder, what should I be feeling at 12 weeks pregnant? You may not be showing much on the outside yet, but on the inside everything feels like its changing! In addition to typical 12 weeks pregnant symptoms, you may start to feel shifts with morning sickness and fatigue. One day you might be exhausted, and another you may feel a burst of energy, while nausea comes and goes. Hang tightyou’re getting closer to the second trimester! Make sure you get plenty of fluids and healthy foods for those days when morning sickness makes it rough to keep anything down.
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Tips For Making Your Pregnancy Better
Last week we began talking about Braxton Hicks contractions.If you are experiencing these early contractions, there are several ways you can try to alleviate them:
- Change positions. Lie down if you have been standing, or go for a walk if you have been sitting or lying down.
- Take a warm bath for 30 minutes or less.
- Drink a couple of glasses of water because contractions may be stimulated by dehydration.
- Drink a warm cup of herbal tea or milk.
If these steps do not help alleviate your contractions, contact your healthcare provider.
What Does Your Discharge Look Like At 3 Weeks Pregnant
Early pregnancy discharge But most pregnant women will secrete sticky, white, or pale-yellow mucus early on in the first trimester and throughout their pregnancy. Increased hormones and vaginal blood flow cause the discharge. It increases during pregnancy to prevent infections as your cervix and vaginal walls soften.
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How Long It Takes To Get Pregnant
Some couples conceive the first month they try. But, for many others, it can take longer.
It’s disappointing when you’re ready and make the plan to start your family only to find that it doesn’t happen right away. However, it’s important to remember that for healthy couples under 35, it can take up to a year to get pregnant.
Tips For You This Week
Fill up on folic acid
There’s no doubt that your body works overtime when you’re expecting so help give it the extra nutrients it needs to baby-build by getting 400 to 600 micrograms of folic acid daily from all sources, including your prenatal vitamin and folate-rich foods.
Research has shown that taking folic acid beginning when youre trying to get pregnant and continuing daily throughout pregnancy not only helps you conceive but has important health benefits for expecting women and their babies.
Folic acid can help reduce the risk of birth defects including congenital heart and neural tube defects in your baby, and has even been shown to lower your chances of gestational diabetes, preterm labor and miscarriage.
Ask your doc about meds
If youre taking a prescription, OTC or herbal med, ask your doctor ASAP about whether its safe to continue it during pregnancy.
Herbal preparations are not tested or approved by the Food and Drug Administration and are not required to undergo clinical trials. Translation: Their safety, or lack thereof, is unknown.
Even herbs that you’ve heard could be helpful during pregnancy may be harmful at some point during the next nine months. So always get the green light from your practitioner before taking any medication or herbal supplement of any kind.
Spot early pregnancy signs
You could be weeks away from taking a pregnancy test, but Mother Nature may give you a heads-up in the form of early pregnancy symptoms.
Shop for pregnancy tests
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What Happens During Week 7
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The embryo is 1/4 to 1/2 inch long.
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The heart has formed.
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Webbed fingers and toes develop.
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The arms bend at the elbows.
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External ears, eyes, eyelids, liver, and upper lip begin forming.
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The sex organs are the same neither female nor male in all embryos until the 7th or 8th week. If a gene triggers the development of testes, the embryo develops as a biological male. If there isnt a trigger, the embryo develops ovaries and becomes biologically female.
Will You Notice Any Pregnancy Symptoms During Weeks 1 2 Or 3
During weeks one, two, or three, you may not even suspect youâre pregnant and you might not notice any pregnancy symptoms at all. Itâs still very early.
Typically, missing a period will be the first clue that you may be pregnant, and around the time you miss a period â or a little later â you may start noticing other pregnancy symptoms.
Of course, some women sense some subtle changes early on and recognize them as signs of pregnancy right away.
One early pregnancy symptom can be implantation bleeding, which is some light spotting that occurs when the tiny ball of cells attaches to the uterine lining. This light bleeding is normal, and can sometimes be mistaken for menstrual blood.
Other signs of pregnancy in the first month can include bloating, gas, fatigue, breast tenderness, moodiness, and frequent urination. Morning sickness is another common symptom of early pregnancy, but it usually crops up between weeks four and nine.
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Pregnancy Checklist At 12 Weeks Pregnant
Reminders for the week:
- Stock up on pregnancy-friendly food
- Decide how youll be sharing your pregnancy announcement with friends and family
Medical content was reviewed November 2020 by Sara Twogood, MD, an obstetrician gynecologist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and author of Ladypartsblog.com.
The Corpus Luteum And Pregnancy Hormones
For now, it will seem like nothing is happening on the outside but only for the next couple of weeks. If your timing is right and you’ve had sex during ovulation, your egg has been fertilized by one lucky sperm and your body is gearing up to host the blastocyst that’s heading for the uterus, its home for the next nine months.
So what’s happening inside this week? Just after the egg is released, the follicle it came from gets a new tenant called the corpus luteum, a yellowish body of cells that occupies the space left by the egg. The corpus luteum starts to produce progesterone and some estrogen, enough of both pregnancy hormones to nourish and support the future baby until the placenta takes over in about 10 weeks.
In the meantime, about a week after fertilization, the blastocyst implants itself in the uterine lining and the placenta starts to take shape. Within six to 12 days after snuggling into the uterus , the cells of the newly developing placenta begin making human chorionic gonadotropin .
HCG surges during the first trimester before dipping in the second, tells your ovaries to stop releasing eggs and triggers the production of more progesterone and estrogen which keep the lining of the uterus from shedding and support the growth of the placenta.
As you’ll later see, all these hormones play an important role throughout your pregnancy and cause a whole host of body changes, plus symptoms like morning sickness .
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What Does A 12
With the first trimester almost done, you may be wondering, what does a 12-week fetus look like? New and exciting changes are happening for baby at 12 weeks! The eyes and nose take shape, fingers and toes lose their connective webbing, fingernails develop, teeth buds crop up and organs such as the kidneys and intestines keep growing.
Wellness And Nutrition At Week Two: Preconception
Nutrition
Growing a baby from a single cell into a beautiful newborn draws tremendous energy, nutrients, and resources from your body. A healthy diet can help. At two weeks pregnant:
- Remember, eating the right foods provides enough energy to support you and your growing baby.
- Eat a balanced choice of foods . It helps keep your body healthy.
Try to keep foods in the proper proportions. You can try to mentally divide your plate in half. Vegetables and fruits should make up half of your plate. Proteins and grains compose the other half. And fats? Best to use moderation.
What Is a Prenatal Vitamin?Prenatal vitamins offer a great way to ensure you’re getting all of the nutrition you and your baby will need. Though similar to adult multivitamins, prenatal vitamins often contain levels of vitamins and minerals, such as folic acid and iron, specifically modified to meet the needs of pregnant women. If you prefer to get your additional vitamins and minerals in a food form, consider a maternal milk supplement to support your regular wholesome diet.
Exercise
- Regular exercise as well as a healthy diet before and during pregnancy will help you manage a healthy weight gain as well as help you lose pounds after delivery.
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Tips For Moms Partner
Many times the male partner does not feel he has a role in a potential pregnancy at this time. However, his health and lifestyle can also affect your future baby. He may need to evaluate his nutrition, medication intake, as well as habits like smoking, and using drugs or alcohol.
Men can also benefit from taking prenatal vitamins or another type of vitamin supplement, including a proper diet, prior to conception.
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Are You Getting Pelvic Pain
Pregnancy-related Pelvic Girdle Pain – also known as or Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction – affects about one in five mums.
Symptoms include pain in any of the pelvic joints when doing things like walking, climbing stairs and turning over in bed.
I suffered with pelvic pain throughout both pregnancies. It was only after discovering a support group’s webpage I realised I could get medical and other support. If you begin experiencing any of the symptoms take action early and insist on an assessment and referral for acupuncture and physio if necessary.
Jess, mum of two
To find out more about PGP and how to alleviate it, visit the Pelvic Partnership website.
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Pregnancy And Sense Of Smell
Do scents suddenly seem stronger to you than ever? It could be a sign that you’re pregnant! A heightened sense of smell is a very real side effect of pregnancy caused by hormones such as estrogen and hCG, which magnify every little fragrance wafting in the air around you.
Whether it’s the food your neighborhood restaurant is cooking up, the garbage on the street corner or your partner’s cologne or perfume, your keener-than-ever nose might be picking it up.
The downside of your new superpower? It can ramp up your morning sickness even more. If that’s the case, steer clear of the kitchen and local eateries as much as possible, make friends with the microwave and open the windows.
You can also try washing clothes more often and switching to unscented toiletries. And don’t be shy about asking your partner, family and friends to clean up after a workout, go easy on the perfume and brush their teeth after chowing down on that garlicky pasta or onion-loaded burger.
Sex At Week 5 Of Pregnancy
Its safe for you to have sex at any stage during your pregnancy. Some women experience an increased sex-drive around this stage. But keep in mind that symptoms like morning sickness can put you off sex when youre around 5 weeks pregnant, which is normal.
Some women can spot lightly after having sex. This happens because your cervix has become more tender and vascularized. Unless the spotting doesnt stop, theres nothing to worry about.
- Take a pregnancy test after missing your period.
- Make your first antenatal appointment with your doctor.
- Start taking a prenatal vitamin.
- Develop healthier eating and exercise habits.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Listen to your body for cues and rest as much as you need.
- Start a pregnancy journal this will help you remember every detail in the years to come!
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Breast Changes In The Second Trimester
During the second trimester, you will notice significant changes in your breasts. As your bump grows, so do your breasts. In fact, over the course of your pregnancy, your breasts can gain around one to three pounds in weight.
Another change you may notice in the second trimester is pigmentation in the skin around the nipples and breasts. Hormonal changes may stimulate the pigment-bearing cells in your skin, which can result in dark spots on your breasts and nipples. The areola, the area around the nipples, may darken as well.
As your breasts grow, your skin stretches, and you might notice some reddish, brown, or purple lines begin to appear on your breasts and on your growing belly. These are known as stretch marks, and are caused by changes in the supportive tissue right under your skin. You can keep your skin soft by moisturizing the skin, but this wonât necessarily prevent stretch marks from appearing. Although you can never fully get rid of stretch marks once they show up, they will fade after the baby is born, and you may not even get them to start with.
Can Morning Sickness Start At 1 Week
How early can morning sickness start? Morning sickness usually starts around 6 weeks pregnant which is around two weeks after your missed period. As its a common early symptom of pregnancy and to most women starts around 6 weeks, it is often the very first indicator to many women that they may be pregnant.
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Calculating Your Due Date
How can you call this your first week of pregnancy if you’re not even pregnant? Its extremely hard for your practitioner to pinpoint the precise moment pregnancy begins .
While theres no mistaking the start of your period, the exact day of ovulation can be hard to nail down. Whats more, sperm from your partner can hang out in your body for several days before your egg comes out to greet it. Likewise, your egg can be kept waiting for up to 24 hours for late sperm to make their appearance.
So in order to give all pregnancies some standard timing, most practitioners use the first day of your last menstrual period as the starting line of your 40-week pregnancy. Still confused? Think of it as a head start you’re clocking in roughly two weeks of pregnancy before you even conceive!
Pregnancy Week 1: Tips For Moms Partner
Your partners body is going through many changes, and things that she once did easily may become more of a challenge. A good way to show that you appreciate and care for her is by rubbing her hands, feet, or back at the end of a long day. You can use her favorite fragrance of lotion or massage oil to make this time even more special.
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