The first week of your pregnancy
Your changing body
You may not even know that you have conceived during the first few weeks of your pregnancy because your body hardly undergoes any major change or shows any definite signs of pregnancy.
However, this is the time when your baby comes into being. Conception occurs when an egg released by your ovaries fuses with the Sperm from your mate, fertilization takes place, and it finally gets implanted in the wall of your Uterus by the second week of pregnancy.
Your growing baby
Even before you conceive, your Uterus gets ready to sustain a fertilized egg: a blood-rich lining forms on its walls. This occurs in response to the increased blood levels of the hormones Estrogen and Progesterone. At the same time, your ovaries prepare to ripen many eggs housed in fluid-filled follicles.
Mid-way through your menstrual cycle, (around day 14), a ripened follicle ruptures and releases an egg (also called an ovum) into one of your fallopian tubes. The process is termed as Ovulation. Here, the egg waits for 12 to 24 hours to unite with a Sperm. (The normal life-span of an egg is 24 hours). On an average, the ejaculate from your partner contains 2500 lakhs of sperms. Out of these, only about 400 sperms are able to swim to their destination: the egg by completing a long ten-hour journey from the Vagina through the Cervix to the Fallopian Tube. Out of all these, only one is successful in penetrating the egg’s outer membrane.
Once the Sperm finds its way into the egg, the genetic material of both the Sperm and egg combine. This is how your baby gets both your and your mate’s characteristics.
The sex of your baby is also determined at this stage. It depends upon the chromosome carried by the Sperm. If it is an X chromosome, you conceive a girl; if it is a Y chromosome, you become pregnant with a baby boy. The fertilized egg (now called a zygote) then moves to your Uterus and during this three- to four-day trip, divides into 16 identical Cells clustered together.
Tips for the first week of pregnancy
Though you may not realize that you are pregnant, it is a good idea to visit your doctor before you plan to conceive or if you have already conceived and feel so. Your doctor will ask questions to determine the risk of genetic diseases and environmental hazards.
Seek advice from your healthcare practitioner on the lifestyle changes necessary for you to ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby, such as quitting smoking and alcohol, stopping prescription and over-the counter-medications. If you have any serious medical problem such as epilepsy or infection, talk to your doctor about how it can be managed during your pregnancy.
Supplements to be taken during the first week of pregnancy
Folic acid, 400 micrograms, is essential to prevent the baby from developing Neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. Folic acid can be started before conception occurs and should be continued throughout pregnancy.
Common problems in the first week of pregnancy
Though you may have any of the following problems, these are usually mild and are the early signs of pregnancy: fatigue, tiredness, mild nausea, tender breasts, frequent urination, bloating, aversion to different odors, metallic taste in the mouth, sleep problems.
Common tests in the first week of pregnancy
Genetic testing to determine risk of birth defects or inherited disorders (using blood from mother and father), complete blood count (CBC).
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