Maybe baby?
Confusingly, in your first week of pregnancy there is no baby because you haven’t yet conceived. Gestation is 40 weeks long – but two of the weeks counted are the ones before fertilisation has taken place. This happens because doctors use a standardised method to gauge the length of the pregnancy, so it’s dated from the first day of your last period. This is because most women will not know the date of ovulation or conception, but they’re likely to have an idea of when they last had a period.
Maybe baby?
Confusingly, in your first week of pregnancy there is no baby because you haven’t yet conceived. Gestation is 40 weeks long – but two of the weeks counted are the ones before fertilisation has taken place. This happens because doctors use a standardised method to gauge the length of the pregnancy, so it’s dated from the first day of your last period. This is because most women will not know the date of ovulation or conception, but they’re likely to have an idea of when they last had a period.
What does your uterus look like?
In the week following your period, your reproduction system gets going – yes it happens every month. The hormone oestrogen helps your uterus to gear up for pregnancy by thickening the lining of the womb to receive a blastocyst (the inner cell mass (ICM) of which later forms the embryo). Levels of the hormone progesterone increase in readiness for nurturing a pregnancy.
How your body prepares for pregnancy
The average menstrual cycle is around 28 days long and ovulation will take place around day 14. Once your eggs have matured in their follicles (fluid-filled sacs) then your ovaries will release one (or sometimes more). The egg travels down the fallopian tube to the uterus, where the rich, thick lining is waiting to receive it.
Once the egg has been released any sperm in your body have around 12 to 24 hours to reach it in order for fertilisation to take place. During this time your body helps this process by producing cervical mucus with a thinner consistency to help the sperm swim. The average ejaculation contains somewhere between 200 million and 600 million sperm. Only about 200 of this number will have the motility to reach the egg – which is fine, because it takes just one strong swimmer for fertilisation to occur.
When it meets the egg, the lucky sperm will secrete an enzyme to break down the cells in its membrane. Once the sperm is inside, the membranes will immediately close again to prevent any other sperm from entering.
The fertilised egg then becomes a zygote and starts dividing into identical cells. By this stage, you are officially two weeks pregnant.
Health concerns
In the run-up to your pregnancy, it’s a sensible idea to prepare your body properly – after all, it will be a testing nine months for it as your baby develops – as part of this preparation, it’s a good idea to discuss any pre-existing medical conditions with your GP so that they can be safely managed while you are pregnant.
According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) around 80% of couples having regular unprotected sexual intercourse (that’s two to three times a week), are likely to get pregnant within one year. However, an estimated one in seven couples are not so successful. If you have been trying to get pregnant for longer than two years, it may be the time to speak to your GP.
Your health and lifestyle choices (yes, yours and your partner’s) can affect your ability to get pregnant. Think about giving up alcohol consumption, smoking and take a look at your weight – being either underweight or overweight can impede on your fertility.
Are there any symptoms you should be looking out for?
It’s usually quite easy to spot the symptoms of early pregnancy, especially if you are actively trying to conceive. Some women report experiencing symptoms very early, but the vast majority won’t feel the hallmark signs of nausea and fatigue until a little later in the pregnancy, once the embryo has implanted and the placenta has begun to form. Scientists believe that it’s the hormones responsible for generating placental growth which cause the pregnancy symptoms.
Of course the first major sign will be a missed period, but some women experience light bleeding which can be mistaken for a period. The most accurate way to find out if you are pregnant is to take a pregnancy test. A positive result is almost always reliable, however, if you are feeling some pregnancy symptoms – nausea, tender breasts, fatigue, increased need to pee – and your test comes back negative, this may be less reliable and you may want to wait a week and try again.
Safety first
If you suspect you are pregnant and you have a very manual job, it might be wise to ease back slightly if you can to avoid over-straining your body. You don’t have to officially announce your pregnancy to your employer until much later on, but you can ask for reasonable adjustments to be made if your health is likely to suffer as a result of your work.
Think about giving up alcohol and smoking as soon as you can if you think you may be pregnant, and if you have any pre-existing health conditions which require you to take medication, DON’T stop taking it – always speak to your GP before halting a course of medicine.
Keeping fit, staying healthy
As the title suggests, keeping fit and healthy is important as you prepare to carry your baby. You don’t have to go overboard, just taking some regular exercise and replacing junk food with wholesome food will work wonders. Try to eat plenty of wholegrains, fresh fruit and vegetables and stay hydrated.
Looking forward; planning ahead
You’re heading straight into a busy nine months, so it makes sense to be prepared. Create a checklist of things you’ll need to do along the way, such as working out how much maternity leave you can take, whether there will be a drop in earnings that needs to be compensated for and start planning changes sooner rather than later if you need to create extra living space for you and your baby. You can also begin taking prenatal vitamins to help support your body through pregnancy.
