Welcome To Week One Of Pregnancy

Week 1 Of Your Baby’s Development!

In this first week there is actually not too much happening with your baby. In fact, you are technically not yet pregnant! Pregnancy starts from conception, roughly 2 weeks from the start of your last period. Right now, your body is gearing up for a possible conception. The egg leaves the ovary and makes its way to the fallopian tubes where it will soon (with a bit of luck and science!) be fertilized by a sperm cell.

Week 1 Of Your Health, Mind & Body Changes!

Up until fertilisation, it will be business as usual as far as your body is concerned. Once this takes place, you may still coast along not noticing any changes or feel any differently for weeks to come. However, some women start to feel different very early on after conception.

Here’s a few important changes to look out for in the coming weeks:

Tender breasts: Your body is busy gearing up for the new baby and it is producing a lot of progesterone and oestrogen. This makes your breasts feel tender and heavy, significantly more so than they are during your monthly cycle.

Implantation bleeding: while any sort of irregular bleeding would usually have most women concerned, light spotting may happen when the egg is implanted into the uterus lining shortly after fertilization. Mention this to your doctor when you go in for a check- up, although it is quite a common occurrence.

Frequent urination: On conception, extra blood rushes to your kidneys and this increases urine production.

Dislike of food: Your digestive system is working a bit slower than normal and that means your stomach may feel full all the time. This is why you develop an aversion for food.

Mood swings: The fluctuation in your hormones makes you feel super elated at times and really depressed minutes later. Mood swings can be dramatic indeed but they are quite normal in early pregnancy.

Your Diet

A balanced diet would consist of loads of vegetables (particularly leafy greens), wholegrain carbohydrates, legumes and beans, low fat minimally processed dairy, lean protein such as poultry, meat, pork, seafood (safe options during pregnancy only) and healthy fat sources like olive oil and avocado. Of course, balance also includes having treats too.

Try this: natural sources of folic acid are found in oranges, leafy greens and fortified grain products such as cereals, flour and bread.  Even the most clean eating fitness fanatic would find it hard to meet folic acid needs during preconception and pregnancy, so a pregnancy multivitamin is always a good extra top up.

Fertility

Keen to go at it? There are a number of tips, activities and strategies aimed at helping increase your changes of conceiving. While none are ever guaranteed, it cant hurt to keep some in mind and try what you think works for you! 

Week 1 Of Your Next Steps!

–Try to get plenty of rest

–Make fun and distracting activities a priority –  So activities that calm you down, reduce overall stress and make you happy (listen to music, see a movie, catch up with friends potter around in the garden, go out for dinner with your partner etc.). This might all sound a bit whimsical but the science is ever increasing to support that high stress reduces a woman chance of pregnancy

–Talk to your doctor about any medications you take regularly and confirm if they can be continued. Start taking any supplements (vitamins, minerals etc.) as per your doctor’s advice.

– Baby making is meant to be fun! While it’s often easier said than done (especially as time goes on) If actively trying to conceive, be aware of timings that may increase your chances, but try not to let it become a chore.