First week of pregnancy: you are at the beginning of pregnancy marathon!
Starting from this week you are joining the pregnancy marathon, which might last up to 42 weeks! Congratulations and good luck on your journey!
But formally speaking, there is no pregnancy yet. Why? Let’s see.
Your body starts preparing for a possible pregnancy from the first day of each menstrual cycle. The egg matures for 10 to 14 days, depending on your cycle, and then ovulation comes – the egg is released from the follicle.
Progesterone level rises in order to prepare your body for pregnancy in the event the egg is fertilized. After release, the egg is passed through the fallopian tube towards the uterus where it meets a sperm. When egg and sperm fuse, the zygote is formed. After a long 40 weeks marathon it will become your baby!
Pregnancy week 1 – signs
In fact, the first week of «obstetric» pregnancy proceed under a veil of secrecy. It is still a week of planning for a baby. Even the mom-to-be doesn’t know yet that her egg will be impregnated. There are no pregnancy signs yet.
However, the first week of pregnancy is extremely important. Further fetus development and sometimes even the existence of pregnancy itself depends on how this week passes.
During the first week of pregnancy, the blood hCG level is not increasing yet. You will not feel any changes, and it is normal. Your pregnancy test will be negative.
Pregnancy week 1 – recommendations
- The first week of pregnancy is the ideal time to give up all the habits detrimental to your health (if you didn’t do it earlier!).
- Prior to taking strong medications consult with your doctor as some of them can have a negative impact on your future baby by affecting the embryo formation. Try to avoid X-ray research for the same reason.
- Visiting crowded places might possess the risk to catch some viral infections, which might be also dangerous to your future baby.
- You might want to gradually reduce your caffeine consumption: limit coffee, tea, chocolate or carbonated drinks. Try to eat more fresh fruit and vegetable, cottage cheese, low-fat meat or fish.
- It is a good idea to start taking additional vitamins and folic acid if you are not taking them already.
- Try to avoid taking new pets – especially cats, as they can be carriers of toxoplasmosis, which is a risk to an unborn baby if you catch it now for the first time. Less than 40% of such infections will pass to a baby, but the effects can be severe, including the miscarriage, damage to the baby’s brain or even stillbirth. Raw or undercooked meat, unwashed fruit and veg can also be a source of Toxoplasma gondii.
Pregnancy week 1 – medical supervision
Now it is time to visit your doctor, especially if you or your partner have some chronic diseases to prescribe appropriate therapy.
You might also want to visit the Ob-Gyn for additional screening to check the growth of the follicles to specify ovulation time.
