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11/15/2008 - by Anne Marie Nielson
  
Pregnancy Week 1

You're Pregnant! Week 1

Congratulations! Most women won't know they're pregnant at this point, but many will be enduring the first half of the two week wait between ovulation and when they expect their period so they can take a home pregnancy test and see those two pink lines.

You may hear this week referred to as the third week of pregnancy. Doctors use a method called Naegle's Rule to determine your due date. This is based on the first day of your last period, which adds two weeks to the pregnancy when you aren't actually pregnant yet. Naegle's rule is actually pretty easy. You take the first day of your last period and add seven days. Subtract three months, and change the year if needed. An example would be a starting date of May 13, 2008. Add seven days to get May 20, 2008. Subtract three months to get February 20th. Adjust to the next year and the estimated due date is February 20th, 2009.

YOUR BABY

While you most likely don't know you are pregnant yet, your baby is already beginning to grow. The egg has met the sperm and created a fertilized egg. Cell division begins immediately. The newly formed zygote continues on a path down your Fallopian tube towards the uterus, with more cells forming all the time. Towards the end of this week, the little ball of about 500 cells known as a blastocyst will begin to implant in the lining of your uterus. The blastocyst releases enzymes that open up the uterine lining, allowing it to burrow into it. Once it is securely implanted, the ball of cells divides in two. One half will grow into the embryo (what will be your baby) while the other half becomes the placenta. Once implanted, the future baby will release hormones known as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This is the hormone that will give you a positive pregnancy test as well as being responsible for many of the symptoms you'll develop.

YOUR BODY

You may notice a little bit of spotting when your baby implants in the uterus, or you may not. You may begin feeling a little more tired than usual. Some women also feel that their breasts are a little achy, but this is also a symptom that may precurse the arrival of menstruation. While it is still a little early, you may begin feeling the urge to visit the bathroom with a little more frequency. It is not unusual for your sense of smell to get sharper and certain scents will suddenly make you nauseous. Most women do not feel queasy yet, although there are always exceptions. If you've been charting your morning temperatures, you'll probably be hopeful because they will remain elevated, even though they are not a positive indicator of pregnancy until 18 days after you ovulated.

It is never too early to begin taking prenatal vitamins and eating well. Remember you are not really eating for two… the second person is still microscopic! If you find that prenatal vitamins do not sit well in your stomach, you can try to get more nutrients through your diet. Eat foods high in iron, folic acid and other nutrients.

At From Pregnancy To Baby, we try to provide you with all of the latest information about going through your pregnancy from your first trimester to the first years of your new babies life. We also provide the highest quality books and products to help you through that time.

Source: http://www.frompregnancytobaby.com/pregnancy-week-1.html