Pregnancy - Week Three: Life's A Ball... Of Cells!
Getting ready for pregnancy
Pregnancy - Week Three: Life’s A Ball… Of Cells!
Remember, you aren’t three weeks pregnant yet! You’re just three weeks from the first day of your last period, and that time spent with your partner has resulted in your egg becoming fertilized. As it travels down your fallopian tube to your uterus, it is dividing crazily, growing into a ball made out of hundreds of cells, called a blastocyst.
Inside Your Body:
When your little blastocyst (I’m sure you’ll find a better name soon) finds its way into your uterus, it will attach itself into the uterine wall. Sometimes, when it has burrowed into the lining, it can cause some spotting/bleeding, known as implantation bleeding, which is absolutely normal. Some women experience this and may believe that it is an early sign of their period, but it’s not! Part of the ball of cells will become the placenta, and the other will develop into a baby. Your placenta will start to produce the hormone that is used by pregnancy tests to detect pregnancy. This hormone, hCg (human chorionic gonadotropin) will in turn trigger the production of estrogen and progesterone so that your body doesn’t expel its newest passenger.
Things To Think About:
You are most likely unaware that you are pregnant, but the hormone, hCg, does pass through your urine, so you may be able to take an early detection pregnancy test by the end of the week. A few women do experience symptoms but since it is similar to premenstrual symptoms, many believe that they aren’t pregnant. Some of the symptoms (caused by the blastocyst implanting into your uterus) include light bleeding or spotting and cramping. Other symptoms include fatigue and breast tenderness, which is caused by the flow of hormones in your body.
Tips:
Although you may not know it yet, if you are hoping to become pregnant, look closely at your diet and lifestyle. Your past and present health conditions can affect your baby. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, talk to your doctor about getting the right amount of protein, calcium, and nutrients to your baby. Past substance abusers or people with a chronic condition need to discuss how their health will hurt the baby. Even cat lovers and gardeners aren’t safe! Beware that scooping your cat’s poop or working with soil can bring you in contact with a parasite that can be passed from mom to baby. Toxoplasmosis can be avoided by getting someone else to change the litter, wearing gloves when working with soil, washing fruits and vegetables carefully, and making sure meats are cooked through.
A Few Words
Just a note, I am not only basing what I write about pregnancy on everything I’ve read about pregnancy but also from my own personal experience. When I became pregnant, I was one of the few women who knew immediately. Two symptoms that let me know were cramping and breast tenderness. Now, the cramping was nothing like a menstrual cramping, it was a “sore abs” cramp, as if I had done non-stop crunches, and it lasted a few days. It was unlike anything I had experienced, excluding exercise soreness, and I knew “something” was up. Also, the breast tenderness started soon, and it wasn’t like menstrual breast tenderness. This went on for days (months actually) and was constant. My menstrual tenderness was a nightly affair that faded during the day.
I hope reading this helps you on your pregnancy journey!
