Index
Your 1-3 week begins
- Fetal development is rapid and major changes occur weekly .
- Gestation takes approximately 40 weeks and can follow up to 42 complete weeks .
- The first week is usually counted by the date of the last menstruation. It is the most reliable calculation for predicting the date of delivery (DPP).
- In the 2nd week is when fertilization takes place definitively and the nuclei fuse, resulting in the combination of the parents’ DNA.
- In the 3rd week the zygote is formed and reaches the uterus, fixing itself in the endometrium, where the nesting occurs.
- At this stage there may be nidation bleeding, which is a pink discharge or simply the woman still does not have any obvious symptoms.
In this series, we will follow the phases of fetal development of this being who is now loved in such a short time. Within us women, the baby’s development begins with it comes the first emotions, the first experiences, the discovery of the little feet and hands. It is a world completely apart from ours, which, although it is possible to see and follow, is still a matter of much curiosity for future moms . Fetal development is one of the many curiosities of the pregnant woman.
So, as I have already gone through this wonderful phase, I will put here everything that I learned during my experiences and also everything that I have already researched and studied. Let’s start! To better understand fetal development, we have to take into account that a pregnancy takes approximately 40 weeks or 280 days and can extend to the 42nd week with peace of mind. The term delivery can occur between 38 to 42 weeks without major problems can occur for mother and child.
Fetal Development from the 1st to the 3rd Week
1st week of pregnancy:
Week 1 of pregnancy begins the day your menstruation appears. Usually, doctors count the pregnancy from that day onwards, in order to obtain more precision for the expected date of delivery (DPP). Thereafter, the body prepares itself for the second week, which is the week that fertilization is likely to occur. If you are the type that has a regulated cycle, you may be more likely to discover the pregnancy in advance. If not, you can now begin to better understand your body and the signals it gives. Hormones are declining at this stage, but they will soon rise in order to continue the cycle.
2nd week of pregnancy:
Around the 12th to 18th day of the cycle, ovulation occurs, or when the egg has been matured by the ovary. In it it grew and matured until the follicle ruptured and expelled the egg into the tubes and, from there, it remains until the arrival of the sperm. However, the egg’s shelf life is short, about 24 hours in the tube waiting for fertilization.
Don’t think that the “fish” journey to the egg is easy. They fight a real battle until they reach their destination. Only the strongest and healthiest survive. Upon reaching the tube where the egg (or eggs) is, the few that are left, try to penetrate its interior, but only one succeeds. Soon after the sperm enters the egg, there is a change in the surface that prevents any more of them from entering. Now the nuclei fuse to give rise to a new combination of DNA from the father and mother, now forming a new life! The 2nd week of pregnancy is started!
Enlarged photo of a zygote towards the uterus
3rd week of pregnancy:
After fertilization, a zygote is formed by the egg and sperm making a combination of DNA with the physical characteristics of this new being that has just been created. In the 3rd week of gestation, the two cells that found each other start to multiply, dividing very quickly as it advances on the way towards the uterus. Finally, from 7 to 17 days after fertilization, the new being reaches the uterus, and there it looks for a soft and thick thickness to fix in the endometrium, then the nesting begins !
This implantation process can take a while and only after that, HCG is identifiable in the body. After implantation, the zygote divides into 2 parts. One of them will become the structure that the baby will have to form properly, such as the amniotic sac, and the other part will develop as a baby. The 3rd week of pregnancy is the decisive one for the fetus.
How is mommy feeling …
The so-called nesting can lead to small amount of bleeding or a pink discharge in certain women, let us say that it is a low percentage of them that has this bloody sign. It happened to me in a discreet way, but it made me confuse it with the onset of menstruation , if there is minimal bleeding and no flow, then get tested as soon as possible. This is one of the reasons why women always have the doubt: “My period only came two days, can I be pregnant?” If you have doubts and want to take a test, you can find high sensitivity pregnancy tests from Famivita, which detect HCG even before the delay, here in our virtual store
There may still be no apparent symptoms, but it is common for some women to experience colic at this stage . After fixing on the fluffy uterus, the real pregnancy actually begins! Half of these cells formed the baby and the other part formed the placenta and the amniotic pouch that will house, feed and sustain oxygen and nutrients in these embryo (s) throughout the pregnancy.
Questions from Readers:
How does the uterus look in the first weeks of pregnancy?
The uterus in the first weeks becomes swollen, sensitive and soft and since it starts to change, it is possible to feel cramping during this period. Very common symptom in the first trimester, where the body is in full transformation.
How does a woman’s skin look in the first weeks of pregnancy?
Although the glow of pregnancy is indeed a fact for many women, others are not so lucky. Due to the increase in the volume of blood in the blood circulation, women tend to become more flushed at this stage but also with more oily facial skin. That is why many women may suffer from acne and blemishes during pregnancy and need to redouble their care with hydration and skin protection.
How to eat in the first weeks of pregnancy?
Good nutrition is essential at any stage of the human being, but during pregnancy, especially in the first weeks, she has a greater responsibility. It is in the first weeks that all the nutrients and vitamins ingested will guarantee the ideal development of the placenta that will be responsible for the nutrition and oxygenation of the fetus throughout the pregnancy. Following a menu rich in vitamins such as folic acid, iron, vitamin B6 and omega 3 are essential.
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.