Pregnancy Journey Week 1 to Week 4 (Mom & Baby's development)
Hello future mummies! Feeling excited about having a baby or feeling restless because you do not know what to do especially being a first-time mum? Here is what you have to learn about the changes that occur during the first month of pregnancy.
During this month, you have to be extra careful or else it might lead to miscarriage. Your emotions will be unstable. It is normal for you to experience mood swings in response to the changes you are going through in your pregnancy.
1st week of pregnancy
Pregnancy: any noticeable changes?
During the first week of pregnancy, your baby has yet to be conceived, your body is geared up to pave way for the baby during ovulation. You might not be able to notice any changes in your body. Hence, many women discovered the double line after a few weeks of pregnancy!
If you are planning to conceive, it is recommended to start taking folic acid. Folate or its common name, folic acid is a vitamin B9. Folate or Folic acid helps your body to synthesize new red blood cells and genetic materials while aiding cell division.
Taking folic acid supplements or increasing your folate intake before and during pregnancy can reduce the chances of premature birth, heart irregularities, autism, and cleft palate on your child.
2nd week of pregnancy
(2nd week of pregnancy development)
Some people might even experience spotting or light bleeding which was caused by the blastocyst burrowing itself into the wall lining of your womb.
Changes such as an increase in the blood supply to certain areas of your body like your breasts and vulva cause your nipples to be particularly more sensitive, and darker.
Your nipples will become darker and the veins in your breast more noticeable. Plus, this month, you may develop headaches, caused by the increasing level of hormones in your body.
3rd week of pregnancy
(Baby as the size of vanilla seed during week 3 of pregnancy)
Baby is at the blastocyst stage.
During this week, the size of your baby is as big as a vanilla bean seed. Baby on board, (yay!). Embryos have been formed and your soon-to-be fetus is still a cluster of cells that are growing and multiplying day-by-day.
Baby is at the blastocyst stage to reach your uterus and another two to three days to the implant. Is it a boy or a girl? You probably would not know yet but gender will be determined at the moment of fertilization.
(Blastocyst stage of the baby)
Sore breast and cramp. You will experience sore breasts and cramp and your nipples may darken as your body starts prepping to make milk. At 3 weeks pregnant, the ultrasound may not detect your soon-to-be baby.
4th week of pregnancy
(Baby as big as poppy seed during week 4 of pregnancy)
During this week, your baby is as big as a poppy seed and your baby is super tiny. You have another 36 weeks to go. Ways to go mummies!!!!!
As the placenta develops, other cells of the emerging placenta produce a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) that signals your body telling you are now pregnant.
The hCG hormone is also the hormone that indicates you are pregnant when you take a pregnancy test.
You may not observe any bump in your belly just yet but there are several changes that you may experience as the hormones in your body are beginning to change. Those changes could be nausea or vomiting.
You may also observe yourself being more sensitive to smell and taste that might cause you to not like certain food unlike before.
Mood swings may also happen.
While these symptoms are common, do not worry if you do not experience it, some pregnancy symptoms come a bit later into the pregnancy.
Brain and heart begin to develop. Your embryo has two sets of cells called epiblast and hypoblast. Soon they will develop your baby’s body parts and systems. This is when the brain and heart begin to develop. You will develop a yolk sac and it helps in producing blood and helps to nourish your young embryo. The embryo will become your son or daughter, while the placenta, your baby’s lifeline-channeling nutrients and carries waste away until delivery.
(Embryo stage)
The central nervous system begins to develop.
The embryo now has three different layers of cells that will grow into specific parts of your baby’s body. The inner layer, known as the endoderm, will develop into your baby’s digestive system, liver and lungs. Whereas, the middle layer known as mesoderm will soon be your baby’s heart, sex organs, bones, kidneys and muscles. Lastly, the outer layer or the ectoderm will develop your baby’s central nervous/ circulatory system, hair, eyes and the outer layer of skin.
