First Few Weeks of Pregnancy

The first few weeks of pregnancy can be dramatically different depending on your situation.

For women that are trying for a baby, the first few weeks of pregnancy can be an agonising time, waiting to see if your period is going to arrive and counting the days until you can reasonably take that pregnancy test.

For women that haven’t planned to get pregnant the first few weeks of pregnancy can pass in a state of blissful ignorance, followed by a sudden unexpected realisation that life will never be the same again.

What Happens to Baby in the First Few Weeks of Pregnancy?

Although you may only start to experience pregnancy symptoms at around the fifth week, and nobody else would ever guess you were pregnant, your baby has made remarkable progress. By the sixth week the embryo is around the size of a small bean, and its heart beats roughly 150 times per minute. Its other internal organs are developing too and although it looks a bit like a tadpole it has dark spots where the facial features are forming. The placenta and umbilical cord are beginning to function.

What Happens to You in the First Few Weeks of Pregnancy?

Many women don’t notice any pregnancy symptoms at all in the first few weeks of pregnancy, although if you are expecting to get pregnant you are more likely to notice small changes. Around the fifth week of pregnancy you may find that you:

• Feel nauseous or actually vomit
  
• Need to urinate more frequently
  
• Experience sore or tender breasts
  
• Feel unusually tired or worn out
  
• Get unexpected headaches

Read up on my personal expereinces of morning sickness and look at our articles section to find out more about pregnancy headaches (as well as clumsiness in pregnancy).

What Should You Do in the First Few Weeks of Pregnancy?

Once you’ve had your pregnancy confirmed it can be a bit of an anticlimax. What do you do next? Most people put off spreading the news until the pregnancy has progressed further so you can feel a bit stuck with your own thoughts. It’s too early to buy maternity clothes or kit out your nursery.

Two great things to focus on in the first few weeks of pregnancy are diet and exercise. Take time to read up on what you can and can’t eat, and make sure you are eating a healthy balanced diet to sustain you and your baby. Look for a good prenatal vitamin if you aren’t already taking one, and look at tips on foods to eat if you are experiencing morning sickness.

Although starting a whole new exercise regime just as you get pregnant isn’t advisable, making sure you are getting some gentle regular exercise will help you to get through your pregnancy and will benefit you and your baby. Walking, swimming and yoga are all good exercises during pregnancy. Look for special aqua natal classes or pregnancy yoga classes run by professionals trained to work with pregnant women.

Try to enjoy the first few weeks of pregnancy, even if you start to feel a little queasy. It’s the start of the greatest adventure of your life!

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