Pregnancy Week 1 - Pregnancy Week by Week

Welcome to Pregnancy Week 1. Pregnancy is a period of amazing changes in your body. Your body evolves and adapts to housing, feeding and finally giving birth to your baby.

Most organs in the body participate in this wonderful process. The uterus for example grows 1000-fold from a small structure about 8 cm long to being able to hold a 3 kg baby at term. Over the span of 40+ weeks, many changes take place both in the mother and baby.

Changes to Mother During Pregnancy Week 1

It may be hard to believe this, but you are not yet pregnant. Pregnancy is determined from the first day of your last period. Your doctor calculates your baby's due date using this date. This is the start of your pregnancy! Ovulation occurs somewhere during the middle of a menstrual cycle and fertilization within a day of the mid cycle.

It is a good choice to prepare for your pregnancy in advance for both a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. It is advisable for both parents to take a well balanced diet and exercise regularly even before the mother conceives. For the healthy growth of the baby, you must quit smoking and drugs. You must also reduce the intake of caffeine and alcohol. Women must also increase their intake of folic acid through food supplements so that the baby is born without neural tube defects. You must continue taking folic acid for the first twelve weeks of your pregnancy.

Before you try to conceive, your should check with your doctor if medicines taken by you and your partner are safe. This discussion also includes keeping the doctor informed of any contraceptive that you are currently using. It is advisable to have at least one period without the pill before you actually conceive. This makes it easier to calculate your due date. Be careful of any over-the-counter drugs. You may also want to discuss with your doctor any family conditions or hereditary family problems on both sides.