Congratulations! At 3 weeks pregnant, you have officially conceived and are in your 1st month of pregnancy, although it will be a few weeks before you can confirm the news with a pregnancy test.
This week, the tiny group of cells (that will soon become your baby) is growing rapidly. Meanwhile, rising hormone levels can cause aincreased sense of smell, one of the first signs of pregnancy. Baby on Board! We have a fetus! Your future embryo is still a group of cells that are growing and multiplying. It is about the size of a pinhead. the journey begins The fertilized egg, now called a blastocyst, takes about four days to reach the uterus and another two to three days to implant. Boy or girl? You probably won't know if you're having a boy or a girl for another 14 weeks, but the gender is determined at the time of fertilization. If you are 3 weeks pregnant, you are in your 1st month of pregnancy. Only 8 months left! Still have questions? Here is more information abouthow the weeks, months and trimesters are distributed in pregnancy. You're ovulating this week and the moment you've been waiting for has finally arrived: you've conceived! Which means your future fetus has begun its miraculous transformation from a lonely cell to a bouncing baby boy or girl. Once the winning sperm passes through the outer layer of the egg, the fertilized one-celled egg, or zygote, immediately forms a barrier to keep out other sperm. But your zygote doesn't stay alone for long. Within hours, it divides into two cells, then four, and so on, until the growing group consists of about 100 cells just a few days after that crucial first meeting between sperm and egg. Some will form the embryo, others the placenta, but for now, it's still just a tiny ball of cells that's one-fifth the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Microscopic? Yes, but don't underestimate its potential. As it divides, the blastocyst, as it's now called (don't worry, you'll find a better name soon), travels this week from the fallopian tube to the uterus, a journey that takes about five or six days. . Spoiler alert: once it arrives during the 4th week, it will implant in the uterine wall and grow for the next nine months. In other words, congratulations! You have a baby in the making, ready to start the amazing journey that will end in your arms. So your solitary cell will become miraculousa girl or a boy? Although it will be months before you can find out for sure (if you decide to find out before delivery day), this remarkable determination has already been made, believe it or not. Are you ready for an extreme biology lesson? The fertilized egg contains 46 chromosomes, 23 from each biological parent. The mother always contributes an X chromosome, but the father can contribute an X or a Y. If the sperm that fertilizes your egg carries an X, the XX zygote will be a girl. If the sperm is a Y carrier, your XY zygote will be a boy. For now, it looks like nothing is happening on the outside, but only for the next couple of weeks. If the timing is right and you had intercourse during ovulation, your egg has been fertilized by a lucky sperm and your body is preparing to house the blastocyst (soon to be your baby!) which is headed for the uterus, home your. for the next nine months. So what's happening this week? Immediately after the egg is released, the follicle from which it came gets a new tenant called the corpus luteum, a yellowish body of cells that occupies the space left by the egg. The corpus luteum begins to produce progesterone and some estrogen, enough of both.pregnancy hormonesto nurture and support the unborn baby until the placenta takes over in about 10 weeks. Meanwhile, about a week after fertilization, the blastocyst (or future embryo) implants itself in the lining of the uterus and the placenta begins to form. Within six to 12 days of nesting in the womb (approxweek 4 of pregnancy), the cells of the newly developed placenta begin to produce human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). HCG appears duringFirst trimesterBefore you dive into the second, it tells your ovaries to stop releasing eggs and triggers the production of more progesterone and estrogen, which prevent shedding of the uterine lining and support placental growth. As you will see later, all of these hormones play important roles during your pregnancy, causing a number of changes in the body, including symptoms such as:Morning sickness(Hey;). Traces of hCG can be detected in urine and blood, which explains why home pregnancy tests make you pee on a stick and your OB/GYN does a blood test at your first appointment, but you probably won't test positive pregnancy result. try for another week or two. Do smells suddenly seem stronger than ever? It could be a sign that you are pregnant! TOincreased sense of smellIt's a very real side effect of pregnancy caused by hormones like estrogen and hCG, which magnify every little scent—the good, the bad, and the ugly—that wafts into the air around you. Whether it's the food your neighborhood restaurant is cooking, the trash on the street corner, or your partner's cologne or perfume, your sharper-than-ever nose can pick them up. The downside to your new superpower? It can further increase morning sickness. If this is the case, stay away from the kitchen and local restaurants as much as possible, make friends with the microwave (which tends to cause less odor), and open the windows. You can also try washing clothes more often and switching to fragrance-free toiletries. And don't be shy about asking your partner, family, and friends to clean up after your workout, go fragrance-free, and brush their teeth after eating that garlic pasta or onion-laden burger.Your baby at week 3
Take a look
3 weeks pregnant how many months is it?
How tall is my baby at 3 weeks?
Implantation
Boy or girl?
Your body in week 3
The corpus luteum and pregnancy hormones
Pregnancy and olfaction
Pregnancy Symptoms Week 3
lower abdominal pressure
metallic taste
Tips for you this week
Increase iron and vitamin C
Mix some berries into your cereal. Adding vitamin C foods to iron-rich meals increases your body's absorption of iron, a nutrient you need to maintain your increased blood volume.
Canfind vitamin cin fruits and vegetables such as kiwis, mangoes, strawberries, melons, peppers, tomatoes and asparagus. Iron can be found in soy products, beef, poultry and dried fruits.
Wait for hair dye
When it comes tofur dye, experts agree it's better to be safe than sorry. So wait until the second trimester (ie, after the 14th week of pregnancy) before having intercourse.
When you return to the salon, stick to highlights instead of lightening the roots or changing color from root to tip (this way the chemicals won't touch your scalp) and ask for a softer color option like a base without ammonia. .
And keep in mind that hormonal changes can cause your hair to react differently, so you might not get exactly what you expect, even with your regular formula. Before doing the whole head, try trying on a test strand to be sure.
Try to choose healthy when you go out to eat
It's easier than you thinkfind healthy optionswhen eating out or ordering takeout. If you're craving Italian food, dine on grilled fish, chicken, beef or lean meat accompanied by beautiful vegetables. Other good options: pasta and pizza with pregnancy-safe fresh tomato sauce, seafood or cheese.
Enjoy teriyaki fish or chicken, miso soup, edamame and soba noodle dishes from Japanese restaurants (as well as sushi with vegetables or cooked fish). And, as long as your stomach is ready for spice, Indian restaurants are a particularly nutritious option: order almost anything that isn't fried.
Is it time to take a pregnancy test?
In the past, you had to miss your period before getting oneHome Pregnancy Test (HPT)– then wait a few hours before you know the results.
These days, you may find that you wait much earlier, faster, and more accurately than ever before (though accuracy will of course improve as you get closer to it).lost period). So you could theoretically get one that early if you wanted to!
However, it can take a week or more after you don't get your period before you produce enough human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the pregnancy hormone, to be detected on a test. If you are late and the test is negative, retest in a few days.
Choose foods rich in calcium
Calcium helps you and your growing baby build and maintain strong, healthy bones. In addition, it is essential for the health of the heart, nerves and muscles. if you don'tyou are getting enough calciumduring pregnancy, your baby will take it from your bones!
Eat four servings daily (1,000 milligrams) of treats such as Greek or frozen yogurt, calcium-fortified juice or cereal, and hard or pasteurized cheese.
Replace your fluids when you feel dizzy
If your morning sickness is accompanied by cramps, fever, or diarrhea, you may be experiencingstomach virusor food poisoning instead of morning sickness.
But whether your stomach is upset by hormones, a virus, or that egg salad you had for lunch, the cure is the same: Rest andfocus on liquids— especially if you lose them due to vomiting or diarrhea.
Drink water, diluted juice (white grapes are easier on the stomach), clear broth, mild decaffeinated tea or warm water with lemon, which can reduce gas. If you can't drink, suck on breadcrumbs.
get plenty of protein
Eat three servings of protein.daily to stimulate new tissue for your unborn baby. A serving of meat like skinless chicken or lean beef, for example, should be about 3 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards. Other great sources of protein include eggs, fish, dairy and legumes.
Opinion written on September 30, 2022
From the What to Expect editorial team andHeidi Murkoff,its authorWhat to expect when you expect it. What to Expect follows strict referencing guidelines and uses only credible sources, including peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and highly regarded health organizations. Find out how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading usmedical inspection and pension policy. see sources