Week 1 of pregnancy | First Trimester

Congratulations, you’ve decided to try to conceive! Pregnancy is a miraculous time when your body will become a life-support to a new, fragile little life. Though you are officially pregnant for 40 weeks, the first two weeks of your pregnancy will not actually include being pregnant. Each pregnancy is measured from the first day of your last menstrual period, therefore you aren’t technically pregnant for those first two weeks. Let’s, however, explore what is happening at this stage in your, your baby and your husband’s bodies!

MOM
Your last menstrual period (for a while, at least) has just begun. Now is a very good time to prepare your body for the massive task that it is about to undertake. Discontinue use of your birth control tablets in order for normal ovulation to occur, begin avoiding alcohol and secondary smoke (or give up if you are a smoker yourself) and start taking prenatal vitamins such as Folic Acid – which will help prevent neural tube defects in the foetus. Start chatting to your doctor about any side-effects that your regular prescription medication might have on your pregnancy. Lastly, you’ll also need to avoid X-ray machines.

BABY
There is no baby just yet, but the uterus is currently shedding its lining and hormones are preparing the ovaries to release a new egg or ovum.

DAD
Now that you have decided to have a baby, it is time for you to start leading a healthier lifestyle. Especially important is helping your partner avoiding secondary smoke at all costs – this includes giving up smoking yourself. All that is left for you to do for now is to rest up…. Your most important job will take place at the end of Week 2.

Now that both of you are living healthier lifestyles in preparation for the conception of your baby next week, sit back and relax. Stress could adversely affect conception, so try your very best to avoid it.