3 Weeks Pregnant

What Happens to You During the Third Week of Pregnancy?

With a baby as small as a tiny dot, you would be facing bodily or emotional changes. Having a general awareness of these factors can help in enhancing the quality of your pregnancy. Here are three changes that happen while you are pregnant.

Bodily Changes

During the third week of pregnancy, a sperm would meet your dominant egg in the fallopian tube. For this process to happen, it would take some time or even occur in a week. Since the window for getting pregnant is short, it depends a lot on timing. After the penetration of the sperm, the egg won't permit the entry of another sperm.

During this time, both the nucleus of the sperm and the egg fuse together. It is the starting process of creating another human form. Here, the 23 chromosomes of the father and the mother together form 46 chromosomes, which act as the genetic code of the to-be-born baby. The creation of a human form requires around 20 to 25 thousand genes. It is during this time the sex determination of the baby happens. The sex of the child will be a girl if the X chromosome of the egg meets with an X chromosome of the sperm. It will be a boy if the X chromosome of the egg meets with a Y chromosome.

During this time, active cell division will also be taking place. With time and as you enter the fourth week, the fertilized egg, morula, would become a blastocyst, with thousands of cells. It would then attach itself to the mucous membrane of the uterine wall. After that, a part of the blastocyst would transform into the placenta. In the third week of pregnancy, the amniotic sac forms. It would offer protection to the baby till its birth. When you are in your third week of pregnancy, you may not know if you are pregnant or not. Here, you can take a pregnancy test, but even then, it might take time for you to obtain a positive result. Even though you may not have a lot of symptoms, you may have those related to PMS. Some of them include:

Hormonal Changes

As the implantation takes place, there is a hormonal release known as Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG). It is a hormone that helps you understand if you are pregnant or not. HCG will increase the estrogen and progesterone levels. Due to this, the uterine wall will thicken, which would offer your to-be-baby the required nourishments as it grows. Because of this, you might face mood swings, which is something common.

Besides that, HCG would double every two to three days and prevent the ripening of other eggs. It happens because the HCG won't allow the release of the Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). Due to these hormonal fluctuations, you would feel changes in your body. However, not everyone would sense these changes, and some might even consider them as signs of their upcoming period. Your hormonal level increase leads to a rise in the greasiness of your hair and skin. It is yet another factor caused by the hormonal changes in your body during the third week of your pregnancy.

Fetal Development

It is still an early stage of your baby's development as it would be a fertilized egg, known as a morula. Here, it would be transformed into an embryo with thousands of cells. During this time, a rapid cell division process is also taking place. The outer cells would transform into the placenta, which would help your to-be-baby to acquire all the required nutrients. In most cases, the fertilized egg would be traveling down the fallopian tube during the third week of pregnancy. When it comes to taking an ultrasound this week, it may not be necessary. Your doctor would suggest your first date for your ultrasound between eight to fourteen weeks. It is the time mentioned by doctors in most countries.

Tips for the Third Week of Pregnancy

When you have conceived your baby, you have to look into certain factors to help you have a healthy pregnancy. Here, we will look into three different tips that can assist you through your pregnancy. It would help you keep track of your health and also improve your baby's wellbeing.

Taking Care of Your Diet

Since you are in the third week of pregnancy, you have to focus more on your health. Here, you have to maintain a healthy diet, including the intake of Vitamin C and iron content. It is best to have 400 mg of folic acid supplements in your diet till you reach the 12th week. During this time, your doctor would increase the dose and prescribe other prenatal vitamins you require. When you have folic acid supplements, it plays a crucial role in offering the necessary health benefits for the baby.

When it comes to maintaining a healthy diet, you can have vegetables and fruits that enhance your Vitamin and iron content. Mangoes, bell pepper, and melons can help in attaining Vitamin C.

For acquiring iron, you can have soy, poultry, dried fruits, etc. You can also have safe seafood items in your diet. You have to include three servings of proteins in your diet. In that three servings, you can have one serving of skinless chicken or lean beef. You can also have dairy products or fish for gaining proteins. Similar to proteins, you have to ensure that you are getting the required amount of calcium in your diet.

Sometimes you might have morning sickness that happens due to food poisoning or stomach issues. During this time, it is best to have enough fluids to keep yourself hydrated. You can have water, decaffeinated tea, lemon with hot water, etc. Through this, you can reduce the chances of getting sick during your first trimester.

If you plan to eat out, it is best to opt for eating healthy. As part of taking care of your baby's health, you should include an additional 300 calories per day. However, you have to ensure that they are healthy. If you have the habit of smoking, it is the best time to stop it. It is because smoking can adversely impact your to-be-born child. Alcohol can also have a similar impact on your child. Hence, it is best to avoid alcohol consumption while you are pregnant.

Exercising and Getting Enough Sleep

Similar to the first and second week of pregnancy, you have to take care of your physical and mental health. You have to do that throughout your pregnancy. If you are someone who exercises regularly, you can continue with your daily workout routines. You can always speak with your doctor if you are pregnant and decide accordingly. As per the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, you have to stay active for 150 minutes per week.

If you don't exercise, you can start slowly with light aerobic exercises. Yoga and meditation are two other exercises that can keep your mind and body calm. With meditation, you can garner mindfulness and mental peace. Here, you can try walking meditation, and it is best to keep away any form of gadgets you might have with you. Through this, you can stay focused and calm. You have to get enough sleep and rest as it would help you during your pregnancy. Bringing in a work-life balance is the best way for you to do it. You can also try relaxation techniques, which would help you in improving your sleep quality.

To or Not to Test Pregnancy

While you are in the third week of pregnancy, you can test if you are pregnant or not. However, examining the accuracy of the pregnancy kit can be helpful. Some tests would show 99% accuracy only after you have missed your period. Some other brands can help you find out if you are pregnant or not beforehand. These products perform pregnancy testing by checking the presence of HCG hormones in your urine. Here, you could gain accuracy once the hormone doubles after 48 hours, which will help you with pregnancy detection. You can also understand if you are pregnant or not by taking a blood test. Doctors would suggest one in most cases when there are complications. The accuracy of these tests is higher than the home-pregnancy kit results.