Third week of pregnancy

Even if apparently nothing has changed, you will soon receive very important news: you are finally pregnant!

The third week of gestation is when ovulation and conception occur and therefore represents the first week of actual pregnancy . During these days, the fertilized egg cell nestles in the uterus , which will be your baby’s home for the next nine months .

How your body changes

The signals of ovulation

The most fertile days of the cycle are accompanied by particular modifications of the cervical mucus (that is, the filamentous substance produced by the mucous membrane of the uterine neck). Because of this, you will notice that your vaginal discharge becomes more abundant, causing a typical “wet” sensation , and changes in consistency , taking on a stringy, egg white-like appearance. These characteristics are fundamental, because they facilitate the ascent of the spermatozoa in the vaginal canal and increase their survival time , favoring the encounter with the egg cell and therefore fertilisation.

Congratulations: you are pregnant!

Even if apparently nothing has changed, very important news awaits you: you are finally pregnant! In fact, with ovulation, the dominant follicle has expelled a mature egg cell , which has been fertilized by a sperm . From their fusion, the first cell of your baby is formed, which begins its transformation into an embryo and continues its journey towards the uterus, where it nests .

Implantation or period spotting?

Nesting (also called nidation or implantation) takes place between 5 and 8 days  after conception and is sometimes accompanied by slight bleeding, which are precisely called spotting or implantation losses . Unlike normal periods, these are small traces of blood , usually pinkish or brownish in color . But be careful: not all women observe them, therefore the absence of this sign does not mean that the nesting was not successful .

The pregnancy hormone

Once the implant has taken place, the beta HCG hormone will begin to be produced inside your body , more commonly known as the pregnancy hormone , which prevents the arrival of menstruation and is responsible for many of the symptoms that accompany the sweet waiting .

The beta HCG hormone grows steadily and its control is one of the methods to understand if you are pregnant and if the pregnancy continues correctly in the first weeks. Meanwhile, your immune system adjusts to protect your baby from being recognized as a foreign body  and attacked by your defense cells.

How the child grows

Like a little brunette

Your baby is initially formed by a single cell, the zygote , which already contains all the genetic information that will guide its development, such as sex or hair color . A few hours after conception, the zygote begins dividing into more and more identical cells and travels down the fallopian tube towards the uterus . When it reaches it, about three days after fertilisation, it will by now be a small mass of about 16 cells and will have taken the form of a tiny blackberry (which takes the name of morula ).

Embryo implantation

Your baby’s cells continue to grow, but they gradually run out of energy to continue developing. For this reason, when your little one is now made up of about a hundred cells (called a blastocyst ), it implants itself in the inner wall of the uterus, to receive the nourishment it needs to continue its growth. Thus ends the pre-embryonic stage and from this moment up to 9-12 weeks of pregnancy , the child will be indicated with the term of  embryo .

Do you know that…

Each egg cell can be fertilized by only one sperm . In fact, once fertilization has taken place, the egg cell modifies its surface , preventing the penetration of other sperm.

For the dad

Now that you and your partner have finished the “fertile days marathon”, think about distracting yourself and relaxing , so that the two weeks that separate you from the possible pregnancy test are not characterized by too much anxiety and stress.

Checks and exams to do

• Visit and preconception exams

In addition to starting to take a folic acid supplement, it is advisable to consult your gynecologist to evaluate the  preconception tests  to be performed.

The advice of the 3rd week of pregnancy

Even if you will have to wait at least two weeks for the pregnancy test to confirm that you are pregnant, start acting as if you are already: take a folic acid supplement, eat healthily, exercise a little and avoid smoking and drinking alcohol: your baby’s health begins before conception!