Women who are not planning to get pregnant tend to not notice that they are pregnant during their first week of pregnancy. Some might even go two weeks without noticing. Many women have unpredictable monthly cycles. Therefore, when their cycle is not on time they assume that it is normal. Pregnancy is usually the last thing on their mind. When you are 1 week pregnant, there are no obvious symptoms. However, there are some signs like lack of interest in things you once had interest in, mood swings, constant urinating and fatigue. However, most women who experience these symptoms normally attribute them to premenstrual syndrome (PMS) instead of pregnancy.

Understanding the Menstrual Cycle

The menstrual cycle can last up to about 28 days although there are some cycles that last for 24 days while others can be as long as 35 days. The cycle begins the moment the egg moves from the ovary to the fallopian tubes where it meets a sperm and gets fertilized. Once the egg has been fertilized, it moves to the uterus for implantation.

There are people who claim that a woman cannot be considered pregnant during the first week of pregnancy because fertilization occurs in the 2nd week. This is the main reason as to why many pregnancies go undetected in the first week.

How Does Your Baby Grow When You're 1 Week Pregnant?

When you are in your first week of pregnancy, there is no major development of the baby. The only changes that occur are the egg leaving your ovary and travelling to your fallopian tubes. During this time, you are not considered to be actually pregnant because conception has not happened yet. Conception takes place two weeks after your periods have ended. Even so, the first week of pregnancy is included in your pregnancy calendar as it enables the doctor to calculate when your last menstrual cycle started. It is from that day that the 40 weeks (nine month) cycle is calculated thus determining your Expected Due Date (EDD).

In the next 7 to 10 days, the fertilized egg starts to divide. In that first week, the “baby” is referred to as blastocyte. The blastocyte will eventually be broken down to two parts. The external blastocyte will be the placenta while the internal part will be the embryo. This division will happen in the second week. If there is more than one egg that has been released and then fertilized, multiple zygotes will be formed. Zygotes have equal number of chromosomes from both parents which total to 46 chromosomes. The chromosomes are responsible for carrying genetic material that determines the sex, features, hair color, eye color, height, personality traits and skin color of the baby.

How Does Your Body Change When You're 1 Week Pregnant?

As earlier mentioned, there will be no major changes taking place in your body during the first week of pregnancy. However, there are many changes taking place internally. Some noticeable symptoms include fatigue, tender breasts, mood swings, hormonal changes and morning sickness. The symptoms vary as there are some women who will not feel the changes until they are in their second week of pregnancy. There are doctors who say that pregnant women should see their first week of pregnancy as their last chance to enjoy normal life. This means you can still have a glass of wine and your normal diet since there is no likelihood that your pregnancy will be affected.

More Tips on 1 Week Pregnancy

1. Start Changing Your Lifestyle

You need to start changing your physical and eating habits when you're 1 week pregnant. If you are taking medication and are yet to discuss it with your physician, you should consult your physician about it. Ask your doctor whether you should continue taking the medicine throughout the pregnancy or whether you have to change or even quit taking the medication.

2. Start Taking Vitamins

Taking pre-natal vitamins during pregnancy is important as they help to cover the nutritional gaps in your diet. Pre-natal vitamins contain minerals and vitamins. The most important ones are calcium, iron and folic acid.

Folic acid helps to avert neural tube birth defects that affect the spinal cord and brain. Neural tube birth defects develop the first twenty-eight days after you have conceived, which is before many women discover that they are pregnant. Since most pregnancies are not planned for, women who have the ability to get pregnant are advised to take about 400 mcg of folic acid each day. They should start before they conceive and continue until they are in their twelfth week of pregnancy. There are also foods that contain folic acid like citrus fruits, beans, nuts, green and leafy vegetables and some fortified foods.

Calcium is also important for pregnant women. It helps the pregnant woman not to lose her bone density and the baby also uses calcium for bone growth.

Iron is a major component of blood. Blood carries the oxygen in both the baby and mother. If you look for prenatal vitamins, but a doctor’s prescription is not available, go for ones that have:

3. Set an Appointment with Your Doctor

If you plan on getting pregnant, the first week will be filled with anticipation and joy. If you monitor your basal body temperature in the morning, you will notice that the temperature remains high after the 16^th day of your post ovulation phase (Luteal phase). This is one of the first psychological signs that prove you are pregnant. During this time, contact you obstetrician for an appointment.

You can watch this video to get more information about 1 week pregnancy: