Maternity & Baby Services

3D/4D Ultrasounds
 40-Week Peek!Learn more about 3D & 4D ultrasound technology and how to choose a provider!
Prenatal Massage
40-Week Peek!Discover the benefits of prenatal and postnatal massage or find a licensed therapist!
Maternity Photography
 40-Week Peek!Capture the beauty and the miracle of your pregnancy and your newborn with photography!
Midwives
 40-Week Peek!See why more moms-to-be are hiring a midwife for at-home and hospital births!
Doulas
 40-Week Peek!Understand the advantages of a doula-assisted birth, their role, and what to look for!
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Weeks 1-3 of Pregnancy


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Welcome to Weeks 1-3 of Your Pregnancy!

Your Baby in Weeks 1-3 of Pregnancy


  • If an egg is fertilized by sperm, the cell division begins immediately. The outer cells become the placenta and the inner layers will become the embryo.
  • The gender of your baby will already be determined since the sperm is either X for a girl or Y for a boy.
  • The cells will divide rapidly, until there is a small cluster of cells called a blastocyst. It will be a whopping .1 to .2 mm in size! .1 mm is smaller than a speck of dust or the head of a very small pin. You wouldn’t be able to see it without the help of a microscope or sonogram machine for a few days.
  • A baby is primarily comprised of a combination of chromosomes from you and your partner as each of you will contributes 23 chromosomes to the development of your baby. About three days after your egg is fertilized by a sperm, a nine-cell embryo will be formed.
  • During week three of your pregnancy, amniotic fluid will begin to collect around the ball of cells that comprises the embryo. This occurs in an area that will eventually become the amniotic sac where amniotic fluid will help cushion and protect your baby throughout pregnancy.
  • Week three of your pregnancy will also see a collection of cells that use a primitive circulation system made up of various tunnels connecting your baby to the uterine wall. The placenta won't develop in your womb until another week but your baby will still receive all the nutrients he or she needs from you while waiting.

Your Body in Weeks 1-3 of Pregnancy


  • These first three weeks of your pregnancy, you may not even know you are pregnant. Technically, the first two weeks are the beginning of your menstrual cycle, so you aren’t pregnant anyway, but you can prepare your body if you are trying and want to be pregnant. Here’s how:

    • Drink a lot of orange juice or other foods high in folic acid. Folic acid is very important to a baby’s development and fights against neural tube birth defects.

    • Take a vitamin supplement. You won’t get a prescription for prenatal vitamins until it is confirmed you are pregnant, but over the counter brands work just as well in the meantime. Whether you are pregnant or not, the vitamins will do your body good.

    • Keep hydrated. Drink plenty of water as it helps your body systems in so many ways. If you are tired of plain water, try fruit flavored water or low calorie lemonade type drinks. Avoid any alcoholic beverages. Caffeine might also be a good thing to stay away from too.

    • Rest. Your body could be going through some miraculous changes in a few short days, so rest up. It will need all the energy it can to develop a fertilized embryo.

    • Quit the bad stuff. If you smoke, kick the habit. If you take any sort of drugs, legal or not, quit. Check with your doctor about any prescriptions that may or may not be safe for a fetus. Some drugs need to be stopped several weeks before you plan to conceive to make sure they are out of your system.

    • For any moms who have been desperately trying to get pregnant and received fertility shots or medicines, there is a greater chance for multiples. Keep up your healthy routine just as you would if you were anticipation a single birth.
  • During the first two weeks of your pregnancy, your body will produce estrogen and progesterone in preparation for ovulation. After the ovaries release an egg, and if you are fortunate, the egg will be fertilized and will travel up the fallopian tubes to the uterus, where it will reside for the next 40 or so weeks.
  • In a perfect cycle, the third week would be the week you are ‘fertile’ and could get pregnant easily. Some women ovulate sooner while others ovulate later than the middle of the cycle, however. But assume this is your lucky week anyway. To increase your chances of conception, remove as much stress as possible from your routine, eat healthy, and maintain as fit a lifestyle as you can.
  • One sign that you may be pregnant as early as 3 weeks is a small amount of bleeding. This sometimes occurs during conception, though many women miss this or consider it to simply be pre-menstrual spotting. This occurrence is often known as implantation spotting and is thought to be caused by the egg settling into the wall of your uterine lining. Typically, this will take place about six days after fertilization takes place.
  • Other than waiting, there isn’t a whole lot to do during these weeks until you know you are pregnant. Once you miss a period, you can cross your fingers for a few days. If a week goes by, it is safe to purchase a home pregnancy test. If the first test comes back negative, don’t fear. If you are still late, try again in a few more days.
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