Mom:
During week 3 of pregnancy implantation happen the fertilized egg in the uterine wall, and consequently, the first missed menstrual period. You may feel small abdominal discomforts similar to premenstrual, which surely will make you think that the time is coming, but this discomfort is indicating that the uterus is growing.
It is also common in the third week these symptoms like breast tenderness, fatigue, nausea and headache, as well as increased urination, more sleep than usual and increased perception of odors, among others.
Baby:
Although still not well known, your baby is a week old and still growing and developing. Now the morula made of 150 cells is called blastocyst. This must be implanted in the endometrium, where will form the placenta, which is responsible to feed and protect the fetus. At the end of this week the baby’s heart starts beating.
With three weeks of pregnancy, the heart is a group of dormant and tiny muscle cells, but over the 22 days comes alive. Anyway, you cannot hear his heartbeat until about 12 weeks by ultrasound. Only after 27 weeks may hear who rely on your abdomen.
These cells are programmed to control the beatings of the baby until the brain takes over in the coming weeks. For now, the heart will distribute the food and oxygen that the embryo needs to grow.
In the third week, your baby is 0.1 centimeters.
Tips:
At this stage it is important to watch your diet, eating healthy foods with enough iron, calcium, protein and folic acid. A balanced diet will increase blood flow to your baby, and will prevent you and your child for possible anemia.
Keep in mind also the following tips:
- Calcium helps you have a healthy and strong bones and teeth.
- Proteins generate new tissue.
- Folic acid helps prevent spina bifida.
- Also, take folic acid before and during pregnancy reduces by 40% the risk that your baby is born with cleft lip.