I have been planning a long term project for this blog for some time. And this is a topic I have wanted to share with everyone. We have all read, or at the very least heard about, What To Expect When You Are Expecting. I have also seen others do blogs about what to really expect when you are expecting. I found the latter to be riddled with pregnancy horror stories, making pregnancy out to be one of the worst experiences ever. I understand some people did have a truly horrific time, but I am not out to scare anyone. Especially since both my pregnancies went fairly smoothly.
The scientific/medical information on pregnancies can be found just about everywhere. So I am not going to focus too much on that. Not to mention I am not a doctor, so before attempting any of my advice I suggest you talk to your physician. Some things worked for me. Some things may work for you. And some things should never be done without adult supervision. I will try to point out which things fit into what category.
Every Monday from now on I will discuss another week of pregnancy. To start, I am going to combine the first few weeks because unless you have been trying to get pregnant, and are constantly monitoring everything, including your basil body temperature, not a whole lot happens during these first weeks. So, without further introduction…
Week 1 and 2
What doctors call the first week of pregnancy, actually occurs prior to actually getting pregnant. It is when your body gets ready for pregnancy, but the egg and sperm haven’t met yet. So, during this period you are unaware of any changes. At some point your egg will get fertilized, but you will continue being unaware for a few more weeks.
If you are not planning for a baby, you will probably be living your life in the same fashion as before. Unless your normal life includes smoking crack, you are not hurting your baby. At this stage you cannot cause brain damage from having a few drinks, or lung damage from smoking. The foods you eat are always important, but an unhealthy diet at this stage will not later result in childhood obesity. As long as you start making the necessary changes once you find out your pregnant, your child should be fine.
Week 3
This should really be referred to as Week 1 because at this point you actually have a baby inside of you. The egg and sperm were reported to have met at some outrageous party the other night and have been an inseparable couple ever since. At this point you might be realizing you missed your period. Some women get a “mini” period or spotting. At any rate, you figure something is up. A pregnancy test would be able to detect if you are indeed pregnant, but not with a whole lot of accuracy. If you are like me, three different pregnancy tests will do as well. Make sure to schedule a doctor’s appointment. They have fancier methods for this sort of thing.
Check back next Monday for the newest installment!
