Pregnancy Week 3

How big is your baby? At the beginning of this week conception willbe taking place and by the end of this week your ‘baby’ will be made up of onlya cluster of cells. Once conception has taken place it takes around 5 days for theembryo to enter your uterus. By the end of the week your embryo is only 0.006 inches (0.150mm) long. This isabout as big as this full stop . Your baby’s development Although your baby is still so small, there is a great deal which is happening.Your baby’s sex has already been determined, as this takes place at fertilization.This developing ball of cells is called a Zygote and it will pass through the uterinetube on it’s way to the uterus. As this is taking place the cells are dividing and growing continueously to forma blastomere, and they in turn will divide to form a solid ball of cells which iscalled the morula. This in turn will form a blastocyst, which will enter your uterus.It will lie free in the uterus until it attaches itself to the uterus wall. Thisis known as implantation, and it is not uncommon the experince some light spotting and bleeding as the blastocyst implants itself into the uterinelining. Once implantation occurs development will start to take place at a very fast pace.In fact the amniotic sac, amniotic cavity, placenta and the yolk sac are alreadyforming. Your development It is quite possible that most women who are in the third week don’t even knowthat they are pregnant at this stage. However, if you have planned your pregnancyand are aware that you are now pregnant, then now is the time to start making changesto your lifestyle, especially your eating habitsand exercise routine. What You Can Do Exercise is extremely important to both you and your baby over the course of yourpregnancy. It helps with a number of key issues, and some of these include:

• Helps reduce backaches
• Reduces constipation, bloatingand swelling
• Gives you energy
• Improves your mood
• Improves your posture
• Promotes muscle tone, strength and endurance
• May help you sleep better

If you followed a regular exercise program before you were pregnant, then you shouldrefine your program to suit your new life style, and if you haven’t been followinga regular exercise program, then I suggest you get started. You can start by speakingto your healthcare provider and discussing what may be best for you. Remember that during your pregnancy your blood volume increases by almost 1 1/2 the normal amount, which will increase your heart rate andlower your blood pressure – this is known as pregnancy induced hypotension. When you exercise, blood is diverted away from the working muscles to the placenta, which will increase your heart rate even more. Your respitorysystem will also increase it’s work load as you will require 20% more oxygen. Be sure to read through the fitness section of the site to make sure your fitness routine is good andthat you are not pushing yourself incorrectly. Did You Know?

• Fertilization takes up to 24 hours to be complete
• Girl or Boy? Your baby’s gender is determined at conception by the chromosomes inthe sperm. If your designated sperm was an X chromosome, you’re having a girl andif it was a Y, you can expect to have a boy.