Calculating Your Pregnancy
In case you are just joining with tracking your pregnancy, this is a reminder of how your pregnancy is calculated. Many people have a challenge trying to figure out when they conceived, how far along they are and when their baby is due. The first day of your last menstrual period is date used for estimating your date of conception, your due date and how far along you are. Pregnancy is tracked from this day even though conception occurs approximately two weeks later. Many people discover that they are pregnant at about the time they miss their period (approximately 4 weeks after the LMP) and get told that they are four weeks along when in your mind you know conception happened about two weeks ago. That is because pregnancy is tracked from the first day of the last menstrual period (LMP).
My Growing Baby
My growing baby is tiny but at the close of the week will be ¼ of an inch long.*
My Pregnancy - Changes for my baby
It is probably fair to say that my baby looks like a tadpole at this moment. It is amazing that the heart has already started beating. Additionally, my baby’s skeleton is beginning to form.*
My Pregnancy - Changes for me
There are still not any changes noticeable to those around you at this time. You may begin to notice more pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness. About 50% of pregnant women will experience morning sickness.
Morning sickness normally begins around the sixth week of pregnancy, but it is not too soon to begin preparing for how you will deal with it. Morning sickness can be experienced in the morning, throughout the day, or in the evening. For ways to help deal with the nausea that accompanies early pregnancy, read our tips for surviving morning sickness.
If morning sickness is so severe that you are constantly throwing up and not keeping anything down, consult with your doctor about the possibility of having hyperemesis gravidarum.*
My Pregnancy - Planning this week
If you still have not arranged an appointment for your first prenatal visit, then you should go ahead and do so. If you are still interviewing doctors/midwives, you would want to begin narrowing it down and choosing your provider.
Tips for making your pregnancy better:
You may be wondering how much weight you should expect to gain. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends a weight gain of 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy for women who are at normal weight when pregnancy occurs. Underweight women should gain about 34 pounds, while overweight women should gain about 20 pounds.
My Pregnancy - Tips for my partner
Try helping out with household tasks without being asked. This could be as simple as vacuuming, taking out the trash, or washing the dishes.
* All measurements are provided as a general guide for common pregnancy development which may vary depending on the nutrition, mother’s health or accurate dating of conception. Every pregnancy is unique and may be experienced differently even for the same woman. It is important to undertand that babies develop at a different rate even before they are born. The purpose of this developmental information is to give you a general idea of how your baby is growing, and you must remember that your baby’s growth may vary from that which is outlined.