Pregnancy Week By Week: Week #3 & #4

Week #3

Well, it's finally happened: conception! This is the week that your egg will be fertilized and start its amazing process of becoming your baby.

After the sperm meets the egg, they become a blastocyst of rapidly dividing cells. It moves down the fallopian tube, and in about 5 days it implants itself into the uterus.

You probably don't even know you are pregnant, unless you have been tracking your cycles and know when you ovulated. Your baby is now a zygote and in two weeks it will an embryo.

And so begins your and your baby's journey towards birth. And what an exciting journey it will be!


Week #4

Okay, this is the week of implantation. This happens about 5 days after conception. The embryo, called a blastocyst right now, has reached the uterus and searches for a place to burrow itself beneath surface. After finding that perfect spot, the cells then split into two groups: the placenta group and the baby group.

You probably don't realize your pregnant just yet. You might be a little queasy, tired or maybe not. Many women feel they have PMS because this is about the time she is supposed to start her period. Your breasts will be tender and you may have pain in your pelvic area. There is a list of early symptoms that can be found here.

Your baby's backbone, spinal column and nervous system are forming. Kidneys, liver and intestines are starting to take shape, and facial features are emerging. Very soon that magical heartbeat will begin!

Wow, this miracle of life is really beginning. Take care of yourself; you have a long way to go!