Symptoms of Pregnancy at 3 weeks

BABY DEVELOPMENT

Your baby’s just the tiniest of specks right now, but there’s already a little heart beating! At week 3, the small ball that is your baby is made up of three layers of cells –

• An inner layer (endoderm) that will soon develop into the liver, pancreas, as well as organs of the respiratory system and digestive tract.
• A middle layer (mesoderm) that will make up most of the skeletal system, heart, urinary tract, and sexual organs.
• An outer layer (ectoderm) that will eventually form into the skin, nails, hair, as well as the nervous system.

In other words, those minute layers carry the blueprint for the scientific wonder we call fetal development. Just to give you an idea of how small the layers actually are, right in the middle of the mesoderm is your child’s temporary backbone, which is only about as thick as a strand of human hair. Despite its microscopic size, it’s what will develop into your child’s head, brain, and central nervous system later on. Isn’t pregnancy amazing? And pregnant women truly are miracle workers.

YOUR BODY

You didn’t get your period when you were supposed to. At first, you probably thought nothing of it. There were no pregnancy signs to alert you. But then…what if? You decided to take a pregnancy test and it was POSITIVE. Congratulations! A wonderful adventure is about to begin, one of the best in your life. There are no visible signs just yet, but that will soon change as you go through the different pregnancy stages.

NUTRITION

Starting now and all throughout your pregnancy, taking care of yourself and watching what you eat becomes more important than ever. The number one question that comes up is “Do I need to eat for two?”

The short answer is no, pregnant women do not need to “eat for two”, meaning twice as much as they usually do. BUT, you do need to choose high quality food that has all the nutrients essential to pregnancy and fetal development.

Especially important for the development of the fetus are folic acid, found in leafy green veggies, and zinc, found in whole grains. You’ll find that what’s good for baby is most likely good for you, too. And that the healthier you are, the happier your little one will be.

TIPS

Some foods should be avoided completely during pregnancy:

• Raw seafood may contain toxins that could harm the fetus.
• Bid a temporary bye-bye to clams, raw oysters, sushi, and sashimi for now.
• Undercooked meat, poultry, and raw or undercooked eggs may also contain bacteria that are bad for your developing baby.

As a precaution, make sure to wash your vegetables really well and avoid mayonnaise and other sauces or salad dressings made with raw egg.

All this in just week 3 of pregnancy! Click here to know what’s waiting for you at week 4.