The 3rd week of pregnancy for the future baby
The egg has lengthened but remains tiny. Our baby is less than 2 millimeters.
- Its development at 3 weeks of pregnancy:
The fetus looks like a shrimp the size of a grain of rice. Nevertheless, we can already distinguish a head and a tail. On the back, we see a line, first draft of the neural tube which will become the brain and spinal cord. The placenta and umbilical cord also continue to grow, although they are still far from reaching full maturity.
Week 3 of pregnancy on the mother-to-be side
We only know for a few days, a few hours perhaps that we are pregnant… It is enough for, already, our breasts swell and that some nausea appears. This is due to the hormonal secretions of beta-HCG (chorionic gonadotropin hormone) and progesterone. Beta-HCG is secreted by the fertilized egg, or embrywe. It is she who is detected in pregnancy tests (blood or urine). Progesterone, on the other hand, is produced by our body, more precisely by the corpus luteum, which remains of the follicle once the oocyte is expelled during ovulation. It makes the uterus as welcoming as possible for the egg that has settled there.
Nausea does not affect all women (grrrr !!!). They can occur in the morning only or, sometimes, be present all day. We might as well be honest: there are few effective solutions. For some, nibbling a piece of bread or a cookie before even getting up is enough to make them disappear. It is often advisable to split meals and focus on slow sugars. It’s up to you to find the “cure” that will work best for you. Most of the time, this symptom goes away by the end of the first trimester. Patience is essential …
- Your exams
The doctor who will confirm our pregnancy and give us the estimated date of delivery, as well as the date of the first ultrasound, covered by Social Security.