View All Blogs

1st Trimester (weeks 1-13)

Week 3

About You

Week 3 is the third week of the 1st trimester. You still don't know you are pregnant, but implantation has been achieved, pregnancy has begun and hormonal changes are already taking place. These early hormonal changes trigger early signs of pregnancy, such as tender nipples and/or breasts, swollen breast or abdomen. Less common symptoms of early pregnancy include: more frequent urination, fatigue, heightened sense of smell and food aversions. By the end of this week, you may be able to take a pregnancy test and get a positive result. But if your test is negative and you still haven't got your period in two or three days, try again then.

You may notice a little spotting by the end of this week. This is called implantation spotting, and may be caused by the egg burrowing into the blood-rich uterine lining (a process that began last week at 6 days after fertilization), although no one knows for sure. In any case, the spotting is very light and only a minority of pregnant women experience it at all .

About Baby

Your baby-in-the-making consists of several hundred cells that are multiplying constantly. Part of this ball of cells called a blastocyst (when implanted in your uterus), will develop into the placenta that starts producing the pregnancy hormone HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which tells your ovaries to stop releasing eggs and triggers increased production of oestrogen and progesterone. The increase of these 2 hormones prevents the uterus from shedding its lining and the foetus, as well as stimulating placental growth. This HCG hormone turns a pregnancy test positive.

Amniotic fluid is beginning to collect around your ball of cells in the cavity that will become the amniotic sac. This fluid will cushion baby in the weeks and months ahead. Right now, the blastocyst is receiving oxygen and nutrients (and discarding waste products) through a primitive circulation system made up of microscopic tunnels that connect your developing baby to the blood vessels in your uterine wall. The placenta won't be developed enough to take over this task until the end of next week.

This week's activities for the pregnancy to-do list

Week 3

✔ Look for the early signs of pregnancy

✔Buy an at-home pregnancy test. Have a home pregnancy test on hand in case you don't get your period next week. Most home tests can accurately detect pregnancy in the week after your period is normally due two weeks after you ovulate. Buy a kit that has multiple tests, so you can take it more than once. For best results, test first thing in the morning.

Note that this article contains general information only and is not intended to replace advice from a qualified health professional.

View All Blogs