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1 Week Pregnant - Are You Menstruating?

Times of disappointment for many, but also hopefully the 1st week of your pregnancy...

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Your pregnancy

2 weeks pregnant

Being 1 week pregnant (as calculated by doctors and midwives) actually means that you are not pregnant yet, but having your period. If you do get pregnant during this menstrual cycle, your pregnancy due date will be calculated based on the first day of your last period.

By the time your fetus is 1 week old, you are already three weeks pregnant according to this time scale.

Having your period when all you want is to be pregnant, can be extremely disappointing. And you may wonder if it is possible to have a menstruation and still be pregnant? Not really, but a small bleeding is entirely possible.

In any case, during this 1st week of pregnancy (if you do get pregnant), your body is very busy preparing for conception. Just about a week from now, ovulation is already on its way.

What to expect during pregnancy week 1...

Your Baby
Mom's Body
1st Month of Pregnancy Video
Stuff To Buy This Week
Diary of a Daughter

Your Baby

The first couple weeks of pregnancy can be a confusing time, since your gestation term is counted as the first day of your last period. Technically you are not pregnant yet; you are menstruating!

But by the end of this week, hopefully soon to be defined as you being 1 week pregnant, your uterus is already preparing to accept a fully fertilized egg in a couple of weeks. So if you are disappointed, frustrated and sad that you are menstruating, do try to look forward instead (after crying a bit). There is a new chance to become pregnant coming up really soon! For tips on getting pregnant, click here.

When menstruation is over, ovulation time comes next. This is when the production of estrogen and progesterone prepares your body for the upcoming event.

In about a week (or less if you have less than 28 days between your periods), the ovaries will release the egg that will become an entirely new person that will grow and thrive within you for the next 40 weeks, give or take on your new little one!

There is so much to get ready before your egg settles in for the long ride.

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Your pregnancy

2 weeks pregnant

Mom's Body

No matter what stage of pregnancy you are in, your body is constantly changing. 1 week pregnant, your body is preparing for ovulation.

Symptoms of Ovulation

Many women have a varying amount of symptoms when ovulation is getting close, while others will not feel the least bit different. Do not feel that your body is not developing properly just because you do not experience the same symptoms as someone else who may be expecting also. Every woman's body is individual, and indeed each pregnancy can be entirely different.

Just ask those women who have had more than one child and their stories from one pregnancy to another may have stories with dramatic changes between them.

Mild cramps as well as an increase in clear discharge that can appear slippery or even stretchy may occur for those women who are sensitive to their ovulation.

Temperature is often an indication that your body is producing more progesterone and is more fertile than any other time of your cycle. However, don't count on a temperature rise to indicate ovulation, it usually happens after ovulation has already occurred. Then it can be too late to conceive.

For those who have difficulty determining their fertile time, seek help from your physician or explore the options of ovulation kits that are available in order to help you determine the best time to conceive. One of the best ovulation predictor kits on available is the ClearBlue fertility sticks and monitor. (Here at Amazon)It isn't cheap, but very accurate and definitely worth buying in particular if you find it hard to conceive or if you plan for more than on child.

For more details on ovulation symptoms, read this article.

Preparing for Pregnancy

Once you have made the decision to get pregnant and begin the journey into motherhood, it is a good idea to change any habits that could interfere with having a healthy baby.

You'll find a detailed update on how to eat healthy during pregnancy according to new research here. If you just want some simple, but effective guidelines, follow the steps below:

Begin taking prenatal vitamins which are essential for any woman who wants to get pregnant, since they will provide all of the important vitamins and minerals needed for you and your baby during this crucial development time. Folic acid is among the most important supplement to take even as early as being 1 week pregnant, since this helps preventing Spina bifida.
If you want to make sure you get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs during pregnancy and at the same time give fertility a little boost, check out FertilAid for Women. These pills are all natural and developed by an OB/GYN and fertility expert. (There are pills for your hubby too, if you want to maximize your chances of getting pregnant.)

Proper nutrition as well as a comfortable amount of exercise dependent on your own personal physical condition can not only help you before the baby comes but afterwards as well. Developing good healthy habits now will carry you through into the years to come once you are busy running around after a little one.

Avoiding many substances such as alcohol, drugs, cigarettes and even caffeine are all beneficial to putting your new little one on the road to good health.
There are serious many problems associated with alcohol, such as miscarriage, fetal abnormalities and retardation, which can be irreversible, so be sure to avoid alcohol even when trying to conceive.
Smoking can not only interfere with your body's ability to absorb folic acid and cause pulmonary diseases, but also increase the chance of having a low birth weight.

Have you had any thoughts on trying to specifically conceive a boy or a girl? Here is some of the newest research on how mom's diet can have an effect on the gender of her child.

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1st Month of Pregnancy Video

If seeing means believing for you; watch this video explaining the first few week of pregnancy in pictures and words.

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Stuff To Buy This Week

This week many of us need some cheering up after yet another failed effort to conceive. Go have a nice dinner WITH wine with your hubby and then take a deep breath. Here are a few things you can get to support your pregnancy journey this week:

FertilAid for Women. Prenatal vitamins to help you conceive a healthy child. (The are available for men too.)
Clearblue Easy Digital Ovulation Test
The Pregnancy Miracle Ebook No conception guarantee, of course, but interesting knowledge and plan on how to maximize fertility.