You have just embarked on an amazing adventure. Perhaps you’ve been planning this for months, or even years – or maybe it just happened, taking you unawares! Let’s take some time to have a look at the miracle that is slowly but steadily taking place within your own body.
Most health providers calculate the duration of pregnancy as 280 days from the beginning of your last period. Actually, your pregnancy lasts for approximately 266 days – for the first two weeks or so you are not yet pregnant. During these two weeks, a lot of things are happening. The lining of the uterus is thickening with rich nutrients in preparation for the baby, while a hormone known as FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) causes one of the eggs in your ovary to mature.
If you haven’t already done so, you should start thinking about your nutritional needs. A Folic Acid supplement will help prevent the chance of neural tube defects in your baby (spina bifida and related deformities). It’s time to give up alcohol and tobacco, avoid medications as far as possible, and discuss the possible effects of any prescription medications with your doctor.
Usually around the end of the second week, the true miracle begins. The ovum (egg) is released from the ovary and moves into the fallopian tube. Here it is met by hundreds of sperm cells. One of these fuses with the ovum and fertilization takes place. A new life has begun! Already this tiny, single-celled being has all the genetic traits that will last a lifetime. Boy or girl, blue eyes or brown, curly hair or straight – the blueprint for your own very special child is already there!
After about 30 hours, the single cell divides into two, then four, then 8…….busily dividing, the mass of cells becomes a tiny ball known as a morula. As it moves down the fallopian tube towards the uterus, it becomes hollow and fills with fluid. At this time it is known as a blastocyst. It reaches the uterus on about the 5th day, and on about the 8th or 10th day, it implants itself into the endometrium – the nutrient-rich lining of the uterus. Here it is supplied with nutrients, and waste products are carried away.
By the fourth week from your last period, it has developed into two layers of cells, and is now called an embryo. Developing all the time, the tiny embryo is surrounded and protected by a sac known as the amnion, which is filled with fluid. A yolk sac produces blood and provides nourishment until the placenta develops to take over this role. During this week, cells begin to differentiate. Different groups of cells will develop into different body parts, each with their own purpose. By the end of the week, the embryo has the rudiments of a spine and a tube that will become the heart. This is a crucial time in the baby’s development – it is very susceptible to toxins, drugs, x-rays and certain types of infection such as rubella, as cells begin to develop the special characteristics needed to form healthy organs.
At this point, it is possible that you may begin to feel some changes in your body, although for many women, nothing noticeably changes until later. As soon as implantation takes place, your body begins to produce a hormone called hCg. This hormone maintains the lining of the uterus, stops your periods, and prevents any more eggs from maturing. As the hCg levels rise, you may begin to feel tired and possibly slightly nauseous. Your breasts may feel tender or tingly. However, many of the symptoms are similar to the way you feel when your period is due, so you may not be aware that anything is different. Some women have a light ‘period’ or spotting when implantation takes place, and may experience cramps.
A new and precious life is forming within you. And you may not even be aware of it!