Overview of Week 3 of pregnancy
During week 3 of pregnancy:
- Your baby is 1mm long
- You are in trimester one
- 37 more weeks to go
- You are officially pregnant
Congratulations! You are officially pregnant this week. Although you may not know it yet, and you won’t get a positive pregnancy test for another week, there is a tiny human growing inside of you.
Your partner’s sperm has met up with your egg in the fallopian tubes and now the fertilized egg is making its way into the uterus where it will be implanted into the lining. This fertilized egg will quickly divide and grow into a bundle of cells.
How many months pregnant is 3 weeks?
At 3 weeks pregnant, you are still in your first month of pregnancy. This means you are in your first trimester. You still have around 37 more weeks until your baby enters this world, but trust me, it will go by quickly!
How big is baby at 3 weeks pregnant?
At the end of last week, your partner’s sperm penetrated your egg in the fallopian tube and fertilization occurred.
This week, the fertilized egg, known as a zygote, is starting to grow. It starts as just a single cell but quickly divides into two cells, then four cells, and so on until it is a bundle of about one hundred cells. This ball of cells that will soon form the embryo and placenta is still microscopic – only about 1mm long. That is about the size of a pinhead.
Baby development during week 3 of pregnancy
At the end of last week, sperm and egg met up in the fallopian tube and fertilization occurred. When this happened, the sperm entered the egg and created a single cell organism, known as a zygote.
This week, your little zygote is quickly dividing and multiplying, becoming a ball of little cells. As this single cell is quickly becoming a ball of a hundred cells, it is traveling from the fallopian tube down into the uterus. This journey usually takes about 3-5 days.
As the zygote reaches the uterus, it will find a spot in the uterine lining to implant and continue to grow further. Once this occurs, your little ball of cells is no longer a zygote but is now considered a blastocyst. Cells from the blastocyst will eventually make up an embryo and the placenta.
Your blastocyst is receiving oxygen and other nutrients through the beginning of a circulation system. This circulation system is made up of tiny little tunnels that connect the blood vessels in your uterine lining to those of the blastocyst. Once the placenta has been formed, it will take over this task; however, that will not be until closer to the end of the first trimester.
Pregnancy Week 3 Symptoms
It is likely that you will not experience any symptoms during the third week of pregnancy.
Implantation bleeding
Roughy 15-25% of women will experience implantation bleeding. This is light bleeding that happens when the egg implants itself into the uterine lining. Implantation bleeding usually occurs 6-12 days after conception and lasts for a short period of time.
Pregnancy week 3 tips
Start a prenatal vitamin
Starting a prenatal vitamin is recommended as soon as you decide to start trying to conceive. Making sure you have sufficient vitamin intake is important in the beginning stages of baby development. Most importantly is folate intake. Adequate folate levels can decrease your growing baby’s chances of developmental defects.
Make healthy life choices
Now that you have decided to start trying to conceive, make sure you are making the right life choices that will lead to a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. If you smoke, this is time to quit. That goes for alcohol as well. Start adding a few more fruits and vegetables to your diet and maybe start taking short walks around the block for more exercise.
Remember that these changes are for the benefit of your future child. Keeping this in mind may make the choices to change your lifestyle a little easier and give you some extra motivation.
Connect with your partner
When trying to conceive, it is easy to get caught up in the timing of sex. This means that sex can become more of a chore instead of a way to connect with your partner, especially if you have been trying for a few months. Try to remember to connect with your partner, both mentally and physically. Do small things to let your partner know you are still connecting with them. Continue to go on dates and bring romance into your relationship.
