Congratulations

Are you frightened, excited, frightened and excited, surprised, relax, these are common emotions felt by the newly pregnant woman. Often, all of these feelings hit you at once, even if you carefully planned this conception. You may not even truly believe you are pregnant, despite the four home tests you have taken. Adding to the disbelief may be the lack of pregnancy symptoms you are experiencing. In fact, you could swear that your period will arrive at any second due to the cramps you feel.

Meanwhile, the fertilized egg has completed a five to seven day journey to the uterus, where it settles into the endometrial lining. It has divided in two parts: one part becoming the placenta and the other, the embryo. From a medical perspective, even though you have been pregnant for two weeks, you are technically four weeks pregnant. Pregnancy dating begins from the start of your last menstrual period.

It may be only a week since you found out that you are pregnant, but inside your uterus, a whirlwind of activity is occurring. At five weeks, your embryo measures a mere two millimeters, but every organ is already under development. Even facial features, such as eyes and ears, begin to form. Leg and arm buds sprout outward!

By the time you are six weeks along, you KNOW you are pregnant. How can something that only measures four millimeters be making you so ill? Nearly one half of pregnant women suffer from "morning sickness," which actually may occur at any time during the day or night, and can be attributed to a higher level of estrogen as well as the rapid expansion of the uterus. It may be difficult to stomach those prenatal vitamins, but they are very critical at this stage of development. Prenatal vitamins contain many important nutrients, including folic acid. Studies show that folic acid helps reduce the incidence of neural tube defects.

Even in these first few weeks, you may have a host of symptoms, from dizziness and irritability to fatigue and headaches. "Will I have this to look forward to for the next nine months?" "No."   Rest assured, many of these symptoms will vanish by the beginning of your second trimester.

Dr. Tara Solomon