“Once upon a time, there was a cheerful egg waiting impatiently in the fallopian tube for the sperm to arrive so a new life could finally begin… They met, and nine months later, a beautiful baby was born. The end.”
Hey!! But is that really how it all happens? Is it enough for the sperm to find the egg, and, just like that, nine months later, the magic of life happens? It would be easier to believe in the stork! This is the curiosity of 9 out of 10 pregnant women: What is pregnancy like step by step, right in the beginning? How does the baby start to develop as soon as the egg meets the sperm?
It all starts with ovulation stimulation. Various hormones are part of a process in which the ovary begins maturing eggs and stimulates them so that one is mature enough to be released by the follicle and then captured by the fallopian tube to be fertilized by the sperm. After ovulation, the follicle becomes a corpus luteum, which is a main part of the initial pregnancy process. If the woman who has just ovulated has sexual intercourse before or up to 24 hours after ovulation, fertilization might occur and the egg then may become a baby. The semen ejaculated by the man starts to move toward the fallopian tube, where only one sperm will finally fertilize the egg.
The Baby Already Exists!
After this event, the fusion of the DNA nuclei begins, and then cell multiplication starts to happen. Initially, one cell divides into two, which divide into two more, and so on. Cell multiplication begins here and is constant, even in adults. But pregnancy, step by step, really happens when, after fertilization, the zygote (a cluster of cells) attaches to the endometrium. This act of attaching is called implantation, or the famous implantation. This implantation can cause bleeding, which is also one of the symptoms of pregnancy, but visible implantation bleeding is the exception rather than the rule. It is much more common for a woman to have implantation without noticing!
From then on, it is officially considered the start of pregnancy. From this point, the number of cells will increase considerably and the zygote will divide into 2 parts: one becomes the primitive placenta, the amniotic sac, and the future umbilical cord, and the other will actually form the baby. In the case of identical twins, it is at this stage that the second baby appears! The cells divide equally once again, and another baby will be formed.
The cells will gradually form the vital organs. By the 4th week of pregnancy, the spine and neural tube are already forming. At this stage, it is very important for the woman to be taking folic acid because it helps in the formation of the neural tube, which will later become the baby’s brain. That’s why it is recommended to start taking folic acid 3 months before trying to conceive, as it greatly assists the fetus in the early weeks.
In the first weeks of life, what sustains the fetus is the yolk sac. It acts as the placenta, providing blood and oxygen to the little being who will become the perfect baby in a few weeks. In the beginning, the baby grows very quickly, and it is possible to see changes from one week to the next through an ultrasound. At this stage, women may notice a missed period. Around the 5th week of pregnancy, there is plenty of HCG in the woman’s system and finally the test gives a positive result. The baby’s organs begin to form. The liver, lungs, kidneys, the start of arms and legs (buds) and also the trunk are formed, as well as the closing of the neural tube, starting the baby’s head formation.
By the way, the woman’s body starts to undergo some noticeable changes, such as sore breasts, cramps, nausea, fatigue, drowsiness, increased or decreased appetite, rise in body temperature, and other changes like mood swings, for example.
At the sixth week, the baby may already have a heartbeat! An involuntary contraction of one of the small heart’s muscles leads to a series of rhythmic beats that now form the heartbeats and pulse to carry blood through the tiny body. The heartbeats are very fast! The baby’s heart beats so quickly that it can reach 180 beats per minute! The smaller the baby, the faster the heartbeat must be to carry blood and oxygen throughout the body.
The mother’s uterus will already be larger, round and with a very thick endometrial layer to hold the gestational sac in place. It’s possible to feel the swelling due to the pressure that the uterus exerts on the bladder. That’s why most pregnant women feel the need to urinate frequently at the beginning of pregnancy. Not to mention that hormones are in full swing, progesterone is working hard to help maintain the pregnancy, and can even cause an emotional roller coaster. Don’t be surprised if you end up feeling averse to your husband—it really can happen.
See also: 7 Weeks Pregnant
Photo: jrmyst
