If a woman suspects that she may be carrying a baby, most women buy a home pregnancy test and see if the result is positive. A false positive is more likely than a false negative, and no test is 100% accurate. Many tests are more than 95% accurate, so you will probably get the correct answer with the urine test administered at home. All in all, if you suspect you are pregnant, it is best to visit the doctor at or around the fourth week of pregnancy. For some doctors, four weeks will be early. Try to schedule an appointment if you have a pre-existing medical condition or just want to talk about the fact that you may be pregnant. He or she will advise you on what steps to take to ensure the best welfare for both you and your baby.

There may be cases, if there is a past history of miscarriages that the doctor may decide to test right away on the status of the baby. This test-control would begin at the 6th or 7th week, but if you suspect you are probably pregnant, or if the home pregnancy test indicates that you are, best to consult with the doctor. They will tell you if you need to come in for blood testing (which is another indicator of the first signs of pregnancy) , and schedule another appointment with you in the near future to follow up on your status.

Regarding medication, your doctor will need to advise you whether you can continue taking prescribed or over the counter medications – be it for allergies or cold and flu symptoms. The best thing to do is ask: better to be safe than sorry. If you do not already take a multivitamin pill daily, now is a good time to start doing so. Your doctor may (and most likely will) recommend that you begin taking folic acid as well; it has been known to prevent birth defects in babies. You may also get folic acid naturally from dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, romaine salad, mangold, Swiss chard and many other sources. Be sure to check the internet for more information. You may also be able to find a prenatal vitamin geared toward pregnant women and their babies’ particular needs. It should contain at least 600 mgs of folic acid; if it does not, you will need to buy a supplement.

Depending on your age, history with previous pregnancies and general health, the doctor may ask that you abstain from having sex at this time. It is all on a case by case scenario. The first three months of pregnancy are a very sensitive time for your child. Lifting any heavy items – like a big tray of food or heavy boxes – needs to be strictly avoided.

In time, the woman will discover – most likely through a home pregnancy test – that she has conceived a baby, which is no bigger than a poppy seed inside her uterus. In spite of this, the woman’s body is undergoing a huge reconstruction process in preparation for the baby’s development. Blood streams are being reinforced, the uterus is being prepared and the placenta will be situated to provide a source of nourishment for the baby growing within.

At this time and throughout her pregnancy, the body will be taking her calcium reserves as material to help get the baby’s bone and skeletal system off to a good start. For this reason, a wise mother should plan on drinking plenty of milk and milk products, like non-fat yogurt to supplement this double-duty calcium need. It would also be wise to visit the dentist, since many times a woman’s teeth suffer as a result of pregnancy. Ask for advice, what you can do to protect your own teeth and try to have all emergency dental work done before the pregnancy gets further along.

The mother may feel fat, bloated, tired, hungry, or have a marked loss in appetite. It all depends on the person. Many pregnant moms crave food. There is no harm to giving in to cravings, as long as that craving is not something unnatural or harmful. Salty foods, sweet foods, and conserved foods like pickles or green olives may be craved. As long as the woman is getting good nutrition, there should be no problem.

Weight gain is a big issue, but with a little care, it can be easily controlled. Since the mother will be soon walking the baby outdoors with the stroller, now is the perfect time to think about getting in condition! By including a daily walk in her routine, drinking plenty of water and three normal meals with light snacking as necessary, it is perfectly normal to gain about 20 pounds or so during the entire pregnancy. Some gain more and some gain less. In the first trimester, it is also not uncommon to drop a few pounds due to nasal sensitivity, which makes the mother not want to eat foods that she formerly would have liked.

A woman may get information on how her mother’s pregnancy with her was, and what the experience had been like, including symptoms and so forth. This is nature’s way of the mother and grandmother to be to join forces in welcoming the new addition to the family. There may be marked similarities in the pregnancies due to heredity – or not. The mother can get good advice and reap the benefit of the grandmother’s pregnancy in helping to cope with the minor aches and pains of the constant changes within her as her body grows to accommodate the little one growing inside.

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• easily controlled by mother

Since the moment of conception when the sperm fertilizes the egg, cell division rapidly doubles and quadruples continuously. The embryo is embedded in the wall of the amniotic sac, which is filled with amniotic fluid. Somewhat salty and brine, the embryo is smaller than a pinhead. Just opposite the sac is a yolk sac, think providing the baby with its red blood cells and serving as a preliminary feeding center until the placenta is ready to take over. Here is a breakdown of the components:

• The embryo is in the amniotic sac
• The sac is smaller – and situated next to the Yolk sac, a primary resource for the baby’s development. It provides a preliminary feeding center, and produces the baby’s red blood cells.
• Encircling these paired sacs is the blastocyst, which includes the entire conglomeration. The Blastocyst is like a small ball which will become the baby. It consists of several hundred rapidly multiplying cells.
• As another ‘tree ring’ around the Blastocyst are Placental cells. They resemble a pearl necklace around the Blastocyst. In a short time, these cells will form into the placenta, which is the primary feeding center for the duration of the pregnancy. These cells are responsible for the production of HCg, a hormone that only pregnant women have. This is the hormone that will produce a positive result on the mother’s home pregnancy test.
• The uterine lining is blood-rich and provides a reinforced cushion for the blastocyst (baby to be) As the Blastocyst expands; it will burrow, or nest itself onto the walls of the uterus.

Now the baby’s development is becoming more and more interesting. Beginning now, at the fourth week of its development, the baby’s organ development will begin in earnest. Some will even begin to function at this time. The material for the organs is taken from two sources of embryonic cells, the epiblast and hypoblast. They are shaped in two pancake-like layers, and will over the course of the next few weeks become the embryo. Starting next week, the amniotic sac will envelop the embryo.

The placenta chain has begun to change, too. Instead of being a perfect row of cells encircling the blastocyst, it has begun to bunch up a bit and fall back, or settle into the uterine walls in order to allow blood, oxygen and other nutrients to be admitted into the blastocyst. Admission of these nutrients will help to nourish the baby and is called the preliminary placenta. The yolk sac is still working at this time as the primary feeding source but its job will soon be phased out as the placenta begins to take over its important job of feeding the ever-growing and developing baby to be.