If you and your partner have been trying to have a baby and start a family, you surely will be extra careful and would be trying to get everything right. Well, you definitely need a positive mindset for things to work in your favor.
What’s happening inside your body?
If the egg meets the sperm and gets fertilized, this is the week when you would conceive. As soon as the egg is fertilized, an outer covering forms over it such that other sperms are not able to make their way through the outer lining of the egg.
During this week, there might be a few changes in your body though you may not be aware of these. The follicle that released the egg now produces corpus luteum. This is a small body of cells that produces estrogen and progesterone that would be required for supporting and nourishing the fetus until the placenta is formed.
Your Baby This Week
Your egg which was a single-celled organism now starts transforming drastically and the cell multiplication process begins. You will be amazed to know that within a couple of hours of conception, the cell divides into two, then four, and so on. The process continues and within a few days, the number of cells would have become manifold. Of course, not all of these cells make the baby. Some of these may graduate to become the placenta while the others form the embryo.
But all this comes later. This week, your fertilized egg would be busy with cell multiplication and would look more or less like a tiny ball that can be seen only through a microscope.
Now, the third week is too early for anyone to guess what the sex of the baby might be. However, once the egg is fertilized, it would already comprise of all the properties that determine if it would transform into a boy or a girl.
Wondering how? Well, it is common knowledge that a fertilized egg comprises of 46 chromosomes, 23 of which come from the mother and the other 23 from the father. The mother has only got X chromosomes. So, the determinant of the sex of the child actually depends upon the sperm of the father that fertilizes the egg. Of the sperms that are induced into the body, some may have X chromosomes while the other would have Y chromosomes. If the egg is fertilized by a sperm comprising of the X chromosome, the baby would be a girl. However, if the egg is fertilized by a sperm containing the Y chromosome, the baby would be a boy.
Things to do to make this Week Count
- If you drink and smoke, this is the time to quit all this.
- Make sure to keep an eye on what you eat. Including foods rich in proteins will surely help in the development of the fetus.
- Try out some relaxation techniques that will keep your mind off the whole thing and reduce your stress.
- Spend quality time with your, spouse like going out for dinner, watching a movie, or a stroll in a park.