3rd week of pregnancy

In week 3 of pregnancy, a lot is happening in your body – and all without you noticing. The actual fertilization now takes place, and the egg then embarks on its exciting journey. Once it has implanted itself in your uterus, you are "officially" pregnant! Here you will find out exactly what is happening in your body during this week and what is important now.

3rd Trimester: What's changing for you

You probably haven't noticed much of it yet, but with the 3rd, your first "real" week of pregnancy begins. Once a sperm cell reaches the egg in the fallopian tube, breaks through its membrane, and they fuse together, the egg is fertilized and will Zygote named. It continues its journey through the fallopian tube to the uterus and already begins to divide. In a very short time, numerous cells with very different functions form – together they soon develop into a small human. This cell structure becomes Morula or Mulberry seed called, because its appearance can be compared to that of a knobby mulberry. Around the fourth day after fertilization, the morula forms a fluid-filled cavity inside and thus develops into the so-called Blastocytes or to Blasenkeim. It already consists of around 200 cells and is smaller than one millimeter. From the inner part of the blastocyst, the so-called Embryoblast , the embryo soon develops from the other part, which Trophoplasten , develop Placenta and umbilical cord , which will later nourish the embryo. Five to six days after fertilization, the blastocyst implants into the uterine lining and establishes a connection with your bloodstream. This way, your baby can be supplied with all the essential nutrients for its rapid growth. Towards the end of the 3rd or beginning of Week 4 of pregnancy are you with the
successful implantation now officially pregnant.

Pregnancy signs

Most women do not know they are pregnant in the 3rd week of pregnancy. Almost unbelievable that you usually do not feel much of the new life forming inside you. Even on an ultrasound image, in the 3rd week of pregnancy, there would be little to see besides a thick uterine lining. It is only from the 5th week of pregnancy, when the germinal sac has formed, that pregnancy can be detected for the first time with an ultrasound.

Some women experience a slight pulling sensation in the abdomen during implantation, which occurs at the end of the 3rd or in the 4th week of pregnancy, similar to menstrual cramps. It is also possible that you notice a light, bright red bleeding at this time, known as the implantation bleeding ( Nidationsblutung ). This can occur when small blood vessels are damaged during implantation into the uterine lining
become. If you are hoping for a pregnancy or have a suspicion, the bleeding might scare you, but it has completely harmless reasons. And even if you don't notice any pregnancy symptoms at this early stage, that's perfectly normal and no reason to worry.

3rd Trimester: Development of Your Baby

Even when the sperm penetrates the egg, 23 chromosomes from you and 23 chromosomes from the biological father combine to form a unique set of 46 chromosomes and a total of 40,000 genes. The fertilized egg already contains all the genetic information of your baby, such as , hair color, and gender. Which combination of genes will prevail and whether your baby gets the nose of mom or dad will only be decided later during the embryonic phase. In the 3rd week of pregnancy, all genes are still present in duplicate.

Good to know: When is a pregnancy test "reliable"?

With a the level of the hormone hCG is measured in the body, which rises sharply especially in the first months of pregnancy. In the 3rd week of pregnancy, however, when the egg has not yet implanted or has only just implanted in your uterus, your body produces little or no hCG at all. In the 3rd week of pregnancy, the level is therefore still too low to be detectable by a pregnancy test. Pregnancy can be reliably confirmed by a blood test from the 4th week or a urine test from the 5th week of pregnancy – so you'll need to be a little patient.

This is now important

• The risk of miscarriage is particularly high in early pregnancy. More than half of fertilized eggs are lost before the 6th week of pregnancy, often before the pregnancy is even detected and frequently unnoticed. You can find more about causes, signs, and treatment of pregnancy loss in the article “ Miscarriage “.

• As soon as you find out you're pregnant, the rule is: alcohol and nicotine are off-limits, as the toxins can harm the development of the embryo.

• Even with your diet, it's important now to avoid certain things and focus on a healthy and balanced diet so that your baby is supplied with all the necessary nutrients from the very beginning, which it needs for its development.
  In the article “ Proper Nutrition During Pregnancy “ you will learn what you should pay attention to now.

• Most vitamins are also obtained through a balanced diet during the pregnancy in sufficient amounts for you. However, the need for folic acid is especially high during pregnancy and cannot be covered solely through diet – therefore, it is best to start taking folic acid already when trying to conceive, but at the latest, with the start of pregnancy. You can learn more about the importance and correct dosage of the vitamin in the article “ ".

With our pregnancy calendar, we want to accompany you through this exciting time and provide you with relevant information, which also in exchange with our
LILLYDOO experts are being created. Nevertheless, the ones listed here can still
Never replace personal consultation with your doctor or midwife with advice. Always contact your healthcare professional for questions and professional care.