1st week of pregnancy for mom and baby - 1st month of pregnancy
Mother's health
Fertilization has taken place: you are pregnant.
From a personal point of view, as far as your health is concerned, nothing particularly special happens. In some time, following a delay in your menstrual cycle, you will do some tests that will confirm that you are encouraging. Just have a little patience ...
The duration of pregnancy is calculated in weeks, starting from the first day of the last menstruation. To be precise, what in Italy are called "weeks of pregnancy" - or gestation - are actually the "weeks of" amenorrhea "( namely the weeks of "absence of menstruation").
See also
3rd week of pregnancy for mom and baby - 1st month of pregnancy
It is often very complicated to define the start date of a pregnancy, because menstrual cycles can differ from one woman to another. If we consider that, on average, the menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, fertilization will take place approximately around the 14th day, that is, in the middle of the cycle, when the fertile period begins.
This is why the "weeks from fertilization" are calculated starting from the 14th day following the first day of the last menstruation.
In any case, to avoid any kind of confusion, the exact dating of your pregnancy will be specified later, thanks to specific analyzes.
The development of the child
Fertilization (meeting between the sperm and the egg) takes place in the uterine (or fallopian) tube. Later, the fertilized egg moves slowly towards the uterus, thanks to the contractions and vibrating cilia present in the uterine tube. the end of this last week that the fertilized egg reaches the uterine wall to nest.
In the beginning, two S-cells meet: an egg and a sperm. Their genetic codes, contained in the DNA, merge, forming a "single cell. Later, this cell will develop and soon the process of cell division will begin in which 2, 4, 8, 64, ... cells will be formed.
Our advice
Tobacco and alcohol
You don't know you're pregnant yet. If you haven't done so yet, it's time to start two good habits: stop smoking and drinking!
Tobacco: an "opportunity to quit smoking
It is never too late to do this, even if you are already pregnant. If your addiction is strong, the support of a tobacco detox specialist may be necessary. You could try to go to a specialized tobacco center, there are many in Italy!
If you are pregnant, you can use replacement products such as patches: they are less harmful than cigarettes which, in addition to nicotine, also contain many other toxic substances.
The risks: The game is really worth the candle, since smoking increases the risk of miscarriage by 20%, those of extra-uterine pregnancy (which are multiplied by 1.5 in women who smoke 10 cigarettes a day, by 3 in those who smoke. 20 and for 5 in those who smoke 30), and the risk of premature birth of 50%.
In addition, nicotine and carbon monoxide pass the placental barrier and replace the oxygen present in the mother's blood, necessary for the development of the baby. As a result, the risks of intra-uterine growth retardation and malformations are multiplied, especially during the first quarter.
Good to know: a man who continues to smoke during his partner's pregnancy can endanger the baby's health by subjecting him to passive smoking. The arrival of a baby, therefore, is an opportunity to motivate each other in the difficult struggle to give up cigarettes!
Alcohol: the baby does not tolerate it at all!
If a woman can handle alcohol more or less well, the baby just can't tolerate it, no matter what time of pregnancy it is. Alcohol is a major cause of birth defects. The earlier alcohol consumption occurs during pregnancy, the higher the risk of fetal toxicity.
The risks: contrary to popular belief, the placenta does not protect the baby from alcohol and other toxic substances: the concentration of ethanol in the amniotic fluid can reach levels comparable to those of the maternal blood, if not higher, since the baby's liver is not still fully developed and unable to eliminate it properly. Alcohol increases the risk of premature birth or miscarriage.
Finally, the worst consequence of alcohol consumption during pregnancy is fetal alcohol syndrome: a child who suffers from it has growth retardation, facial abnormalities, cranial and cerebral deformations (abnormalities of the lips and jaw, small head), frequent cardiac or urinary malformationsv, ... severe mental and psychomotor retardation.
Good to know: we recommend refraining from drinking throughout pregnancy. You can just indulge in a glass of wine ... in very exceptional cases!
