It only takes 40 weeks to create a baby. Every day, week and month comes with its differences, its challenges and its wonder. The mother’s body changes, the baby develops accordingly and there are many things to learn along the way.
Probably the most amazing thing about the first month of pregnancy is realising you will bring a child into the world. After that sinks in, you will most probably hit the books – even if this is not your first time being pregnant.
It all starts with fertilisation of the egg in the fallopian tube. From there, the egg begins to split into multiple cells and makes its way to the uterus, where it finds its home in the uterus wall for the next 9 months. From here on, your body knows it is pregnant and when you miss your period, you also become suspicious.
Your baby is a ball of cells at this point, about the size of a grain of rice. It might be small, but that does not mean that there isn’t plenty going on. The baby’s organs and the placenta are starting to form. This month marks the beginning of a great journey and it is the time when the groundwork is being set on which your baby will grow and develop.
That is what is happening to the ball of cells that will soon look much more like a baby, but what is happening to the mother’s body? We have already mentioned the absence of a period. Other changes could be feeling nausea or morning sickness as it is more commonly known in pregnancy – which can occur at any time of the day, not just in the morning. Some women may feel tired and as if they do not have energy to do a simple chore. Tender breasts may also come with the first month of pregnancy, along with mood swings.
Some women feel the changes straight away and others take longer than a month to feel different. For the latter of you out there, don’t worry, in a few weeks you will feel a kick and that is the biggest game changer of them all.