3 Weeks Pregnant

My body has given me the greatest gift of my life.

– Hilary Duff

Congratulations! You are pregnant! The conception of your baby took place last week. But it is so early that you may not realize you are pregnant as you are just three weeks along. Conception occurred just a few days ago, so you have not missed a period as you are in week three of your pregnancy.

While some people do not note any symptoms at this early stage, others may notice some early signs in the third week of pregnancy. It is normal not to have any pregnancy symptoms this early, so you should feel concerned if you did not feel any changes. However, it is perfectly natural to feel nauseous and have sore breasts. In the early days of pregnancy, everything starts changing quickly, so be prepared to feel a little or maybe a lot different in the upcoming few weeks.

What to Expect in the Third Week

Symptoms 

The symptoms may not appear until you are three weeks pregnant. Since pregnancy hormones trigger most early pregnancy symptoms, you probably do not have a very high amount of them in your body. Also, it is completely natural, so do not worry. As the weeks will progress, the number of hormones will increase. In the third week—and for the next few weeks—these are a few pregnancy symptoms you might experience:

  • Implantation Bleeding: You may experience a little vaginal bleeding when the fertilized egg embeds itself into the lining of your uterus.
  • Feeling Nauseous: As the pregnancy hormone HCG is released into your bloodstream and body, you may experience queasiness—or extreme nausea that will make you puke.
  • Morning Sickness: If you are having morning sickness in the third week of your pregnancy, you may be further along than you think. Alternatively, you may be three weeks pregnant with twins! This is because twin moms-to-be also have higher levels of pregnancy hormones and, as a result, feel more nauseous and experience symptoms early.
  • Sensitive Breasts: You will notice that your breasts will get tender and sore, and your areolas may start darkening. This is because your body will start preparing to make milk for the baby.
  • Missed period. In case your cycle is shorter than 28 days, you will miss your period and probably guess that you are pregnant. One way to conform is to take a pregnancy test.
  • Positive pregnancy test: Ensure that you check the box of your home pregnancy test kit to see how accurate the results are. There are many test kits in the market, which is over 99 percent correct, and some brands claim to detect pregnancy hormones in your urine much faster. (For instance, they will give you a positive result when you are three weeks five days, or even three weeks four days pregnant.)

But if you get negative, try the next day again. Here is the deal; the amount of the pregnancy hormone, i.e., HCG present in your body, might be insufficient for the test to detect it right away. But in every 48 hours, it doubles. So, if you end up getting a negative result the first time around, take another pregnancy test the next day or a few days later. And another one a week later to make sure it was not just too soon to determine.

  • Positive blood pregnancy test: Since blood tests might measure lower levels of HCG than pee-on-a-stick tests, it is more accurate. A blood test can reveal that you are pregnant earlier than an at-home test. Your doctor can ask you to come into the office for a blood test in certain cases, such as if you are at the risk of a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.

Changes in Your Body in the Third Week

You may be pleased to see a change in your appearance. There is less chance of you showing a baby bump in the third week of pregnancy. Although you might feel bloated, most pregnant women do not have a baby bum until week 12 or later, so you still have a long way to go before you appear pregnant.

Before you start eating for two, bear in mind that most experts only suggest adding one to five pounds during the first thirteen weeks of pregnancy. As a result, you do not have permission to begin indulging at three weeks pregnant.

In general, you should not do anything more than continuing to eat a nutritious, well-balanced diet and take a regular dose of prenatal vitamins of at least 400 micrograms of folic acid. Doctors advise waiting until the second trimester to increase your daily calorie intake. Once you have completed the fourteenth week, you will want to boost your daily calorie intake by around 300 (healthy) calories.

Medical Care in the Third Week of Pregnancy

Ultrasound

Your now-fertilized egg is on its way to your uterus through a fallopian tube, where it can divide and re-divide into similar cells. You will not be able to see much in your ultrasound in the third week of pregnancy. Your super-tiny, fertilized egg, called a morula, is tinier than a grain of salt. But your doctor may see the uterine lining thickening as early as the fourth week, indicating that the morula is now in your uterus, where it will grow for the next few months.

Implantation in the Third Week of Pregnancy

At around the fourth week of pregnancy, the embryo is implanted in the uterus lining. The cells in the fertilized egg, now a morula, must begin to divide until they are a blastocyst so that the implantation can take place. The blastocyst will enter the uterus about five to eight days after fertilization and will begin to implant itself in the uterine wall.

Suggestions to Follow During the Third Week of Pregnancy 

  • Be patient: You have to be patient, even though you are probably eager to learn that you are pregnant and share the news. Currently, a normal pregnancy test kit will not be able to detect pregnancy accurately. Wait to share the news before you confirm and reconfirm the result with your pregnancy kit, which should be done as you near the fourth week since your last period. If you get a negative result initially during the test, feel free to test every couple of days before you get your periods.
  • Taking the test: Take the pregnancy test first thing in the morning when taking it at the end of the week. Since your first urine in the morning is the most concentrated, it is the most likely to have enough HCG for the test to detect it. For the most precise data, follow the instructions written in the test kit carefully.
  • Continue to look after yourself: You should take care of yourself by consuming prenatal vitamins regularly. Also, you should be consuming lots of fluids and eating nutritious, well-balanced meals. And you should continue to exercise moderately and cultivate self-care daily.
  • Eat well: To sustain the extra blood your body is producing, eat foods rich in calcium and iron. Make and sip on some ginger tea, drink clear soup, or eat a banana for potassium, if you feel nauseous or sick. When you have trouble eating but still need protein and calcium, ice cream can be a perfect compromise. Include dry fruits and nuts in your diet as well.

To-Do List in Your Third Week of Pregnancy

  • Try to calculate the due date once you find out that you are pregnant.
  • Use an early pregnancy test to check if you are pregnant.
  • Continue to take folic acid prenatal vitamins every day.
  • Start reading about the first trimester.

Week By Week Pregnancy

Select your week