Your Baby's Development: Week 1

Week 1
What is considered to be your first week of pregnancy is actually your menstrual period. This week counts as part of your 40-week pregnancy even though your baby hasn't been conceived yet. At this time you should take the time to prepare your body for motherhood. Before becoming pregnant, you should:

Pregnancy Tip

Even before you conceive, start taking some prenatal vitamins, like those from Promise. Their are specially designed to give your body exactly what it needs when it needs it.

1. Avoid alcohol, drugs, and tobacco products. These substances can cause birth defects, fetal alcohol syndrome, respiratory problems, low birth weight, and other health problems.

2. Talk to your doctor about any prescription drugs you are taking. You'll need to take special precautions with medication because many prescription and over-the-counter medications can adversely affect the fetus. However, you shouldn't stop taking prescription drugs without consulting your health care provider - he or she will help you weigh potential benefits and risks to discontinuing your prescription.

3. Maintain a diet that contains an adequate amount of vitamins, especially folic acid. Women who are attempting to become pregnant should take at least 0.4 to 0.8 milligrams of folic acid a day. Adequate folic acid intake reduces the risk of neural tube defects (birth defects caused by incomplete development of the brain or spinal cord), such as spina bifida. Be sure to talk to your health care provider about taking a folic acid supplement while you are trying to conceive.

Recommended Product:
expectantSee™ is a pregnancy calendar and a screensaver in one. Download it onto your computer and watch the images develop along with your own baby. It also has many interesting facts and practical pregnancy information based on your due date.

Next Week

Select a week of development to read detailed information:

Week 1	Week 11	Week 21	Week 31
Week 2	Week 12	Week 22	Week 32
Week 3	Week 13	Week 23	Week 33
Week 4	Week 14	Week 24	Week 34
Week 5	Week 15	Week 25	Week 35
Week 6	Week 16	Week 26	Week 36
Week 7	Week 17	Week 27	Week 37
Week 8	Week 18	Week 28	Week 38
Week 9	Week 19	Week 29	Week 39
Week 10	Week 20	Week 30	Week 40

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