3 Weeks Pregnant: Spotting the First Signs of Pregnancy

If all has gone according to plan, your baby is officially beginning to grow inside you during week three, even if she is only a bundle of cells at this point. You may not have a positive pregnancy test yet, but you can be on the lookout for these early pregnancy symptoms.

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Many women feel fatigued after becoming pregnant, and it's no wonder, considering all the work your body is doing to help your little one grow. One way to relieve this is to be sure you're eating foods with plenty of iron and protein, such as leafy greens, lean meat, beans and fortified whole-grain cereals.

After your egg is fertilized (and so now known as a zygote), it makes an astounding transformation by dividing several times and turning into a ball of cells about the size of a grain of sand. This cluster is called a blastocyst, and it will now travel from your fallopian tube to your uterus, the place it will call home for the next nine months.

Of course, you won't notice all of this action going on, and most likely it would be too early to take a pregnancy test, however, you may experience some signs of pregnancy.

You might have heard of something called implantation bleeding, which occurs anywhere from six days to two weeks after conception. This happens when your little blastocyst attaches to the wall of your uterus. Some women don't have any bleeding, while others only see slight spotting and some may have what seems like a full-on period.

There may also be a slight rise in your basal body temperature upon conception. This is because your body is producing more estrogen and progesterone, which help it prepare for the changes it will undergo and may also lead to some unwanted side effects, like nausea. If you've been tracking your temperature for conception, you may notice this very early sign of pregnancy.

Speaking of nausea, you may soon begin to experience telltale morning sickness, which, deceivingly, can occur at any time of the day. Feelings of nausea can happen with or without vomiting and may be triggered by certain smells because your olfactory senses are now heightened. Your sensitive sense of smell may also cause cravings or aversions to certain foods.

Many women note changes in their breasts soon after conceiving. They may become tender, swollen or fuller than usual. Additionally, hormonal changes may make your nipples appear darker. Read more about physical changes that happen during pregnancy.

Other symptoms that the surge in hormones may cause are fatigue, mood swings, dizziness and constipation. If any of these get severe, contact your health care professional to find safe, effective ways to alleviate them.

Read more :
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10 Questions to Ask Your Health Care Professional When Trying to Conceive