Congratulations, you are 2 weeks pregnant! It's hard to believe when you first find out that you are
just 2 weeks pregnant and that pregnancy is going to last approximately 40 weeks.
First, you may feel tired. Or, you may be nauseous at the very
"smell" of food! Mostly, at 2 weeks pregnant, women often are
slightly irritable with a little fatigue and probably somewhat
bloated.
How do you know that you're really not 4 weeks pregnant like the
doctors say? How can 4 weeks really mean 2 weeks? How do you
measure the weeks and when do they start?
When a woman conceives, it is within a 24-48 hour window either
before or after ovulation occurs. This is usually around day
14-18 of a woman's menstrual cycle. But let's go back to the beginning of
this cycle. You're 2 weeks pregnant, so when did your last
menstrual cycle
start?
The first cycle day is the first day of the menstrual period. It
may last 5-7 days. Then, in another week, the ovaries prepare to
release an egg. Ovulation typically occurs between day 14 and 18
of that cycle. If there is sperm at the top of the fallopian
tube waiting for the release of the egg, (sperm can survive for
up to 5 days), you increase chances of getting pregnant and the
egg could be fertilized. It takes another 6-8 days for a
fertilized egg to implant in the uterus. Then, the hormones are
released that will cause the body's temperature to be higher
than usual and create a warm, protective environment for the
fertilized egg. These hormones can be detected about 10-14 days
after ovulation and fertilization. Now do the math...you are 2
weeks pregnant when counting from the date of conception.
So, they may say you are a month along, but you are really only 2 weeks pregnant.
You're 2 weeks pregnant. Now, you need to know what to do! The
easiest thing to start with is to make a checklist. Week by week
tracking right from the beginning is best with this Amazing Pregnancy Organizer - Start at 2 Weeks Pregnant!
Because most women don't keep track of when they have
ovulated, OBGYNs count from the first day of the last menstrual
period, assuming that a woman's cycle is normally about 4 weeks.
That, however, is a broad generalization because women's
menstrual cycles
vary greatly from that average. So, if you know the approximate
average length of your cycles, you can increase the chances of
getting pregnant. If you have a 5-week cycle typically,
then you would say that you are 4 weeks pregnant, even though it
has been 5 weeks since your period began, in order to be more
accurate with the way your OB will measure your pregnancy.
Pregnancy is approximately 40 weeks in length, counting 4 weeks
since your last period started, but not taking into account a
woman who has longer menstrual cycles than 4 weeks. So, if your period was
just late, consider yourself 4 weeks pregnant rather than 5
weeks pregnant, and
add time to account for how long you waited to test after your
period was due. Your
doctor will probably tell you that the count is 4 weeks
pregnant, but either way, your doctor will be able to determine
your delivery pretty close to the correct date.
Even though you calculate the number of weeks pregnant that
you are from when you became pregnant and the doctor confirms a
due date for the baby, be prepared to be either late or early
when it comes time to delivering
your baby. If it's your first baby, the trend is for the baby to be later
than the due date.
Just remember, by the time you reach your due date, it will seem
like yesterday when you were just 2 weeks pregnant!
|
