Well, not at lot really. In fact technically, you’re not even pregnant yet. You’ve just had your last period for at least the next 9 months and that alone is something to celebrate. Say goodbye to cramps, sugar cravings and gigantic period panties. Say hello to pregnancy cramps, kicks, heartburn, acid indigestion, weird cravings and even more enormous pregnancy panties!.
At the moment you are in the follicular phase of your menstrual cycle, which means you are making eggs and getting them ready for dispatch. Both your ovaries are having a little chat to decide which of them should release an egg or two. It’s usually only the one egg you’ll be relieved to know. In your lifetime your ovaries will produce around 450 eggs. These eggs are incredibly tiny, about a tenth of a millimetre in length. Great things do come in small packages.
If you are hoping to conceive this month, then now is the time to start thinking about getting ready for pregnancy. Make sure you are taking 400 micrograms of folic acid and continue to take it, once a day, for the first twelve weeks of your pregnancy. It can easily be purchased in pharmacies, supermarkets, health food shops or you can ask your doctor for a prescription. Folic acid reduces the risk of having a baby with neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida, which affects 1 in every 1000 babies in the US. Women who are folate deficient may increase their chances of miscarriage or still births.
The first day of your period is considered the beginning of your pregnancy cycle, even though there is no baby in sight at the moment. The actual conception of your baby won’t happen for about another 14 days, so enjoy those last moments of not needing to go for a wee every five seconds.