Pregnancy Week 3: The Amazing Placenta, Pregnancy Hormones & Good-For-You Food Choices Pregnancy Weekly

About Baby

Your baby has already gone through so many changes! From a zygote to morula to blastocyst. Next, he or she will be a fetus. Phew! Baby’s BFF for the entire pregnancy (besides you!) will be the placenta.

The placenta does it all. It provides oxygen, nutrients, antibodies and more to your unborn child. It's essential and fascinating and commonly the least misunderstood organ. Did you know…

• Antibodies transferred from the mother to the fetus through the placenta can provide can three to six months of immunity for the baby after being born.

• The placenta functions as a gland, secreting important hormones during pregnancy including the one (hCG) responsible for stimulating estrogen and progesterone production.

That’s not all! Read more amazing facts about the placenta! 

Photo: Mature placenta ready for delivery

About Mom

You may be pregnant and don’t even know it. Cool! But some moms do say that they would tell from the first day that they were pregnant. Whether you know or not, your body is working hard to create the perfect home for your baby for the next nine months.

Some home pregnancy tests may be able to tell that you are pregnancy already because the pregnancy hormone, chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), has made your body an estrogen and progesterone zone. hCG is the hormone that pregnancy tests detect to make that positive sign appear. But if you get a negative, it may just be a little too early for you, so wait about a week and try again. And you know what to do if the test comes back positive – make that doctor’s appointment and start your prenatal visits.

Your Nutrition 

The second a woman decides to try for a baby should be the moment she improves and adjusts her diet. (If you haven’t, that means now!) A woman’s body will go through a lot of changes during pregnancy, and some foods can support the overall health of the body and energy balance. Here’s a couple foods you can incorporate into your diet:

• Peaches: Not only are peaches extremely delicious and sweet, they are also a great source of vitamin A. “Vitamin A promotes healthy vision and is believed to help in the prevention of certain types of cancer. During the pregnancy, a women’s blood pressure may go up, and potassium, which is found in peaches, help regulate that,” says Dr. Michael Joseph Levry.

• Almonds: Almond milk has become one of trendiest cow’s milk alternatives. However, a lot of people are not aware of its actual benefits. “Studies now show that 90 percent of the fat in almonds is unsaturated fat, which can help to lower blood cholesterol levels when eaten regularly,” says Dr. Levry. So, if you find yourself indulging in buttery croissants and sweet treats during your pregnancy, you might want to include almond milk and almonds in your diet.

Here are three more foods to consider adding to your pregnancy diet.

Even though you’ll be taking a prenatal vitamin, folic acid-rich foods should be included in your diet as well. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says that “folic acid is added to certain foods (breads, cereal, pasta, rice and flour) and is found in leafy dark-green vegetables, citrus fruits and beans.” Start adding those healthy foods to your diet for an added boost of folic acid.

Bump Talk

“Healthy bodies make healthy babies, so you have nothing to lose!” – Heidi Murkoff

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