1 Month Pregnant: Your First Four Weeks of Pregnancy.

Weeks 1 & 2

Although the first two weeks are part of your pregnancy countdown, you are not technically pregnant. Your body is however working hard to prepare for that moment, and it is counted as your first steps towards motherhood. An increase in oestrogen and progesterone prepares your body for your baby to live and grow.

3 Weeks

You’re pregnant. Congratulations!

Your uterus is now ready with a blood-rich lining. Erupting from your ovary, one of your eggs enters a fallopian tube, waiting to be fertilised by one of millions of sperm.

Once the sperm’s nucleus merges with that of the egg, if the sperm carries a Y chromosome, you can hope to welcome a little boy; if it carries an X chromosome, a little girl.

Over the next 8 months or so this single cell multiplies and goes through a number of stages to give you your bundle of joy!

Find out more about your third week of pregnancy.

4 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby is now a part of you!

Implantation is when the tiny mass of cells that is currently your baby attaches itself. A lot is happening inside your body now. A small ball of cells called the blastocyst is rapidly multiplying; producing hormones that help cease the menstrual cycle and keep the lining of the uterus from shedding. By the end of this week, a hormone called HCG can be detected, confirming your pregnancy.

Once implanted, this tiny mass of cells will divide further to become an embryo and the placenta.  The placenta will provide your baby with all the oxygen and nutrients it needs and will link you and your baby until birth, when your baby can breathe and feed on its own.

Amniotic fluid begins to collect in the cavity that will become the amniotic sac and protect your baby through the entire journey until birth – by cushioning the embryo against your movements and by providing the growing embryo with nourishment through you.

Find out more about your fourth week of pregnancy.

First month pregnancy symptoms

Symptoms of pregnancy in first month are uncommon given there’s really not much that has happened yet.  The first two weeks of the first month of pregnancy is business as usual for your body – preparing for conception.  It’s not technically until the third week of pregnancy that you conceive, and this is usually too early to feel any ‘early pregnancy symptoms’ as such.  If anything, they might be so mild you may not even associate them with pregnancy.  Some symptoms of pregnancy in first month may include:

• Missed period

• Spotting (implantation bleeding)

• Breast tenderness

• Bloating

For any unusual early symptoms of pregnancy that you are worried about, always consult your doctor.

If you want to read about other early symptoms of pregnancy, see our article on Early Pregnancy Symptoms here. 

Due date and gestational age

After confirming your pregnant, it’s an obvious next question – when are you due?  Your due date is based on the gestational age of your baby – basically, how far along in your pregnancy you are in weeks. A pregnancy is considered full term at 37 weeks gestation. The gestational age is calculated from the day of your last period. If you know the date of your last period, our pregnancy due date calculator is exactly what you need to estimate your baby due date. If you don’t know the date of your last period, there are other ways you can find out, through your doctor.  The most accurate is an ultrasound, performed between 6-13 weeks. This ultrasound can take images of your baby and based on their size, the gestational age can be determined.

Checklist for When You’re 1 Month Pregnant

☐ Confirm your pregnancy. Home pregnancy tests are fairly accurate but it’s best to book in a doctor’s appointment to confirm your pregnancy.  At this appointment you can also sort out what needs to be arranged for your pre-natal checks.

☐ Stop smoking and other risky lifestyle activities that could harm your baby.

☐ Check your diet. There are a list of foods that are potentially harmful to your unborn child, including raw seafood, soft cheeses and deli meats. It’s also important to stop drinking alcohol.  If you haven’t already started a pregnancy vitamin, check with your healthcare professional about what you should be taking.

☐ Get your sleep and exercise routine in place. Starting a pregnancy-safe exercise routine early will set you up for your journey. Good sleep patterns are also something you’ll want to be on top of, you will notice that you tire more as your pregnancy progresses, and it’s often the first thing to go when the baby is born. 

☐ Get your support network in place. Preparing for parenthood is different for everyone. Apart for your healthcare team, knowing who you can rely on for emotional support is just as important.

☐ Research which hospitals are available to you. In Australia, most baby’s are born in either a public or private hospital. Doing the research now into what your options are will help you prepare and be ready for when the day comes to meet your new little bestie.

For further reading about what to expect going forward, check out our first-trimester page or our second month of pregnancy article.