Your baby will probably be conceived during this time so you do need to make love/have sex during this time if you are hoping to become pregnant.
Keep up with the diet and lifestyle recommendations from Week 1 & 2. Within 12 hours of conception the zygote that will become your baby begins the amazing and rapid process of growing and developing into a new human being.
Get someone else to change your cat’s litterbox , wear gloves when gardening and avoid playing in children’s sandpits if possible, to minimize your chances of exposure to toxoplasmosis, an organism that can cause miscarriage, growth problems for your unborn baby or preterm labour. (If any of these activities are unavoidable make sure you wash your hands thoroughly with soap afterwards.)
Change to chemical free toiletries, perfume, make-up, hair colouring, hairstyling and skin care products. The chemicals in all these products are absorbed through your skin, including your scalp in the case of hair products and safe levels of exposure for unborn babies have not been established. A lot of these chemicals are known to be endocrine/hormone disruptors. Your unborn baby’s growth and development is hormonally regulated so interfering with hormonal processes can have an impact on your baby’s development and growth both during pregnancy and after they are born. Pregnant women are advised not to perm their hair at all during pregnancy and not to avoid using hair dyes too. If you can’t live with your natural colour, you should delay dying your hair till you are at least 10 weeks pregnant.
At around the time your period is due you may notice a small amount of vaginal blood loss, “spotting” or possibly a very light period type bleed. The group of cells (blastocyst) that will grow into your baby is implanting itself into the wall of your uterus/womb and this will sometimes cause a small bleed.
If your job exposes you to substances that can harm fetal growth (teratogens) e.g. radiation, solvents, chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, industrial cleaners etc you should either ask for a transfer to a safer position within the business you work for or consider changing your job prior to becoming pregnant. If neither of these is an option, you could plan ahead and arrange to take your annual leave around your fertile time in the month that you’re planning to conceive. You will know if you’re pregnant by the time you have to return to work and you may need to advise your employer immediately if your work exposes you and you unborn baby to known hazards. Your employer is required to either minimize your exposure risk or give you a job within the business that doesn’t carry the same risks. Go to the Human Rights Commission, Employers Guidelines for the Prevention of Pregnancy Discrimination at www.hrc.co.nz/hrc_new/hrc/cms/files/documents/12-Jun-2005_20-16-44_Pregnancy.pdf
