Vegan Pregnancy Week One Two
Vegan Pregnancy Week One
Technically speaking, during vegan pregnancy week one, you aren’t pregnant – yet! That’s because ovulation and conception aren’t easy to pinpoint, but menstruation is.
As far as health professionals are concerned, even though you are on your period, it’s considered week one.
Your cycle length dictates the next few weeks of when the baby is actually conceived. Most women believe the first week they realize they’re pregnant (they missed their period) is the first week of pregnancy, but it’d be considered your fourth week!
Your Midwife or OBGYN can give you a better idea of how far along in the pregnancy you really are.
Vegan Pregnancy Week One: Symptoms
At this early stage, the symptoms you’re experiencing are typical of your usual period because you’re not actually pregnant. The symptoms include:
- Vaginal bleeding. Your body is shedding the uterine lining, which holds last month’s unfertilized egg.
- Lower back pain and cramps. To release that lining, your uterus contracts, causing your back and abdomen to ache.
- Bloating. Fluctuating hormones can give you a bloated belly right before and during your period.
- Mood swings. Those raging hormones can also cause irritability and wreak havoc on your emotions.
Headache. Many women complain of menstrual migraines, which are also hormone related. Ice packs, OTC pain relievers, and relaxation exercises may help ease the pain.
Vegan Pregnancy Week One: Your Body
During your vegan pregnancy week one, your body isn’t only releasing last month’s egg. It begins to form a new uterine lining, which will hold next month’s egg.
Creating the space that will be the home to the future fertilized egg and developing fetus over the next 9 months.
Your body will release one (or in rare cases- multiple!) eggs somewhere between day 10 and day 19 of your menstrual cycle—or about 14 days before your next period is expected.
It can be fertilized for about 12 to 24 hours after that. Even having sex at the end of menstruation is helpful, as sperm can live in your body for up to six days.
Most women miss their period at week four before they even feel “different.” But some common early signs of pregnancy in the first weeks after fertilization include breast tenderness, nausea (unfortunately this is usually the first queue as it can start early), fatigue, and frequent urge to pee.
Vegan Pregnancy Week One: To-Do List
- It’s a good idea to start pregnancy at a healthy weight and free of bad habits such as smoking and drinking, also reduce your caffeine intake to the equivalent of a cup of coffee or two (8 oz cups)
- Begin to take a Vegan Prenatal Vitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid daily
- Lots of self-care
Vegan Pregnancy Week Two
This week depending on conception, you also may not be technically pregnant just yet. Most medical professionals count pregnancy starting from the first day of your last menstrual period.
This is why last week, while it’s considered your first week of pregnancy, you aren’t actually pregnant as it’s more accurate for doctors to estimate a due date this way.
So if you think you conceived about two weeks ago, you’re probably at least four weeks pregnant—possibly even five.
If you really are in the second week of your cycle and are trying to conceive, read on for more information from Raise Vegan.
Vegan Pregnancy Week Two: Symptoms
When women are most fertile, about two days before you ovulate and the day you actually ovulate, is the ideal time for conception.
Unfortunately, a 28-day cycle isn’t actually typical so it can be difficult to predict, so ovulation tests can be helpful.
At vegan pregnancy week two, these are the symptoms of ovulation that can clue you in on the best time to have sex and hopefully conceive a baby:
- Cervical mucus. Your cervical mucus becomes thin, clear, and stringy as you near ovulation. This consistency helps sperm travel toward the egg.
- Breast soreness or tenderness. Hormone changes associated with ovulation can make your boobs feel slightly sore.
- Pelvic ache. As your ovary releases an egg, you might feel a little twinge in one side of your abdomen. This is the phenomenon known as Mittelschmerz—named for the doctor who first documented it.
- Light spotting. You might notice a small tinge of red or brown on your underwear around the time of ovulation. This happens when the follicle around the egg ruptures. If it’s actual bleeding though, it could be something else, such as an ectopic pregnancy, so let your doctor know if you experience something heavier than just spotting in between periods.
- Increased sex drive. You might “just know” that you’re ovulating and naturally get revved up for some baby-making sex.
- Cervical changes. If you are a woman who checks their cervix frequently, you may notice it becomes higher, softer, and more open when you’re ovulating.
If you’re looking to stay zero waste and skip the ovulation test, another strategy is to have sex every other day from about day 12 to day 16 of your menstrual cycle—meaning toward the end of the second week to the beginning of the third.
Vegan Pregnancy Week Two: Your Body
If you are able to conceive right at week two, pregnancy symptoms won’t appear right away.
Until there are enough pregnancy hormones in your system for a home pregnancy test to detect, you probably won’t realize you’re even pregnant.
At pregnancy week four, when most women realize they are pregnant from a missed period, those hormone levels are finally high enough that they give you some noticeable pregnancy symptoms.
These early pregnancy signs can begin to clue you in, a lot of second-time mothers notice them earlier than four weeks:
- Spotting. About 5 to 10 days after conception, you may notice a little spotting. This is caused by the embryo implanting itself into your uterine wall.
- Frequent urination. Pregnancy hormones can cause you to take more trips to the bathroom in the first weeks of pregnancy.
- Sore boobs and/or darker areolas. Pretty much as soon as those hormones appear, a woman’s body starts preparing for breastfeeding.
- Fatigue. Total exhaustion is some women’s first clue they’re expecting. That’s because your body will use a ton of energy to grow a baby.
- Morning sickness. Probably the most notorious pregnancy symptom, nausea is one of the earliest pregnancy signs.
- Bloating. As your body starts to realize you’re pregnant, it will probably slow down the digestion process in an effort to deliver more nutrients to the baby.
Vegan Pregnancy Week Two: To-Do List
- Consider using an ovulation test
- Look for signs of ovulation
- Keep taking a prenatal with folic acid daily
