1 month pregnant: A pregnancy guide for dads

So... You’re going to be a dad and what’s your first reaction? Unbridled joy? Complete shock? Total and utter terror? It’s okay to have mixed emotions when you learn that you’re going to be a parent for the first time. Helping bring a new life into the world is a huge responsibility and probably the biggest life-changing event you’ll ever go through. Your partner probably has mixed feelings herself and your reactions might also be shaped by whether you were actively trying for a baby or whether the news comes right out of the blue.

It’s also worth remembering that you won’t actually get that news until the end of this first month at the earliest. This is because of the way the length of pregnancy is calculated. You probably know that a normal full-term pregnancy takes around nine months, but did you know that this period also equates to 40 weeks and not 36?

Rather than taking each month as a block of four weeks the nine-month duration is the average length in calendar months – most of which are a couple of days longer than four weeks. Even more confusingly, for the first two weeks of ‘pregnancy’ your partner is not actually pregnant.

Say what?

Yes, we know.

The reason for this is that when due dates are worked out the pregnancy is dated from the first day of your partner’s last period. Over the next two weeks her body will be getting ready for ovulation – releasing the egg that will eventually, if all goes well, go on to become your baby.

The actual timeline goes like this:

• Day 1 – the first day of her period
• Day 14 – ovulation (although this could be a bit before or after day 14 depending on the length of her menstrual cycle)
• Within the next 24 hours – the egg is fertilised by your swimmers, assuming you had unprotected sex over the past few days
• Around 5 to 6 days after ovulation – the fertilised egg implants in the lining of the womb and begins to grow

So when can we do a pregnancy test?

The first big sign of pregnancy is usually a missed period and you can take most pregnancy tests from the first day of the missed period. The average menstrual cycle is 28 days but it can vary and your partner’s may be considerably longer or shorter than this. Anything from 21 to 40 days is considered perfectly normal. Assuming she has an average length cycle you might not find out about the pregnancy until the very end of this first month of official pregnancy, or into the second month and beyond.

There are some pregnancy tests that are more sensitive, however, and some can show a result even before the first missed period. Pregnancy tests work by detecting the presence of the hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), which starts to be produced around 6 days after fertilisation. The most sensitive can detect the hormone around eight days after conception and some couples might like to check early if they are actively trying to get pregnant. Remember, though, that while a positive test result is usually correct, a negative test result can be less reliable. The test as a whole will also be less reliable the earlier you do it.

What’s happening at 1 month pregnant?

You might not even be aware of the pregnancy but at 4 weeks there will still be plenty going on ‘under the hood’ so to speak.

What your baby looks like at 1 month old

In week 4 the embryo is only about the size of a poppy seed (2mm) but is already going through rapid growth and change. It currently has three layers:

• The inner layer (endoderm), which will become the lungs, liver, digestive system and pancreas
• The middle layer (mesoderm), which will become the skeleton, muscles, kidneys, blood vessels and heart
• The outer layer (ectoderm), which will form the nervous system, teeth and skin

The nervous system and heart are beginning to develop as are blood vessels, some of which will become the umbilical cord connecting your baby to his or her mother.

Month 1 pregnancy symptoms

Speaking of Mum, she might not be feeling any pregnancy symptoms yet but could experience some early symptoms including sore breasts, tiredness, morning sickness, going off some foods and drinks, a change to senses of taste and smell, an increased need to pee and constipation.

Trying for a baby can be a stressful time for both of you so be nice, communicate and take time for each other. Even if you don’t know about the pregnancy yet this can also be a good time to work on any bad habits such as eating healthily and not smoking around your partner (whether you think she is pregnant or not).

Now fasten your seatbelt because there’s likely to be a wild ride ahead…