Pregnancy week 3

Pregnancy guide: week 3 of being pregnant - Your fertilised egg is travelling doen your fallopian tube towards your uterus..

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You

Seven days after implantation, chemical signals are sent to stop your period. You may experience some spotting when your egg implants itself into the uterus wall.

Your baby

Your fertilised egg is travelling down your fallopian tube towards your uterus, dividing and multiplying into a cluster of cells (known as a blastocyst). Your partner's sperm determines whether your baby is going to be a boy or a girl.

By the end of the week your fertilised egg will have embedded itself into the uterus wall and will begin to grow. At the same time the placenta (afterbirth) begins to develop. This, via the umbilical cord will be your baby's link with you as he or she develops.

The cells develop into a flat disc, no bigger than the size of a pinhead that contains three layers. The innermost layer will become your baby's organs, urinary and digestive systems. The middle layer will form your baby's bones, muscle, heart and blood vessels. The outer layer will produce your baby's brain, backbone, nervous system, skin, eyes and ears. As early as the second week a dark mark appears on your embryo's back, marking the start of the spinal cord.