The first trimester

Weeks are counted from the last period, and the early body is allowed to feel strange without owing anyone a glow.

Week 1 starts on the first day of the last period, before conception.
Folic acid is a common recommendation before and during early pregnancy; the dose is individual.
Nausea often eases toward weeks 12–14, and sometimes it does not.
Bleeding or one-sided pain is a same-day call, even when it turns out to be benign.

How the count works

Clinicians count 40 weeks from the first day of bleeding, not from the night you conceive. That is why a “six-week” pregnancy has an embryo of about four weeks’ growth. Tests turn positive around the time of a missed period, sometimes a few days earlier. You do not need to feel pregnant to be pregnant, and you do not need to announce it.

What is ordinary, and what is not

Tiredness, a metallic smell, and a refusal of foods you liked are ordinary. So is feeling almost nothing. What is not for waiting: bleeding heavier than spotting, pain on one side, fainting, or a fever. Prenatal care usually starts with history, blood pressure, and a plan for supplements. Bring your questions written down. A page cannot replace that visit.

Ask your midwife or doctor before you change medicine, herbs, or a birth plan.

Sizes and dates are averages. Feeding and sleep notes follow widely published public-health guidance, including World Health Organization infant-feeding advice and back-to-sleep recommendations. They are not a protocol for your hospital.