Your Nutrient Of The Week

Iron
Many young women are iron deficient due to poor diet and blood loss during menstruation. Women with anaemia put their babies at risk of spontaneous prematurity and intrauterine growth restriction. To put things right, aim for an iron intake of 19 mg a day.¹

Where can you find iron?
Include adequate portions of iron-rich food daily, such as lean meat, poultry, green leafy vegetables and iron-fortified food.¹

Folic Acid
Folic acid is a vitamin that plays a vital role in healthy baby development.

Much like in Week 1, incorporating folic acid into your diet allows your body to produce and maintain new cells. Aim for an intake of 600 mcg per day. Your doctor might also recommend that you take supplements to meet the increased need for folic acid.²

Your Wellness Tips This Week

Regular exercise as well as a healthy diet before and during pregnancy will help you manage a healthy weight gain and prepare your body for the delivery.

Smoking, alcohol and caffeine is a no-no
Avoid smoking and alcohol, and limit your caffeine intake to about one tall coffee a day.

Your Baby's Development at Week 2

There is still no baby yet, but your body is preparing for ovulation and, ultimately, conception.

When does conception begin?
Conception typically occurs 2 weeks after your period starts, or what we call pregnancy week 2. Even while you are menstruating, your body is getting ready for pregnancy.

How does conception work?

• An egg, maturing within one of your ovaries, releases.
• This process called ovulation usually occurs approximately 11 to 14 days after the first day of your period.
• After ovulation, the egg moves into your Fallopian tube, which connects your ovary and uterus. There, it waits to be fertilised.
• If you have intercourse during ovulation, you might become pregnant!
• Sperm can live in your body for up to six days, but your egg, once released during ovulation, must be fertilised within 12 to 24 hours.
• At this point, your egg is 1/470 of a centimetre – too small to see with the naked eye.

Your Changing Body at Week 2

Although conception has not happened yet, your body’s getting ready. Here’s how:

• A new lining in your uterus is developing and thickening to nourish your baby.
• Your body sends out hormones or chemical signals that release the egg from a follicle in your ovary when the egg is mature.
• When ovulation occurs, your body releases the egg into the Fallopian tube. The hormones at work – oestrogen and progesterone – cause your body temperature to increase very slightly. You can track this with a basal body thermometer.
• Occasionally during ovulation, the ovary produces more than one egg. This results in fraternal, or non-identical, twins, triplets, or more, if multiple eggs are fertilised.

When does ovulation begin?

• For most women, ovulation happens about halfway through their monthly cycle. For example, of a 28-day cycle, ovulation occurs on day 14. Consider tracking the date on your calendar for several months if you want to pinpoint when you are ovulating.
• Look for a slight change in body temperature, which you can detect on a basal body thermometer.
• Check for any change in cervical mucus. You might notice an increase in mucus that could be white or cloudy. It’s totally normal, but speak with your doctor if you are concerned.

Or, to simplify the process, get yourself an over-the-counter ovulation predictor kit.

References:
¹ Preparing for Pregnancy, Abbott Family. Available at https://abbottfamily.com.sg/articles/prepare/pregnancy
² Nutritional Tips During Pregnancy, Abbott Family. Available at https://abbottfamily.com.sg/articles/care/nutritional-tips
^* Comparison among all maternal milk in Singapore as of January 2022, as declared on the label.

SG.2022.23683.SMM.1 (v1.0)