If you are newly pregnant, or trying to conceive, you have many questions about what to expect. How will your body change? What's happening inside you? IndianMomsAndBabies.com team will guide you, week by week, through the nine months of pregnancy. Each week offers information about your body and baby's, as well as invaluable tips. Let's start with a peek inside the womb.

What's Happening Inside You?

As the fertilized egg grows, a water-tight sac forms around it, gradually filling with fluid. This is called the amniotic sac, and it helps cushion the growing embryo.

The placenta also develops. The placenta is a round, flat organ that transfers nutrients from the mother to the baby, and transfers wastes from the baby.

A primitive face takes form with large dark circles for eyes. The mouth, lower jaw, and throat are developing. Blood cells are taking shape, and circulation will begin.

By the end of the first month, your baby is about 1/4 inch long - smaller than a grain of rice!

Pregnancy Weeks 1 and 2

Baby:

Your baby is still just a glimmer in your eye. Although it's confusing to think about a pregnancy starting before your child is even conceived, doctors calculate your due date from the beginning of your last cycle since it's hard to know exactly when conception occurred.

Mother:

At the beginning of a cycle, about 20 eggs called ova begin to ripen and occupy fluid-filled sacs called follicles. One of these follicles matures and ruptures, releasing an egg that will travel down the fallopian tube, where it awaits fertilization. This all takes place about 14 days before the end of your cycle. This is the time you're most fertile, so light some candles, take the phone off the hook, and set aside some intimate time. An egg can be fertilized for only about 12 to 24 hours once the ovum is released. Don't be disappointed if it doesn't work the first time. You have only about a 20% chance of getting pregnant each month.

Dad:

Dad better start thinking about his contribution to the pregnancy!

Have you ever thought about the quality of your sperm? Smoking, drinking, taking drugs, high stress, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise all affect the quality of your sperm. In other words, if you experience or engage in any of the above, your sperm might not be all it can be!

Stop smoking or drinking, and watch your health--it could be the difference between an average baby and a little Einstein!

Here are some tips to get your sperm in tip-top shape:

• Exercise regularly
• Avoid heating of testicles (no hot baths/saunas, putting your laptop on your lap for extended periods)
• Eat nutritious foods
• Reduce stress

If you have heightened concerns about the quality of your sperm, you'll want to speak with a doctor or health care professional.

Sex isn't just recreational any more, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. Make the most of it; no matter what the desired end result, this 'work' could be a lot of fun!

Do's and Don'ts:

Do track your daily temperature if you are trying to get pregnant. Track your ovulation by taking your temperature first thing each morning (before you even get out of bed) using a digital basal body temperature thermometer -- an oral thermometer available in drugstores everywhere. Record your temperature each day. When you see it spike, you'll know that ovulation has occurred and you are ready to make a baby.

Don't take the passion out of lovemaking. Statistically, your chances of conceiving are better if you engage in daily sex than if you settle into an every-other-day pattern. But the odds aren't that much better -- 0.37 versus 0.33 -- so you needn't feel pressured to perform every night.

Exercise:

Exercise will keep you strong and energetic during pregnancy, but starting from scratch would be tougher than maintaining a regimen to which you've already committed. Why not start now by putting on your walking shoes? Walking is a low-impact exercise that will be easy to continue throughout your pregnancy.

Trying to get pregnant can be nerve-racking, but stress can hamper ovulation or even make you skip a period. Exercise is a good way to relax, so aim for 30 minutes, four or five times a week.

Tips for this week:

Make sure you've scheduled a preconception visit with your OB-Gyn to determine risks of genetic diseases, environmental hazards and lifestyle changes necessary to ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby. Most important, make sure you've started taking 0.4 milligrams, or 400 micrograms, of folic acid a day. Folic acid taken a few months before conception has been shown to dramatically reduce the likelihood of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.