I'm just a tiny ball consisting of several hundred cells that are multiplying madly. Once the ball of cells (called a blastocyst) takes up residence in Mummy's uterus, the part of it that will develop into the placenta starts producing the pregnancy hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which tells her ovaries to stop releasing eggs and triggers increased production of estrogen and progesterone (which keep her uterus from shedding its lining — and me — and stimulates placental growth). HCG is the hormone that turns a pregnancy test positive. Meanwhile, amniotic fluid is beginning to collect around me in the cavity that will become the amniotic sac. This fluid will cushion me in the weeks and months ahead. Right now, I am receiving oxygen and nutrients (and discarding waste products) through a primitive circulation system made up of microscopic tunnels that connect your developing baby to the blood vessels in your uterine wall. The placenta won't be developed enough to take over this task until the end of next week.
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