6 Weeks Pregnant: Understanding Your Baby’s Development

Fact Checked Medically reviewed by Tanja Premru-Sršen
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When you are 6 weeks pregnant, the reality of the pregnancy is probably just setting in, especially if you have been trying for a while.

The feelings at 6 weeks pregnant might be mixed; you are probably delighted, happy, confused, scared out of your mind… all at the same time.

The fact is, your body and your baby are changing quickly, even if these changes are not visible on the outside. At 6 weeks pregnant, you are probably starting to feel your pregnancy hormones and hormonal changes at full force.

Another great change is that the little baby inside of you is starting to form its organs at 6 weeks pregnant!

Physical symptoms during week six of early pregnancy

You may not look all that different on the outside, but you are probably starting to feel a bit different during week six. Of course, you have pregnancy hormones to thank for that, as they often start to kick in around week six of pregnancy.

It is important to note that pregnancy symptoms are unpredictable and different for different women. Early pregnancy symptoms can be really strong for some women, but they can also go unnoticed by others.

They can also come and go in waves, but they might stick around the entire day. However, generally speaking, there is a number of symptoms that many women experience during the early stages of pregnancy.

If you have questions about them or if you have any concerns or worries that keep you up at night and make you stressed out, make sure to contact your doctor or other healthcare providers or speak about it during your first prenatal doctor’s appointment.

Some of the most common symptoms during week six of pregnancy include:

Fatigue

Fatigue is one of the most common pregnancy symptoms, and it is pretty much expected. Pregnancy hormones can make you feel tired, and there is also the fact that your body is working tirelessly to create a human inside of you. An overall lack of energy can also be exacerbated by a lack of sleep, poor diet, excessive stress, and anemia.

Morning Sickness

For many pregnant women, the so-called morning sickness is really “all-day sickness” since morning sickness and severe nausea can stay around for longer and it can hit at any time of day.

The exact cause of morning sickness is not known, but the likely culprit for the morning sickness is the surge of human chorionic gonadotropin (pregnancy hormone, hcG).

The best way to deal with morning sickness is eating first thing in the morning, drinking a lot of water, and eating small meals during the day.

Frequent Urination

During your pregnancy journey, the amount of blood pumped by the heart each minute will increase by 30% to 50%.

The increased blood flow will cause your kidneys to work more efficiently, which will lead to a need for more frequent urination.

What happens to the baby during the sixth pregnancy week?

At 6 weeks pregnant, the little embryo inside you is approximately five millimeters (which is about one-fourth of an inch). If that sounds pretty small, it is because it is! At 6 weeks pregnant, your baby is about the size of a grain of rice.

At 6 weeks pregnant, your embryo doesn’t look much like a baby, but there’s a lot going on inside with the baby’s development, and some major changes are happening, making the sixth pregnancy week so important.

Your baby’s heart is the first organ to function, but the baby’s heart is still developing at week six.

During week 6 of pregnancy, your baby’s little heart has been beating for a week now, which is very exciting! The neural tube, which will become your baby’s brain and spinal cord, is going to close during week six of pregnancy. Folic acid helps the neural tube to close completely.

In the sixth week of pregnancy, the baby inside you has an optic ventricle, which will later become the baby’s eyes. In addition, other distinguishing facial features are beginning to take shape, such as ears, nose, and jaw.

The baby is also starting to grow tiny buds that will become the baby’s arms and legs as time passes. The digestive system, the reproductive system, and urinary system are taking shape, as they are now in the very early stages of development at week six of pregnancy.

Pregnancy Checklist

Week six is pretty busy, and there are a few things expectant parents need to get to, to ensure that the pregnancy is going well.

To make the to-do list manageable and easy to follow during the early weeks, we have compiled some of the main things you need to check off during week six, as well as some lifestyle changes you need to adopt to feel physically better.

The pregnancy checklist during week six includes:

  • Continue taking 400 µg of folic acid that you have been taking for a few weeks now.
  • Stay hydrated and drink plenty of extra water or unsweetened tea each day.
  • Get some extra sleep to fight the week six fatigue.
  • Start a pregnancy journal to collect all of the memories during this pregnancy journey.
  • Get familiar with your personal, family, and partner’s medical history, and record all of the details for your healthcare provider; trust us, they will ask for it, so it is always better to prepare in advance.
  • Go to your first prenatal appointment with your healthcare provider.

What to avoid or begin to avoid?

While the pregnancy is at its early stages, it is essential to avoid certain things to ensure the best possible health for you and your developing baby, as well as a healthy pregnancy overall. Some things that you need to stay away from during week six include:

  • Smoking and second-hand smoke, which can be harmful to fetal development
  • Alcohol
  • Drugs
  • Avoid high-mercury fish, such as fresh and frozen tuna, shark, orange roughy, escolar, swordfish, and marlin, especially if you are having a high-risk pregnancy
  • Eating raw or undercooked meat, fish, and chicken
  • Eating raw eggs or foods that contain them
  • Eating cheeses made from unpasteurized milk and unpasteurized dairy foods
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