Pregnancy Week 6

Baby development at 6 weeks pregnant

At six weeks pregnant, your pregnancy is still relatively new. You may be experiencing many emotions and have questions about the pregnancy journey. Not to mention, you are likely starting to feel the early symptoms of pregnancy kicking in. All of this is very normal this early in your journey.

At six weeks pregnant, your baby ranges in size from one-fifth to a quarter-inch (63 millimeters), making it roughly the size of a chocolate chip.

While it is still early on in your pregnancy, your baby is busy growing and continuing to develop new functions like a heartbeat and blood flow circulation. The nose, mouth, eyes and ears are also starting to form, which may appear as small bumps in an ultrasound. This is also the time that arms and legs may make their first appearance.

Common pregnancy symptoms at 6 weeks

Whether you just found out about your pregnancy or have known for a couple of weeks, your body is in full pregnancy mode; even if you can’t see the changes to your body on the outside, you can feel things starting to evolve on the inside.

It's common to begin feeling bloated as your body prepares to make itself a home for a baby. Your body will begin to increase blood flow and experience a rise in hormones such as progesterone and hCG. Those tell-tale pregnancy symptoms may be starting — if they haven’t already.

• Bloating: The culprit of your new bloated state is the increase in progesterone your body is experiencing. The increase in progesterone around the sixth week of pregnancy causes the muscles in your body to relax, including your intestinal tract, which means a slow down in digestion and buildup of gas. Be prepared for an increase in burping and flatulence.
• Fatigue: Fatigue during pregnancy is very common. While women may experience varying levels of fatigue, most will feel more tired than usual in the first trimester of pregnancy — thanks again, in part, to those hormonal changes. Progesterone specifically contributes to a decrease in energy during early pregnancy, but the increase in blood production and emotional changes are also contributing factors.
• Tender breasts: A lot of changes are happening to your chest as your body prepares for breastfeeding. At this stage in your pregnancy, you will start to see an increase in the size of your breasts and experience a new level of tenderness. You may also notice your nipples stick out further than usual and your areolas become darker, which will make it easier for your newborn to latch on at meal time.
• Cramping and spotting: It’s very normal to experience some level of cramping and/or spotting during early pregnancy. While these may be concerning, remain calm and remember this is normal. If you experience any level of discomfort in relation to cramping or have spotting that would fill more than a panty liner, it’s a good idea to call your healthcare provider.
• No Symptom:  It’s possible that at this stage in your pregnancy journey you aren’t feeling any symptoms at all! While the majority of women who are six weeks pregnant have begun to notice a few or all of these pregnancy symptoms, some women have not developed any yet or may only experience very mild symptoms throughout their pregnancy.

Pregnancy checklist at 6 weeks

Whether you feel pregnant or not at six weeks into your pregnancy, now is a great time to consider some of the following:

Reminders for
Week 9

• Prepare for your first prenatal visit: Eight or Nine weeks is the standard time when you schedule your first prenatal check up. If you haven’t already, choose an OB-GYN that you like. You will be spending the next 34 weeks with them! Be prepared for your first visit with any questions you may have, health concerns and family history you want to bring up.
• Keep up your routines: Use your pregnancy as motivation to be consistent with exercise, keep up with friends and engage in other feel-good activities. With all the changes you are experiencing right now, routines and feel-good activities can help you keep calm and feel balanced during this time.
• Photo journal: You may consider documenting this pregnancy with a weekly photo journal. The photos are always fun for you and baby to look back on.
• Knock out that to-do list: If you’re feeling up to it, now is an excellent time to start taking care of all those projects you never got around to starting.

Explore pregnancy by week
Week 7