1st Trimester During Pregnancy: Week 6

Fetus
By the 6th week of pregnancy, the fetus' heart has started beating and can often be seen early in the 6th week by transvaginal ultrasound. Baby is now about 1/17 of an inch in length and growing rapidly. If an ultrasound were to be performed this early in the pregnancy, baby would look like a round circle in the womb with a small nub on one side. The nub is the attachment point of the egg to the uterine lining. Buds are starting to develop that will later become the arms and legs. Moms pregnant will multiples will see the same progression by week 6.

6 week embryo

Your Body
Morning sickness will most likely start around week 6. Food cravings and aversions may also start at this time. It is important to maintain a healthy pregnancy diet at this time because baby’s development requires mom to be healthy. Avoid alcohol, illegal drugs and many over the counter drugs from this point until the end of the 40 week gestational period. Week 6 is the perfect time to call your obstetrician to make the first prenatal appointment.

For moms who are pregnant with multiples, morning sickness, breast tenderness and fatigue will be a much greater problem. This is due to the higher than normal pregnancy hormone levels in the body. If morning sickness creates a problem keeping enough food down to keep baby and mom healthy, talk to your attending obstetrician.

Dad
Welcome to the world of fatherhood and change. If mom is feeling morning sickness, common foods and drinks could trigger bouts of nausea. Try to keep offending scents out of the home for a while. Fatigue and morning sickness can leave mom feeling horrible, so try to take some pressure off of her by doing household chores and cooking. Supporting her at this time is a great thing every dad can easily accomplish.

Tips
Fatigue is the worst symptom of all early in pregnancy. There is nothing worse than feeling happy about being pregnant, but feeling too tired to enjoy the moment. Morning sickness can be compounded by fatigue, so make sure to keep some crackers or toast next to the bed. Before getting up in the morning, eat a little something to calm the stomach.

Medical
Miscarriage most often happens early in pregnancy. Bleeding, cramping and pains in the abdomen can all be signs of miscarriage. This does not mean passing a small amount of blood means the pregnancy is over. Seeing a fetal heart beat above 100 beats per minute decreased significantly the risk of a miscarriage. When in doubt, talk with your obstetrician about any bleeding and make sure to pass along whether the blood was bright red or pink/grayish.