6 Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms, Tips, Ultrasound, and More

In the 6th week of pregnancy, your baby is the size of a blueberry and is growing at a remarkable place. In fact, if one thinks of it the only thing growing faster than your baby’s brain and overall development are your sensitive, achy breasts.

Set yourself some fitness standards to see you through your pregnancy. Getting in shape now will stand you in good stead as your pregnancy continues. Keeping active is important, so work up a daily exercise routine to strengthen your muscles and reduce fatigue – but listen to your body and don't exhaust yourself. This week your baby's vital organs, including the lungs and gut, start to develop. Your baby's head already looks too big for his body as the brain rapidly enlarges.

Embryo While 6 Weeks Pregnant

• The yolk sac has shrunk but is still supplying nutrients to the embryo.
• The embryo measures an 8mm crown to rump.
• The heart is now providing your baby with a simple circulation.
• The liver is starting to make blood cells.
• Nostrils appear as shallow pits.
• The arm and leg buds are lengthening.
• The placenta is becoming well established, although it is not yet ready to function as a supply line.
• A prominent forehead bulges out as the brain develops.

As of now, your baby is the size of a blueberry and is growing at a remarkable place. In fact, if one thinks of it the only thing growing faster than your baby's brain and overall development are your sensitive, achy breasts.

The Baby's Development When 6 Weeks of Pregnant

It is now that the embryonic form of your baby is going to start transforming into a real little person. He or she will start having arms, legs, and a beating heart. Interestingly, they also have a tiny tail at this moment, which will soon disappear. How amazing, isn't it?

By week 6, your baby has already gone through three sets of kidneys, but by this week they will start forming their final set, which will help in the baby's waste management. Soon, your baby is going to start passing urine that will constitute a part of amniotic fluid.

The Baby's Size At 6 Weeks Pregnant

Size-wise, as of now, your baby is around the size of a blueberry, which is around a quarter of an inch (5.08mm to 6.35 mm) in length. Bobbing around in your womb, your baby is now indeed 10,000 times bigger than what it was in the conception stage. Aren't you in awe just thinking about the kind of growth your baby has been able to go through?

6 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms

Here are some symptoms that you may experience at 6 weeks pregnant:

• Morning sickness: You may have nausea that could occur at any time of the day. This often begins around Week 5 or 6 of pregnancy and usually eases up by the end of the first trimester.

• Increased urination: Another early sign of pregnancy is the urge to pee more. This happens because of: 

  • Increased blood flow, which leads to your kidneys processing extra fluids 

  • Surging pregnancy hormones 

To manage this, stay hydrated by drinking a sufficient amount of water. Pale yellow or colorless urine indicates that you’re well hydrated.

• Mood swings: You could notice mood swings around 6-10 weeks of pregnancy. This could be brought on by:

  • Stress

  • Fatigue

  • Hormonal changes

If you find yourself feeling particularly low, talk to your doctor about it.

• Breast tenderness: One of the early symptoms of pregnancy is tender and swollen breasts. Raised levels of pregnancy hormones can increase the blood flow to your breasts, making them:

  • Sore

  • Tingly

  • Unusually sensitive to touch

• Fatigue: You may feel unusually exhausted at 6 weeks pregnant. This could be due to hormonal changes, such as the rapid increase in progesterone levels.

• Metallic taste: Surging estrogen levels may cause a metallic, coppery taste in your mouth. You can deal with this by:

  • Brushing and flushing frequently

  • Gargling with a teaspoon of salt or a quarter teaspoon of baking soda in 250 ml of water

  • Eating acidic food

  • Chewing mint gum

• Headaches: Pregnancy headaches are common during the first trimester. This pregnancy symptom should ease up as you enter the second trimester. Until then, do the following to experience relief:

  • Avoid foods such as MSG and artificial sweeteners that trigger headaches

  • Get enough sleep, water, food, and exercise 

  • Relax by getting a massage or meditating 

  • Take a headache medication after consulting your Doctor

• Heartburn: You may experience heartburn and indigestion as the muscle at the top of the stomach that prevents acid reflux relaxes. You can ease the symptoms by: 

  • Avoiding greasy and spicy foods 

  • Avoiding fruits such as citruses and tomatoes 

  • Eating your meals slowly 

  • Not wearing tight-fitting clothes 

  • Having an early dinner 

  • Keeping your head elevated on pillows while sleeping 

• Bloating and gas: Heightened levels of progesterone could cause bloating, gas, and constipation. To avoid these symptoms, eat a lot of fiber and stay hydrated. 

Body Changes In 6 Weeks Pregnant 

At 6 weeks pregnant, you may or may not notice any visible physical changes in your body. Even though every pregnancy is different and has a unique note on which it develops if you have had a child before you might look pregnant sooner than you did during your first child. 

You might feel sick, nauseate, queasy, sick – or not. Lack of symptoms has nothing to do with being in an abnormal pregnancy, it just means that you have a different pace at which your pregnancy is treating you.

Here are some changes that you may notice at 6 weeks pregnant:

• Growing uterus: At 6 weeks pregnant, your uterus doubles in size. 

• Plug formation: The mucus on your cervix is beginning to thicken, leading to the formation of the plug, which will keep your uterus sealed till the time you give birth to your baby. 

• Nausea: You might suffer from pregnancy nausea, which could go on during the day and the nighttime. 

• Excessive saliva: You might have excess saliva pooling in your mouth.

• Enlarged breasts: Your breasts might start to look way too big, making you opt for a full, new cup-size bra. 

• Tender or sore breasts: Your breasts may become tender, tingly, and achy. This all happens because of the mischievous estrogen and progesterone hormones, which lead to the building up of fat inside your breasts. 

• Darkened, enlarged areola: You might also witness a darkening areola (the dark area around your nipples), which will continue to grow darker and larger for a couple of months to come. 

• The appearance of Montgomery tubercles: You might also notice some small pimple-like spots on the areola, called Montgomery tubercles. They are nothing but sweat glands that have swollen up while providing lubrication to the areola.

• Increased urination: You might need to pee more than usual, because of the spike in blood levels and extra fluids being processed through your kidneys. As your uterus will continue to swell up, adding extra pressure on your bladder, your visits to the bathroom will become more frequent.

At 6 weeks pregnant, it is best advised to not be around people who are unwell. People suffering from rubella and parvovirus can be picked up by your tender body easily. 

During this time, it is also suggestive to be wary of being around certain animals, such as lambs, cat litter trays, and cat poops as they can carry a parasitic infection that can lead to further complications in pregnancy.

6 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound

Usually, your first ultrasound is scheduled at the end of your first trimester, i.e., around 11-14 weeks of pregnancy.

However, your Doctor could call you in for an early ultrasound if you’ve had a miscarriage or pregnancy complications before. You could also need an early ultrasound due to your medical history or age.

At 6 weeks pregnant, you’ll usually have a transvaginal and not an abdominal ultrasound. 

In this early ultrasound, your Doctor would check the following:

• Your baby’s heartbeat: While it could be a challenge to hear your baby’s heartbeat using ultrasound before Week 7 of pregnancy, you could hear a heartbeat after Week 5. This is an emotional moment in your parenting journey and you should try to prepare yourself for it.

• The number of babies: At 6 weeks pregnant, you could find out if you’re carrying twins or multiples. However, it is usually too early to tell at this stage.

• Location of the embryo: Your Doctor can determine if the embryo is implanted high or low in the uterus, or if it is an ectopic pregnancy, which would require immediate medical care. 

The health of your yolk sac: At 6 weeks pregnant, a yolk sac should be detectable inside your gestational sac. The ultrasound would help your Doctor check the sac’s shape and size, to determine the health of your pregnancy.

Belly Size at 6 Weeks Pregnant 

The size of your belly at 6 weeks pregnant could depend on a number of factors, such as: 

• The position of your baby in your uterus

• Your height

• If you’re carrying a singleton, twins, or multiples 

• Whether you have been pregnant before 

If you’re short or have a short torso, then you’re likely to develop a baby bump earlier as there is limited vertical room for your baby to grow into.

Also, you could start showing earlier if you were pregnant before because the first pregnancy has already stretched your abdominal muscles.

Nutrition for 6 Weeks Pregnant

• Cope with food aversions intelligently: If just a mere look at chicken breasts isn't something you can stand or a taste of fish is leaving you nauseated or a piece of cheese is making your digestive tract jump in anguish, then it is about time you understand that pregnancy food aversions are very much real. They can also be quite confusing at times, as once marked as your favorite food might be making you puke during this time. The best advice to tackle this is by tackling your taste buds by all means. Find substitutes for foods and smells you can't stand and rejoice in them to the fullest, without compromising on vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
• Salads should be a mainstay of your diet: Consuming one to two bowls of salad on daily basis will make your baby rejoice in the glory of vitamins and minerals. This will help in keeping constipation at bay, which is one of the most common pregnancy complaints. Do load up on fiber-rich foods, such as raisins, brandy, apricots, and leafy greens.
• Work out with light weights: Work with light weights in order to tone and keep your lower back, buttocks, shoulders, and hamstrings in shape. This will lead to the strengthening of your pelvic muscles, a must-have ability to push a stroller, wield a diaper bag, and carry a baby later.
• Snub those cravings of pregnancy with healthier alternatives: Think of healthy choices and not just indulge in empty-calorie foods. Think of eating popsicles, sorbet, or low-fat yogurts instead of ice cream; whole-grain toast with jam, instead of fried pastries or donuts; low-sugar hot cocoa milk instead of one full chocolate bar; and crackers and peanut butter or pumpkin or banana bread, instead of sugar-laden cookies, pies and cakes.
• Limit your intake of fatty fish: Fishes are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids and hence must be included in a healthy pregnancy diet. Consume shrimp, light tuna (which carries low levels of mercury), catfish and herring, sardines, and salmon. Avoid consuming king mackerel, swordfish, or sharks as they have higher levels of mercury, which are harmful to your baby's brain or nervous system
• Tricks to survive through morning sickness: Eat smaller but more frequent meals. Get plenty of rest and power naps all throughout the day. Sniff on lemon or ginger or eat watermelon in order to keep nausea at distance. You can also eat baked potato chips, and avoid a lot of spicy seasonings, in order to relieve you from painful morning sickness. Make sure to pop in your Vitamin B6 tablets, and ask your doctor to help you with morning sickness alleviating medicines

Common Worries When 6 Weeks Pregnant

Are you at risk at work during your pregnancy? If you are worried that your job might be hazardous for you because of your work type, then it is imperative to keep in mind the following things:

• You should not indulge in heavy lifting or carrying heavy stuff
• Avoid working for a longer period of time
• Don't work in an environment where you are exposed to toxic substances
• Avoid standing or sitting in front of your laptop or work stations for long without taking adequate breaks

Announcing The Pregnancy

It is often said that you shouldn't be announcing your pregnancy before you are in twelve weeks of your pregnancy. But if you are extra excited to break your pregnancy news, then do go ahead as it is entirely up to you.

Expert Advice for 6 Weeks Pregnant

"In the 6th week of pregnancy, the baby's brain starts developing rapidly. So you may notice bloating sensations, aches, and pains, accompanied by headaches, stress, fatigue, dehydration, tiredness, morning sickness, tender breasts, and food cravings. It is recommended to plan your Antenatal visit soon, if not already taken. Take nutritious meals, and do follow correct medication as it is highly recommended. Some light exercise or walking may be very helpful. For tender breast, wear easy fitting undergarments and take gentle and warm showers."

Dr.Sadhna Singhal, Sr consultant in Obs & Gynae at Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, New Delhi

Seasonal Pregnancy Care 6 Weeks Pregnant

• Summer - Swimming is a great way to beat the heat during pregnancy. It will help in taking some weight off your sciatic nerve while cooling you down. Also, do make sure to wear breathable fabrics during summer as they will prevent heat rash, by keeping you cool and refreshing. Eat cooler and healthier foods like raw fruits and vegetables to tackle the heat effectively.
• Monsoon - Avoid eating raw fruits and vegetables during the monsoon season as they contain certain enzymes, which might be idyllic for bacterial growth. Stay away from chopped fruits if they have been kept in open for too long as the chances of bacterial growth might be escalated during monsoons.
• Winter - Winter is an extremely dry season, hence keeping your skin moisturized through a good spray of rosewater or Vaseline after a bath is a must. Make sure to massage your hair at least twice a week and whenever you go out on your skin, make sure to apply a generous amount of dermatologist-prescribed SPF lotion

Care During Seasonal Changes

Your heart rate is comparatively higher now and you should be easing up on your exercise now. Also, you might get overheated soon enough, so do make it a point to take well-timed water breaks. The biggest point to remember here is to not exercise to the level where you get short of breath.