Week 6: Nausea, Crackers & Daddies

At six weeks gestation your Baby is really starting to develop, a happy thought you can keep in mind if the nausea and the fatigue are getting you down right now.

Your Baby at Six Weeks Pregnant

Your Baby’s face is starting to take shape this week with the jaw, chin, cheeks, ears and nose all beginning to form. Their heart will now be beating at around 80 beats per minute now, although it is usually still a little erratic. The kidneys, lungs and liver are also beginning to develop. The eyes are there too now, although at this point they are little more than two little black dots! Pretty amazing stuff considering that Baby is still not too much bigger than a quarter of an inch from top to (not yet formed) toe!

Your Body at Six Weeks Pregnant

From the outside it is unlikely that you look too much different to the way you did six weeks ago. The inside of your body is a very different story however. The pregnancy hormone hCG is now increasing blood flow to your pelvis as well as streamlining the efficiency of your kidneys. Your expanding uterus is also beginning to press harder  on your bladder a little now, increasing that need to pee.

Probable New Pregnancy Symptoms at Six Weeks Pregnant.

In addition to the nausea that is probably still plaguing you there will probably be some new physical symptoms developing this week. And sorry, no, none of them are that nice :(

Bloating – The increase in progesterone is to blame for the bloating you are probably experiencing which is uncomfortable and will probably give you a ‘Puff Mummy’ look you were not expecting yet. Increasing the amount of fiber you eat and making sure that you drink lots of water can help keep the bloating to a minimum though.

Some expectant Mums made particularity  miserable by bloating wonder if it is OK to take an anti-gas medication to find some relief. Most doctors say yes, as long as you follow the dosing directions properly. However do not expect them to work as well as they might do if you were not pregnant as the cause of the bloating is rather different.

Heightened Sense of Smell – All of a sudden you smell the world so much more clearly and it is not always a pleasant sensation. Thanks to those raging hormones (they have a lot to answer for!) the coffee that once smelled so wonderful may now smell horrible and make you feel sick. And the sensation of actually being able to smell dirt is just weird!

There is very little you can do about this one except avoid the bad smells whenever possible. Strong perfumes are often some of nastiest triggers for pregnant women so if hubby’s favorite scent is now making you feel ill do not be afraid to ask him to go au naturale for a while!

Cravings – Those funny cravings may start kicking in this week. Unless you are craving something truly weird like dish soap it OK to go ahead indulge them once in a while, as long as you are still maintaining that nice healthy diet as far as possible.

Pregnancy Tips for your Sixth Week  – Your First Doctor’s Appointment – The little plastic stick gave you the good news already but there is something nice and reassuring about having a medical professional back it up during your first pre-natal appointment!

Be prepared to do a lot of writing and question answering at this appointment, even if you saw your OB GYN when you were preparing to conceive. try to answer all of them as fully as possible, however annoying and even intrusive some of the questions might seem. They are all being asked for a reason and the more (pertinent) information your new medical team have about you the better.

For Dad to Be: 

Crackers, crackers and more crackers, with a side of toast. In the early weeks of pregnancy, crackers and toast are many women’s staple diet. And the thought of some foods will make your other half green at the very thought of them, let alone the smell.

You can help by trying to become a bit sensitive to these pregnancy aversions (which no one can explain) If she is completely nauseated by certain foods that you happen to love being nice and taking them off the menu – at home at least – is the noble thing to do. No one is suggesting that you join your partner on her cracker diet, just be considerate. Also, just because your main role in the process of creating a baby is over – your sperm did its job – this is not an excuse to return to the less than healthy diet you may have had before you and your partner began trying for a baby.

Maintaining a healthy diet takes willpower for any Mum to Be and if her hubby is coming home and eating (and drinking) all of the bad things that she knows that it is best to avoid right now that effort to do the right thing is going to be made even harder. Once the baby arrives being in as good a shape as possible is going to as important for Dad as it is for Mum. Babies sap more of your energy than you can ever imagine so maintaining that great healthy lifestyle will be a big help!

On the subject of cooking, if it has never been your ‘thing’ now is a great time to learn to love it. Even cooking food for other people can bring on a new wave of morning sickness for a queasy Mum to Be so for the next few months you may have to become the chef in the house.