What to Expect When You're 6 Weeks Pregnant
- 6 Weeks Pregnant
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- UPDATED APRIL 05, 2024
by Tasha Mayberry
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Pregnancy is a beautiful, exciting, and magical experience. How often do you get to watch life unfold before your eyes, right? Not only that, but this life also grows inside of you – day after day, until they’re ready to come out into the world.
But pregnancy can also be a time of a lot of questions. Not knowing what to expect can scare us, and sometimes even leave us confused. This is especially true when you get to your six weeks pregnant mark when your body is adjusting to changes to accommodate your growing baby.
To help you understand some of these transformations, we’ve listed below some of the things you should expect when you’re six weeks pregnant.
You and Your Body
A lot of women experience the worst of their pregnancy symptoms as early as when they’re 6 weeks pregnant. The Mayo Clinic listed the most common physical changes on this stage of your pregnancy, which we have summarised below:
- Swollen and tender breasts. Your breasts can be increasingly sensitive and sometimes even become sore. This discomfort is because of the changes to the hormone levels in your body. The swelling and tenderness will gradually decrease in severity as your body adjusts to the hormonal changes.
- Tip: You may find that changing your bra may help ease the discomfort. Try looking for bras that provide excellent support, has wide shoulder straps, and those with adjustable closures. Remember, as you progress through your pregnancy, your breasts are bound to expand more. Try maternity bras that have detachable breast pads on them, to help ease your nipple from soreness.
- Tip: You may find that changing your bra may help ease the discomfort. Try looking for bras that provide excellent support, has wide shoulder straps, and those with adjustable closures. Remember, as you progress through your pregnancy, your breasts are bound to expand more. Try maternity bras that have detachable breast pads on them, to help ease your nipple from soreness.
- Nausea, vomiting, and heartburn. The rise in your hormone levels can make you feel nauseous and vomit. Although this is commonly known as morning sickness, it can come at any time during the day or night. It can also lead to heartburn, due to stomach acid leaking into your oesophagus.
- Tip: Eat small, frequent feeds and avoid getting your stomach empty. Drinking plenty of fluids can also help. If your nausea and vomiting are becoming increasingly severe, contact your healthcare provider for further advice and management.
- Frequent peeing. When you’re pregnant, your body’s fluid levels increase, causing your kidneys to work extra harder to process the excess fluid in the bladder. This is why you will notice yourself going to the loo more often than usual.
- Constipation. During pregnancy, you will have increased levels of progesterone. This hormone helps your body adjust to pregnancy changes, but it can also affect your digestive system, making food slower to move. This can be the cause of your constipation. Iron supplements usually prescribed for pregnant women may also lead to slow bowel movements.
- Tired all the time. Progesterone is also responsible for fatigue and feeling sleepy or tired all the time.
- Tip: Get as much rest as you can. In saying that, exercising may also increase your energy levels.
- Tip: Get as much rest as you can. In saying that, exercising may also increase your energy levels.
- Love-hate relationship with food. This symptom is also because of your hormones. When you’re at your six weeks’ pregnancy mark, you may find yourself developing a strong dislike for certain foods and odours. In the same manner, you may also find yourself craving certain foods.
You and Your Emotions
It’s normal to feel a wave of emotions during pregnancy – the good and the bad emotions may come in at different times. Still, they can sometimes overwhelm you and come all at once. Mood swings are also very normal at this stage of your pregnancy.
Hormonal changes can also trigger some of these emotions. But you also have to understand that a combination of your body changing and a new baby on the way can bring added emotional stress.
When these emotions rush in, don’t be too hard on yourself and understand that it is reasonable to worry at times, and be extremely excited and happy the next.
Talk to your loved ones about your moods and emotions. If, however, it gets to the point where you think your feelings are too severe, seek advice from your healthcare provider immediately.
Your Baby at Six Weeks
By the time you’re six weeks pregnant, your baby’s brain and spinal cord become fully formed. The NHS describes your baby at six weeks as resembling a small tadpole, with a curved form and a tail. Your baby, otherwise known as the embryo at this stage, would have tiny visible buds, which will soon be its arms and legs. According to the Cleveland Clinic, your baby’s facial features, including the ears and eyes, will continue to form at this stage as well, along with their fingers and toes.
A vaginal ultrasound scan can also sometimes detect your baby’s heartbeat as early as your 6th week of pregnancy.
Your Actions Points When 6 Weeks Pregnant:
Lock in Your Pregnancy Carer.
It is always best to book to see a midwife or your GP immediately after you find out about your pregnancy. The NHS has an informative Pregnancy and Baby Guide, which details how you make these appointments and your entitlements as a pregnant woman in the UK.
Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle.
Being pregnant is mostly about creating a conducive environment for your baby to develop in. This means taking care of your health so that yourself, your pregnancy, and your baby can be as healthy as possible.
Here are some ways of doing this:
- Quit smoking and drinking alcohol, if you haven’t done so already.
- Have a healthy diet.
- Exercise as much as you can, within the limitations of your pregnant body.
- Get the flu vaccine. It is free for all pregnant women in the UK and can safely be given at any time during your pregnancy.
- Take care of your mental health.
Be Well-Informed
Your GP and midwife will usually be very good at giving you all the information you need throughout your pregnancy. This includes answering whatever questions you may have related to it. If, however, you want to learn more, research information from credible sources, such as the ones we found below: