6th week of pregnancy

How big is your baby

Talking about the size of the developing baby, most doctors will discuss it in terms of 'Crown to rump'. 'Crown -to -rump' is the length between the top of the baby’s head to his buttocks. As the legs of the baby are tucked inwards, ‘crown to heel’ length is difficult to determine.The embryo is about 3 to 5mm in length.

Baby’s growth and development

Week 6 to Week 10 of pregnancy is called the embryonic period. This is a very important time of development for your baby and is starting to develop facial features.
There are dark spots where the eyes and nostrils are starting to form and there are markings ofwhere the ears will be.
The brain is forming into the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain. At this stage the embryo is fully enclosed in the amniotic sac.
There are buds which will become the arms and legs.
The heart is beating at about 150 beats a minute, is divided into the right and left chambers and blood circulation is beginning.
The first signs of the pancreas, lungs and thyroid gland are seen.
The kidneys and liver are growing rapidly.

MOTHER’S DEVELOPMENT

(a) How you may feel

From week 6, most of the symptoms of pregnancy are quite evident.
Morning sickness, food cravings, dislike for certain foods, tiredness.
Nausea, also called morning sickness, mostly begins by week 6 of pregnancy and gets worse in the next month. It will be with you for the first trimester, blame it on the changing hormones.
There are changes in your breasts, increased breasts tenderness, tingling sensation, sore breasts, darkening of the areola (the dark nipple part of your breast), breasts feel heavier than normal. All of these are caused by hormonal changes preparing your breasts for breastfeeding. You need to find a right maternity supportive bra.
Fatigue is also shown from the week 6 of pregnancy and throughout your first trimester. Your tiredness is due to the hormonal changes, increase in the progesterone level. If you are suffering from morning sickness and frequent urination you will feel more exhausted. Well, not to worry, fatigue goes away by second trimester, but comes back in the last weeks of pregnancy.
Mood swings typically appear at week 6 of pregnancy. Hormonal changes can affect the level of neurotransmitters in your brain, and this really causes you to experience heightened emotions. To add on, if you're struggling with other common pregnancy symptoms, this can also have a negative effect on your mood. Your moodiness will ease up after week 14 of pregnancy.
The need to urinate more often, as the embryo is growing rapidly and pushing on your bladder.

(b)Weight gain

You may begin to gain a bit of weight. You generally gain around 5 pounds weight in the whole of the first trimester. If you are suffering from a lot of nausea, you may find it hard to gain weight. But don’t stress on that, as it is perfectly normal.

(c)Complications

From week 6 to week 12 of pregnancy most women worry about miscarriage. Some of the symptoms of miscarriage are usually bleeding, abdominal pain or cramping, passing of gray or pinkish tissue or blood clots. Some women have little bleeding during pregnancy but have a normal childbirth. But it is still important, to contact your doctor immediately if you have any of these symptoms.
Take proper rest if you feel fatigue in your first trimester. Check with your doctor what exercises are recommended for you, but may sure you do not over do them.

How Dads can help Mom

Certain smells can aggravate her morning sickness - even things like tea and coffee can set off a wave of nausea. Try to keep these things away until the morning sickness subsides.
Encourage Mom to maintain a healthy diet, high in protein and carbohydrates and to drink lots of fluids, especially water.
Keep some salty crackers or biscuits by the bed and encourage her to eat some BEFORE she gets out of bed.
Understand that she may not feel like cooking, cleaning and other household chores right now. You can be a big help to her (and your baby) by suggesting that she rests while you do some of her chores.

TIPS

What to eat and what not to……Healthy Diet for Indian Women

During pregnancy women always think about what food to eat and what not to eat. Should they have a diet for two? , is always a question in mind. When they consult a doctor, they say to have a balanced diet. So as you and your baby both get proper nutrition.
Following are some tips….
Doctors say, Vitamin A intake should be in less quantity as excess would cause harm to the embryo.
All green and leafy vegetables such as cabbage, Coccinia gourd(tendli), cauli-flower, doodhi(ghiya), spinach parwal, turai and others should be included in your diet.
Have less of papaya, brinjal, onion, suran, celery, chilli, pepper, ginger, garlic, asafetida, bajara, jaggery and mustard in your diet.
Those having problem of constipation, indigestion or gas, must avoid `heavy to digest' cereals, peas and potato. For their protein intake they should have foods that are easy to digest like green gram.
Dry fruits like apricot, cashew nuts and dates and fruits like black grapes, mango and banana are very good for you during pregnancy.
Milk, butter, fennel seeds and honey can be taken in small quantity. Have sweets made with jaggery, avoid putting white sugar.
Have foods made of rice and wheat flour.
Avoid bakery foods, like bread …buns, fermented foods such as dhokla, pizza. If you have problem of swelling or acidity avoid tomato, tamarind, curd. Otherwise you can have them in small quantity.
Avoid fasting during pregnancy.
Avoid frozen foods.
Avoid mutton, eggs, chicken, cocoa, cold drinks, alcohol, tobacco, smoking, betel nut and pan-masala.
Tea, coffee & ice-creams should be taken in moderate quantities.
Drink lots of water and eat several small meals throughout the day.
Also have your vitamins and other medicines prescribed by your doctor regularly.