Sixth Week Of Pregnancy
YOU ARE 5 WEEKS AND 1 DAY
244 days to go...
YOUR BABY TODAY
The embryo now has 14 somites—the building blocks of your baby’s muscular system. The first nine pairs are shown here. The upper part of the image shows the open end of the neural tube, which, along with the opening at the base of the spine, has closed.
If you’ve had no symptoms as you enter your 6th week, you may be on the lookout for signs that you are in fact pregnant.
You and your partner are probably the only people who know you’re pregnant, and you may still be wondering if it’s real. At this stage you may not have any symptoms at all, despite the rapidly changing and growing embryo inside you.
This absence of pregnancy signs is completely normal and is not a cause for concern. Try to remember that the majority of pregnancies are without any complications. It’s normal for a healthy pregnant woman to have a wide range of side effects or none at all. So don’t worry if you’re feeling great—in fact count yourself lucky!
ASK A... NUTRITIONIST
Since being pregnant, I don’t seem to have much of an appetite. Is this normal?
It is common to not especially want food if you have morning sickness. You may no longer be able to stomach your favorite foods. If you’re not eating much, it’s important that what you do eat is nutritious. Choose nutrient-rich dark green leafy vegetables and legumes, and fish since it contains essential fatty acids.
YOU ARE 5 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS
243 days to go...
YOUR BABY TODAY
There won’t be any visible signs of pregnancy on the outside for some time, but there are many changes taking place inside.
At this early stage, all your unborn baby’s needs will be met by the yolk sac. Attached to the embryo by a connecting stalk, this essential balloonlike structure indicates the site of your pregnancy and can usually be seen as early as this week as a sphere 0.1–0.2 in (3–4 mm) across. At first the yolk sac is as large as the disk of embryonic cells that will eventually become your baby.
Containing cells that perform a similar function to the liver, the yolk sac releases several pregnancy hormones and produces the embryo’s first red blood cells. After week 9 the liver will take over these functions as the yolk sac gradually disappears and the placenta takes over, by around the 10th week of pregnancy.
Over the next seven days, a primitive circulatory system develops, well before any blood circulates to the placenta in the 10th week. And, by the end of this week, using the highest quality ultrasound equipment, it is just possible to see the embryo’s heartbeat. At this early stage, the heart is simply a tube.
AS A MATTER OF FACT
You should continue to take a 400 mcg folic acid supplement daily until the 12th week of pregnancy.
This supplementation is in addition to a well-balanced diet that includes green vegetables and legumes. Many fortified cereals also contain folic acid, as do some fruits, such as oranges, papaya, and bananas.
Should I be eating for two?
Unfortunately, pregnancy is by no means a licence to eat anything and everything you’d like. “Eating for two” is a myth, and if you do so, you’ll end up consuming too many calories and gaining too much weight. The best advice is to use your common sense. Studies show that pregnant women who eat according to their appetite naturally eat the proper amount and gain a healthy amount of weight.
Caloric needs in pregnancy vary greatly from woman to woman, depending upon pre-pregnancy weight and physical activity. In general, energy needs increase by approximately 300–500 calories per day during pregnancy. In the first trimester, caloric needs are a bit less, more at the lower end of the range.
In the first trimester, when up to 80 percent of women are nauseous or vomiting, getting enough calories can sometimes be a challenge. Like many pregnant women, you may feel most nauseous when your stomach is empty. One good trick is snacking. Eating five small meals rather than three large ones can be soothing to a nauseous stomach, while at the same time giving you the calories you need.
YOU ARE 5 WEEKS AND 3 DAYS
242 days to go...
A front view of the embryo: the head region is bent downward so that the central nervous system can be seen. The tubelike structure in the head region is the developing spinal cord. The tail of the embryo is curving upward.
Morning sickness is one of the most common and least welcome symptoms of pregnancy.
FOCUS ON... HEALTH
Ease the nausea Unfortunately there is no definitive cure-all for morning sickness, though you could try the following natural remedies:
- Eat little and often—having low blood-sugar levels may make the nausea worse so even if you feel sick, eating small snacks may help.
- Try eating a plain cookie or cracker first thing in the morning before you get out of bed.
- Stick to bland foods such as cereal or toast and avoid eating fatty and oily foods.
- Try having foods and drinks that contain ginger such as gingersnaps or ginger tea.
- Drink plenty if you are vomiting, to avoid becoming dehydrated. Put a bottle of water in the fridge and sip it gradually throughout the day. If you feel you are getting dehydrated, for example if your urine is getting very concentrated, you may need to see a doctor.
- If the nausea or vomiting is too much to bear, then consult your doctor, who will be able to prescribe anti-nausea medications.
Feeling sick and vomiting are common symptoms of early pregnancy. There are various theories to explain why morning sickness occurs; one is that it’s due to the rising levels of hCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin) hormone during the first trimester. Morning sickness, unfortunately, doesn’t only happen before breakfast; in fact it can happen at any time of day and more than once in 24 hours.
One of the greatest challenges of early pregnancy is keeping it a secret from colleagues. If you have to keep rushing to the bathroom to vomit, people are likely to become suspicious. They may also notice that you look unwell or are more tired than usual. To help you handle this, you may want to tell one or two colleagues or your boss. You could ask them to keep it a secret for the time being. It’s a good idea to keep some face wipes, toothpaste, and a toothbrush in your drawer, together with any snacks that you have found help to ease your nausea.
If you’re finding it difficult to handle your vomiting, or are worried you are vomiting too much, seek advice from your doctor. Rarely, the sickness can become more serious and require medical treatment
AS A MATTER OF FACT
Ginger has been shown in studies to help with pregnancy-induced nausea. One study found that the decrease in nausea happened four days after including ginger in the diet daily; so don’t give up if you don’t get relief right away. Try crystallized ginger chews or tasty ginger cookies; drink soothing ginger tea; and try cooking with fresh ginger. Be aware that most ginger ale does not contain real ginger, so is unlikely to ease nausea
YOU ARE 5 WEEKS AND 4 DAYS
241 days to go...
YOUR BABY TODAY
This image shows just how curled up the embryo is at this stage. The head end of the embryo is on the left. The embryo now has 22 pairs of somites (building blocks of the musculoskeletal system) running along the back.
This is a crucial time for your developing baby as the neural tube, which will become the brain and spinal cord, is forming.
This week your baby begins to grow rapidly and will become much more recognizable as a baby over the next five weeks. There are three types of cell, each committed to a separate function. The first will form the skin and nervous system; the second forms blood vessels, muscles, and bones; the third forms the entire digestive system.
At this stage, it is the cells responsible for the spine and nervous system that are at work. Changing shape from a flat disk, the embryo starts to curl up. The edges of the groove that has already partially formed along the back gradually start to meet, closing and fusing to form a tube, which will become the brain and spinal cord. The last parts of the tube to close are at the very top of the head and then the base of the spine, two days later.
Being careful to get an adequate intake of folic acid in early pregnancy is essential to ensure the neural tube closes completely, with no gaps.
YOU ARE 5 WEEKS AND 5 DAYS
240 days to go...
YOUR BABY TODAY
This is a view of the right side of an embryo with the fronds of the chorionic villi in the background. The curled shape of the embryo is clearly demonstrated. The umbilical cord attachment to the early placenta can just be seen.
Are you feeling up one minute and down the next? Be reassured that this is a perfectly normal response to pregnancy hormones.
It may not happen quite yet, but be forewarned that you may become very emotional or irrational during pregnancy and suffer from mood swings. You may cry at things that had previously not affected you. This is due to a combination of your rapidly fluctuating hormones and the fact that pregnancy is a major life change.
Mood swings can be difficult for both you and your partner—try to keep communicating with each other and explain how you are feeling, no matter how irrational it may seem.
FOCUS ON...YOUR HEALTH
Fatigue is a common pregnancy complaint and you might find you have a sudden loss of energy in the early stages as your body adapts to the changes caused by pregnancy. This often lasts throughout the first trimester, but after about week 13 you should start to feel more energized. When you’re not resting, try to stay active.
Another cause of fatigue is anemia. When you see your doctor you will be offered a blood test to check your iron levels, and if these are found to be low you will be offered supplements. To avoid anemia, eat iron-rich foods, such as dark green leafy vegetables, red meat, whole-grain cereals, and legumes, and drink prune juice. Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron so try drinking fresh orange juice with meals. Limit caffeine intake since it inhibits iron absorption.
YOU ARE 5 WEEKS AND 6 DAYS
239 days to go...
YOUR BABY TODAY
Development in the upper body usually precedes that in the lower body—this image shows the bulge containing the heart and liver, and the very earliest sign of development of the upper limb buds, but as yet there is no sign of the lower limb buds.
You may notice a marked increase in your breast size, even at this early stage of pregnancy.
The first part of your body to change shape is likely to be your chest. Your breasts may increase in size quite rapidly, looking bigger and feeling heavier. They may become quite tender to touch.
The nipples will change, the areola (the darker skin around the nipple) may become darker in color and your nipples may tingle. As your breasts get bigger, you might notice blue veins appearing. All these breast changes are due to the hormone estrogen.
YOU ARE 6 WEEKS EXACTLY
238 days to go...
YOUR BABY TODAY
Here the back of the embryo can be seen lying over the yolk sac. The opening overlying the developing brain has now closed (left side of image) and this will be followed two days later by closure of the opening at the base of the spine (out of view).
By the end of this sixth week, one of your baby’s major organs— the heart—is rapidly developing and circulating blood.
Your developing embryo may still be tiny, but is undergoing rapid and complex development.
The heartbeat is now more easily recognized on an ultrasound scan. The heart continues to form from a simple smooth tube which, as it becomes more muscular, loops, folds, and divides to form four chambers. On the left side the upper chamber (left atrium) takes in blood from the lungs. From here blood passes through a one-way valve (the mitral valve) into the main left pumping chamber (the left ventricle).
This then pumps blood out of the heart to the It’s at an early stage of development, but the developing heart can be seen here as the dark red area. It lies just above the larger, slightly paler red area, which is the liver. Below the liver is the umbilicial cord. 5 weeks body along the main artery (the aorta). On the right-hand side of the heart, the upper chamber (right atrium) collects blood returning from the body and passes it through a one-way valve (tricuspid valve) into the right main pumping chamber (right ventricle). This pumps blood to the lungs and the cycle continues.
At this stage of development, the circulation is very basic with the heart tube simply sending blood around the length of your baby. No blood travels from your baby’s circulation to the placenta
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