6 weeks pregnant

You are 6 Weeks Pregnant!
(Counting from the first day of your last menstrual period)

WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH YOU

Feeling positively ill? Does the smell of coffee make you want to dash for the bathroom? If so, it sounds like morning sickness. Nausea affects one third to one half of all pregnant women and usually abates by the start of the second trimester. It may be caused by a higher level of estrogen, as well as the rapid expansion of the uterus. But wait, there is some good news: Studies show that morning sickness may be related to a slightly lower risk of miscarriage. (Please don’t worry if you are feeling perfectly fine. Count your blessings!)

WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Your baby’s length is now about 3 to 5 millimeters — about the size of a peppercorn! The brain is forming three separate parts: the forebrain (memory and reasoning), the midbrain (translates messages from the brain to organs and limbs) and the hindbrain (regulates breathing and muscle movement). At this point the embryo is now three-dimensional and completely enclosed in the amniotic sac.

Your baby’s heart is now beating and blood circulation is evident. The kidneys and liver are growing fast, and the neural tube, which connects the brain with the spinal cord, closes.

The placenta is rapidly developing, however, it will not take over hormone production until about week 12.

EATING FOR TWO

• Avoiding morning sickness can be a challenge. Here are some tips that should help:
• Before bedtime, eat a protein snack that contains some natural starch or sugars.
• When the alarm clock sounds, nibble on crackers before getting out of bed and wait 20 minutes before rising.
• For breakfast, limit fats and have fruit or juices at the end of the meal.
• Ginger has been found to be effective in treating nausea: Try chewing on natural gingersnaps (made with real ginger), candied ginger, drink some ginger “beer” (nonalcoholic) or tea, or take in capsule form.
• You can also take 50 mg of vitamin B6 twice a day, but never exceed 200 mg in one day. Or you may try yogurt, which is a natural way to load up on B6.
• In some cases, eating a high-carbohydrate diet seems to help alleviate nausea.
• A high-protein diet, which includes soy, milk, cheese and fish, also may help.
• Most important, eat frequent small meals and always keep an emergency snack of a banana or crackers in your purse so you aren’t caught empty-handed.

FACT OF THE WEEK

Stress can make morning sickness worse, as well as increase fatigue, indigestion and the chances of developing back and neck pain and headaches. So if you are a type A person, you might want to make an appointment with yourself to meditate, relax, and yes, even sleep. Now is an excellent time to sign up for prenatal yoga classes, but get your practitioner’s approval first. If nothing else, go to bed an hour earlier than usual. Your body definitely needs all the help it can get as it works overtime to nourish and sustain a new life.