Pregnancy Week 6: Frequent Urination, Breast Changes and Waiting to Tell Everyone

Your baby is developing important organs and limbs during the sixth week of pregnancy. Right now, he is still very small but he is growing rapidly. Your baby has more than doubled his size in the past week. You are probably very anxious to tell everyone that you know that you are pregnant but it is customary to only inform close relatives at this point, if you feel it is necessary.

Pregnancy Week 6: Baby's Development

Your baby is now 4.0 millimeters or .157 inches in length. The baby looks like a curled up letter 'C' by the end of the sixth week of development. One end is the head and other end looks like a tail. The tail is actually the spinal cord which develops faster than the other organs. The neural tube is closed at each end. The heart starts to develop into four chambers and begins beating randomly.

Your baby's eyes also start to develop. Your baby now starts to develop upper and lower limb buds that look like little flippers. The liver, gall bladder, stomach, and bronchial buds also begin to develop during the sixth week of pregnancy.

Pregnancy Week 6: What Mom is Experiencing

Your breasts are still changing. You may notice an increase in size of the areola. The larger nipple area is your body's way of preparing for breastfeeding, even during these early stages of pregnancy. The areola may also become darker in color due to hyper-pigmentation of your skin cells. As your pregnancy progresses, this hyper-pigmentation will become noticeable in different areas of your body also.

If you haven't already started to experience nausea then it will probably start within the next week. Click on pregnancy week 5 for more information on how to prevent morning sickness.

Some moms start to experience urinary frequency around the sixth week of pregnancy. Even though your baby is small it is still expanding your uterus. Your uterus has grown to the size of a lemon. Your uterus is putting additional pressure on your bladder causing you to feel like you have to urinate very often. By the end of your first trimester you will know where every bathroom is wherever you go.

Pregnancy Week 6: Who to Tell About Your Pregnancy

You've known about your pregnancy for about two weeks now and you're probably busting at the seams to shout it from the rooftops. It is still very early in your pregnancy and many important structures and organs still need to develop with your baby. If you can wait, it may be a good idea to just tell very close family and friends that you are pregnant.

The only reason to inform your employer that you are pregnant at this point is if you have a job that may be hazardous to your baby or yourself. Some examples of careers where you should inform your workplace of your pregnancy early on are police officers, radiology, or if you are dealing with chemicals that could cause birth defects.

Pregnancy Week 6: Tests

Your doctor may want to do a blood hCG hormone test. This test will verify your pregnancy and make sure that your hCG levels are on track with the date of your last menstrual period. This blood test is no longer routine and your healthcare provider may not require it at all.

Your baby is growing rapidly during pregnancy week six. No one else may be able to know that you are pregnant but you are starting to see signs and experience symptoms that may be starting to make you uncomfortable.

For more pregnancy weeks and fetal development you can read:
Conception and Calculating Baby's Due Date

Pregnancy Week 4

Pregnancy Week 5

Click here to find more information on your pregnancy and baby's development.

Sources:

Fit Pregnancy (2009). Pregnancy Calendar. Retrieved: April 8, 9, 2009. Web Site: fitpregnancy.com/calendar/40251887.html

Myers-Gorrie, Trula, Slone-McKinney, Emily, & Smith-Murray, Sharon (1998). Foundations of Maternal-Newborn Nursing (2^nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders Company.

What to Expect (2009). Weekly Pregnancy Calendar. Retrieved:April 8, 9, 2009. Web Site: whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/landing.aspx