6weeks
pregnant

Written by The BabyCenter Editorial Team

Highlights this week

Your baby’s eyes, nose, mouth, and ears are starting to form.

Has morning sickness kicked in? Get tips on how to keep it at bay.

You might be finding it hard to get comfortable in bed but we have tips on getting a good night's sleep.

Find out what medicines are safe to take if you're feeling poorly.

Baby development at 6 weeks

By the end of the week, your baby is about the size of a lentil. If you could see inside yourself, you'd find a large head and dark spots where the eyes and nostrils are beginning to form. The emerging ears are marked and the arms and legs look like protruding buds. The hands and feet are shaped like paddles, and fingers are beginning to form. The heart has divided into the right and left chambers and is beating about 150 times a minute -- roughly twice the rate of an adult heart. Read more information on your baby's development this week.

Go to BabyCenter's early pregnancy resource centre.

Your baby at 6 weeks

Tap the plus for more details

Advertisement | page continues below

Your baby is the size of a lentil

Pregnancy symptoms at 6 weeks

The outside world won't see any sign of the dramatic developments taking place inside you but tiredness and nausea can make you feel low, especially as you may not have told anyone at work that you're pregnant yet. To compensate, offload as much as you can at home and involve your partner in your pregnancy at the same time. Try to prioritize rest and see your doctor if sickness is making your life miserable or if you really can't keep anything down. Distraction can help -- think about the sort of prenatal care and birth you'd like, you do have some choice in the matter -- find out more.

You may have thought that disturbed nights start when the baby has arrived, but many women find their sleep is disrupted right from the start of pregnancy. Sometimes the cause is physical -- your growing uterus puts pressure on your bladder necessitating trips to the bathroom in the early hours of the morning. Or perhaps sore breasts mean that you can't get comfortable or you wake up in need of a midnight feast. Follow our basics of good sleep to help you get a decent night's rest.

Your body at 6 weeks

Tap the plus for more details

Parent tip: Breakfast of champions

"I was worried about my vitamin intake as I was very sick in the mornings, so my doctor suggested eating a bowl of vitamin-fortified cereal at night." A.G.

Other hot topics this week

Cravings! Try to satisfy them without binging on junk food. Choose healthy snacks, such as celery and carrot sticks, hummus, melon and mango.

Keeping up a gentle exercise regime will really benefit you. These exercises are recommended throughout pregnancy.

Why so many pregnant women get constipation and how to avoid it.

Need to buy bigger bras to support your rapidly expanding bust? Find out why you may be better off avoiding under-wire bras during pregnancy.

Is it safe to use insect repellent and flea spray when you're pregnant?

Ectopic pregnancy -- what to look out for.