Welcome to the Pregged pregnancy week-by-week series. Each week-by-week post is separated into three handy sections.
1. Mom – Section one covers the changes mom will experience and the things she may need to consider health-wise.
2. Baby – Section two looks at the development of the fetus and what’s going on with baby inside the womb.
3. Nutrition – Section three covers nutrition for each week of pregnancy so that you know what foods are important to include in your diet at each stage.
6 WEEKS PREGNANT – MOM
Just when you need the rest the most, kicks in for about three in four pregnant women. Getting more anxious about the lack of sleep, try a few things like a warm bath, reading, moving to another room or couch, or wake you partner up for some sex. Yes, sex is safe during pregnancy and can be done up until your water breaks or labor starts. It may take some maneuvering for the right position, but it will help relax your body and mind. You might even ask for a massage if sex is too uncomfortable. This late onset insomnia might be Mother Nature’s way of getting you ready for those 2am feedings. Sometimes, hunger itself is the reason for insomnia and taking a trip to the kitchen for a light snack might be the best solution. Try something easy to digest such as cereal or toast. You don’t’ want anything too heavy, but have at that leftover donut if you must. Your food choices now may not follow all the rules, but that’s Ok, Keep taking your prenatal vitamins that contain omega-3 fatty acids or DHA. Brain and vision development depend on these in the last trimester. Even mood disorders such as postpartum depression can be prevented with these fats found in fish oils. It’s probably time to take a tour of your hospital’s labor and delivery suite and ask about their policies for rooming in—sharing a room with your baby- and immediate bonding is proven to strengthen that mother-infant connection. If you are breastfeeding, it’s time to roughen up the nipples—before baby gets ahold of them. Try daily rubbing and twisting but warned, that could start the milk flowing—so have breast pads available.
Baby Development
Oh, my goodness, can the day ever arrive? Even though your baby can live outside on its own pretty well, even probably breathe without help, it’s still too soon to come. Keep hydrated, and rest more so you can make it to your due date. All the fat cells are getting bigger. There will be no more fat cells produced, but they will swell. As an adult, most people will appreciate that fact. How did that baby get a hold of his toes? The fetal position makes that difficult, but other positions not so much. Babies who are breech are often in a ‘U’ shape with their butts on the cervix and their legs up by their faces. Flexible little beings, they are, but their bones are still getting harder and stronger. And, they are contortionists because many breech babies have completely flipped. Some women swear by doing summersaults in a pool to encourage that to happen. If the baby is stubborn, your doctor may do a ‘version’ by manipulating the baby through the abdominal walls. It’s not super simple to do, but worth a try.
Pregnancy Nutrition Week 6
It’s no surprise; it’s complicated making a baby. A healthy pregnancy begins with you by eating a healthy diet. Impressive benefits are just around the corner but be warned; the immune system in pregnancy is not as good as non-pregnant. This is important to protect the baby( an outside) from being rejected as foreign tissue. A pound of prevention is always your best investment when it comes to illness—like frequent hand-washing, don’t touch your face, and stay away from hackers.
Vitamin C is an immune booster, but you can’t store up excess, you have to take it in daily. You get it from raw foods like fruits and vegetables. Cooking destroys the Vitamin C content, though.