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
Did you know that your baby is the size of a prune now? He or she can flex legs, and arms, bring hands together over the abdomen, and is actually growing hair and fingernails. And the hormones keep climbing, which means that everything and everyone are getting on your last nerve. Boob pain aside, your emotions are really crazy now and it’s time to seriously think about a massage or a trip to solitary confinement at a spa. Nothing your partner can say or do except nod and clear the room. Hang in there, ‘the times they are a changing’. Three more weeks and your boobs, mood, and attitude will improve as you get ready to enter the second trimester.
Baby Development
Kidneys start producing urine, and the brain is busting out new neurons at incredible rates, with nearly 300,000 new neurons forming every minute. The liver begins making more red blood cells—a job once done by the yolk sac. If you could scuba-dive around the amniotic cavity, you could spot tiny nails and distinct fingers and toes, fuzzy-stuff on the skin that will eventually be lanugo hair. The baby can bend his or her limbs and makes weird sorts of movements. Eyelids remain shut, but the eye color is forming. The head is still like a potato head and about half the size of the whole body. A doppler stethoscope can be used to hear the heartbeat at ten weeks. Still too early to see any genitals yet. The spinal bone is forming, and that reptilian tail is gone—and part of the neck is visible. Only a quarter of an ounce and the size of an egg, this super baby will double in size in a few weeks.
Pregnancy Nutrition Week 6
Constipation is a frequent problem of the 10th week of pregnancy. Thus, focus on food that can help you to strike it! The best way to counter constipation is with fluids, fruits, and vegetables aka roughage. Going for the green can help you go—like kiwi that has a potent laxative effect as do plums or prunes. Try for 25-35 grams of nutrient-dense fiber each day. And while you’re at it, be sure to shun those classic cloggers, refined grains (white bread, white rice, refined cereals, and pasta). Also, don’t max out at mealtime. 6-8 mini-meals are best because big meals overwhelm your gastrointestinal tract and make you groggy. Keep a water bottle at hand, and you’ll experience less bloat and have softer stools that won’t aggravate hemorrhoids.