This week will be the most exciting week of your pregnancy, incredible changes are happening inside your body and your baby is growing and developing day by day. Even though you might not enjoy it as much due to the tiredness, mood swings, and nausea, in this article you will find plenty of helpful tips to help you pass this week smoothly.
Your Baby’s Development
During this week, your baby’s face is now taking shape. Jaws, chin, and cheeks are now beginning to form. your baby’s tiny little heart has now started beating which is a process that takes place between the 5th week and the 6th week.
Your baby now is about 6mm long which is almost the same size as a bean or a tiny tadpole, with a small tail that will soon develop to become the spinal column. Teeny buds are now in the process of becoming legs, arms, lungs, brain, ears, and other organs as well.
It is quite early to tell what the facial features of your baby will be but soon enough the facial features will start to unfold. You can now hear the baby’s heartbeat which can be detected by the vaginal ultrasound at your gynecologist.
Twin Development at Week 6
Some women have a higher risk of developing some pregnancy complications if they are carrying twins. Even though it will probably pass and be all alright, you still need to be extra careful and cautious when it comes to twin babies. Here are some complications that you need to follow up on with your doctor.
- Anemia
- Vaginal bleeding
- Preeclampsia
- Obstetric cholestasis
- Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, which is possible if one baby gets more blood than the other one.
- Preterm labor
- Delayed fetal growth or intrauterine growth restriction
- Gestational diabetes
If you are carrying twin babies, your treatment course might change a little bit to have more doctor visits and more check-ups, you might also have to face certain restrictions. Some women might have to plan an early birth by the cesarean procedure.
Women carrying twin babies might face some weight gain, the weight gain is around 37 to 54 pounds. You might also need more nutrients than if you were carrying one baby. Those nutrients include:
- Calcium
- Folic acid
- Iron
- Protein
What is Happening in Your Body?
Even though the entire pregnancy journey is beautiful, some of the symptoms you will face could be a bit challenging to handle. Those symptoms include:
- Frequent urination
- Morning sickness
- Tiredness
- Sore breasts
- Larger and darker areolas
- Feeling easily irritated
- Mood swings
Those symptoms might sound too tough to handle, however, there are always ways that you can use to handle and manage the symptoms. When it comes to morning sickness, it is not exactly clear why it happens but it is believed that the human chorionic gonadotropin plays a huge role in why the sickness occurs to 80 to 85 percent of women.
What Can You Do to Manage the Morning Sickness?
- Avoid greasy and spicy food
- Eat small meals many times during the day
- Don’t lay down right after eating
- Drink plenty of fluids especially if you have been vomiting
- Drink ginger tea as it might bring you some relief after you get your doctor’s approval
- Ask your doctor if you can take vitamin B-6 as it was reported helpful to many women
When it comes to tiredness, it is completely normal to feel fatigued or tired as the pregnancy hormones are now going up and down as well as the increased blood volume.
What Can You Do to Manage the Tiredness?
- Go to bed earlier
- Do not do many chores
- Drink plenty of fluids during the day to have a good night sleep during the night
- Take many naps as this can help overcome the tiredness
- Rely on fruits or juice and cut off the caffeine.
Plenty of pregnant women suffer from constipation due to the number of prenatal vitamins they take for better health for themselves and their babies. However, that amount of iron in their body might cause them constipation
What Can You Do to Manage the Constipation?
- Do not rely on laxatives and do not take any before consulting your doctor
- Exercise more as it helps you have a better bowel movement which prevents constipation
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Increase the fiber in your food consumption
Tips to Have a Healthy Smooth week
1- Schedule your first prenatal appointment with your doctor, some doctors like to start their follow up with you when you are about six weeks pregnant, some other doctors like to wait till you reach eight weeks.
2- Do not smoke, smoking could easily increase your risk of miscarriage or even worse complications. It might also increase your baby’s chances of having serious health problems after birth and even have a very low birth weight.
If you believe you might have a smoking issue or need help quitting, speak to your doctor about smoking cessation programs.
3- Skip the sauna and the hot tub as both can increase your chances of having a miscarriage or even fetal abnormalities. Make sure you avoid any activity that might bring your temperature higher than 102°F.
4- Drink plenty of water and juices as you will need about 8 to 12 glasses of water during the day as dehydration could lead to bigger problems.
5- Make sure to take your multivitamins on time and daily.
6- Do not drink any alcohol as it might cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) which may cause abnormal facial features or even disabilities.
When to Call a Doctor?
Make sure to immediately seek help and contact your doctor if you face any of the following symptoms:
- Vaginal bleeding
- Severe abdominal pain
- Blurry vision
- Extreme headache
- Severe swelling in fingers or face
- Burning or pain while urinating
- Vaginal fluid leaks
Final Thoughts
During this week, you might face plenty of different symptoms due to the many changes that are happening to you and your baby, make sure you always take it easy and do not pressure yourself, pamper yourself with a few treats now and then, and always remember, a happy momma equals a happy baby.