Highlights this week
Baby development at 6 weeks
Your baby is about the size of a lentil
Pregnancy symptoms during week 6
Morning sickness
Morning sickness is nausea that can strike at any time of day. It usually starts around 5 or 6 weeks of pregnancy and is likely to ease up by the end of the first trimester.
Frequent urge to pee
Needing to pee more often is among the most common early signs of pregnancy. During pregnancy a lot more blood is flowing through your body, which means your kidneys have extra fluids to process. (Pregnancy hormones play a role in this, too.) Regardless, keep drinking enough water. You can tell you're well hydrated if your urine is pale yellow or colorless.
Mood swings
Many pregnant women find that moodiness flares up around 6 to 10 weeks. Ricocheting emotions are likely caused by stress, fatigue, and hormonal changes. And, of course, there's also the range of feelings you may have about becoming a parent. If you're feeling particularly bad, check for depression using our prenatal depression quiz and talk to your healthcare provider.
Tender, swollen breasts
Breast tenderness can be one of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy. Increased hormone levels boost blood flow, which may make your breasts feel swollen, sore, tingly, and unusually sensitive to touch.
Fatigue
For many women, exhaustion is among the first signs of pregnancy. No one knows for sure what causes fatigue in early pregnancy, but it's possible that hormonal changes – like the dramatic rise in progesterone – are at least partly responsible.
Metallic taste
You may notice a metallic taste in your mouth during the first trimester thanks to a surge in estrogen. You can cope with the copper taste by blushing and flossing frequently, gargling with one teaspoon salt or 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in 8 ounces of water, eating tart or acidic foods, or chewing mint gum.
Strange dreams
With your life changing rapidly, your subconscious is trying to keep up, which means processing your pregnancy in dreamland. Some dream images consistently appear in certain stages of pregnancy. First-trimester pregnancy dreams typically work through anxiety about your changing body, birth, and motherhood.
Headaches
It's common to get headaches during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester. Once you reach the second trimester, headaches may diminish or disappear. Until then, try to identify your headache triggers (like nitrates, MSG, artificial sweeteners, or tobacco smoke) and avoid them. Getting enough sleep, food and water, and exercise can prevent headaches, and relaxation techniques like massage and meditation may help. You can take acetaminophen to relieve headaches during pregnancy, but aspirin, ibuprofen, and some prescription migraine drugs aren't recommended unless approved by your healthcare provider.
Don't see your symptom?
Wondering about a symptom you have? Find it on our pregnancy symptoms page.
Pregnancy checklist at 6 weeks pregnant
Prepare for your first prenatal visit
Is your first prenatal visit coming up soon? It can be a momentous occasion: You'll talk to your doctor or midwife about your pregnancy, and you may have an ultrasound and see your baby's tiny heart beating! Be prepared to discuss your health history, your family's medical history, and your habits. If you haven't yet chosen a doctor or midwife to care for you during your pregnancy, go ahead and find someone so you can get started on your prenatal care. You can always switch to another caregiver later if you want.
Research foods to avoid during pregnancy
During pregnancy, it's wise to skip some foods completely (we're looking at you, deli egg salad). But many other foods that are otherwise unsafe for pregnancy are actually fine if you take a few precautions, like cooking them thoroughly. Find out what's safe to eat and drink during pregnancy and what to avoid.
Learn about prenatal testing options
Screening tests use blood samples and ultrasound to help assess your baby's chances of having Down syndrome or other chromosomal differences. The screenings are non-invasive and don't pose any risk to you or your baby. The results can help you decide whether to have chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis to find out for sure about a potential condition.
Make sure your workplace is safe
Some jobs or hobbies can be hazardous to you and your developing baby. If you're routinely exposed to chemicals, heavy metals (like lead or mercury), certain biological agents, or radiation, you'll need to tell your boss you're pregnant and make some changes as soon as possible.
Try to reduce stress
High levels of chronic stress aren't good for you or your baby. Try to stress less during pregnancy by surrounding yourself with positive people, taking breaks and deep breaths, and blowing off steam by exercising, listening to music, or journaling.
Start your pregnancy to-do list
If you're not sure where to start, check out our ultimate first-trimester pregnancy to-do list. It covers everything you may need or want to tackle now, from investigating health insurance to thinking about baby names.
6 weeks pregnant bellies
A number of factors — like your baby's position in your uterus, how tall you are, whether you're having twins or multiples, and whether you've been pregnant before — may affect when and how much your pregnancy announces itself.
Shorter women, and those who have short torsos, tend to show pregnancy more because there's less vertical room for their baby to fill.
Women who've been pregnant before often start showing earlier than first-time moms because their abdominal muscles have been stretched by their first pregnancy.
This week's video
BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies.
AAFP. 2019. Bleeding during pregnancy - What’s normal? American Academy of Family Physicians. https://familydoctor.org/bleeding-pregnancy-whats-normalOpens a new window [Accessed March 2022]
ACOG. 2020. How your fetus grows during pregnancy. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/how-your-fetus-grows-during-pregnancyOpens a new window [Accessed March 2022]
Mayo Clinic. 2020. Fetal development: The 1st trimester. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/prenatal-care/art-20045302Opens a new window [Accessed March 2022]
MedlinePlus (ADAM). 2021. Fetal development. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002398.htmOpens a new window [Accessed March 2022]
