6th week of pregnancy - what happens in the body of mother and child?

Week 6 is the second month of pregnancy. You are not yet aware that you will soon be a mother. However, you can already share the good news with your loved ones. If you have already been to the gynaecologist, you know the approximate date of birth. The doctor calculates this based on the first day of your last menstrual period.

The mother's feelings in the 6th week of pregnancy

The 6th week of pregnancy is the time when you will certainly already feel the first pregnancy symptoms. Symptoms that occur in the first trimester include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• enlarged and tender breasts
• increased urination
• lack of energy and drowsiness
• mood swings

All symptoms in the 6th week of pregnancy are associated with an increase in hormones in the blood. Oestrogen, progesterone and chorionic gonadotropin are used to prepare your body for the baby's intense growth and birth. Your mood may deteriorate. Most unpleasant symptoms disappear by the end of the first trimester. Remember that every expectant mother experiences the beginning of pregnancy differently.

Your belly has not yet changed in the 6th week of pregnancy. You will have to wait a little longer for the first curves. The size of your pregnancy belly depends on the individual characteristics of your body. Normally it starts to grow towards the end of the first trimester.

Baby in the 6th week of pregnancy

In the 6th week of pregnancy, the baby develops very intensively. The first nuclei of the internal organs have already formed. They will now grow and slowly prepare to fulfil their tasks. Also present are the structures that will soon develop into the upper and lower limbs. The baby's appearance at 6 weeks is compared to that of a tadpole or shrimp.

The 6th week of pregnancy is a very important time for the development of your baby's nervous system. At this time, the neural tube forms and closes. This is the structure from which the brain and spinal cord will develop. When this process is disturbed, serious defects occur. However, it has been shown that they can be prevented with the help of folic acid supplementation. 

In the 6th week of pregnancy, the baby already measures about 5-6 millimetres. You can see it during an ultrasound scan (USG). It is very small and barely visible. However, it is quite possible that you will also hear its heartbeat. This organ is not yet fully formed, but it has a function.