Week 6: feeling a little peaky?
Image: @harrypearson
Welcome to week six of the Happy Parents Happy Baby guide to pregnancy, birth and beyond.
This week we'll be covering:
We hope you enjoy it!
Feeling a little peaky?
If you find yourself reaching for the sick bowl this week, then you’re probably not alone!
Statistically speaking, week six is the most common time for the onset of ‘morning sickness’ although for some it starts as early as week four. If you’re lucky, you might never experience it at all.
If it’s called ‘morning’ sickness, why am I feeling sick all the time?
We’re sorry to break this news, but ‘morning’ sickness is a total misnomer. It’s completely normal to feel sick at any time of the day and that’s why it’s often called pregnancy sickness instead.
What causes morning sickness?
Morning sickness is thought to be a reaction to high levels of pregnancy hormones which is why it is usually worst for most people in the first trimester when their body is adjusting to being pregnant.
How long is morning sickness likely to last?
For most, morning sickness resolves by 16-20 weeks. But a small proportion of women will experience it throughout their entire pregnancy.
Is there anything that makes me more likely to suffer from morning sickness?
You may be more likely to experience morning sickness if you’ve had it in a previous pregnancy, are expecting twins or triplets, are obese or have a history of migraine headaches. Morning sickness will not harm your baby, but if you have severe sickness known as hyperemesis gravidarum, it is important to seek medical help.
How can I cope with morning sickness?
Unfortunately there’s no cure or treatment for morning sickness but there are some things you can try which might ease it a little. Everyone is different so it’s worth giving everything a try to see what works for you.
Eat little and often and avoid greasy or spicy foods
Stay hydrated with small sips of water throughout the day
Bland, boring and beige food may help keep the nausea at bay
Try eating plain toast or a cracker before you get out of bed in the morning. Having an empty stomach can exacerbate the feeling of sickness.
Fresh air can help blow the cobwebs of nausea away. If you can’t face going out, open some windows and doors in your house.
Rest - feeling or being sick can really wipe you out so make sure you take time to sit down, read a book or have a nap.
There is some evidence that ginger may help with nausea or sickness so try a ginger drink or biscuit.
If your nausea and sickness is quite severe, your GP might be able to prescribe you an anti-sickness medicine called an antiemetic which is safe to take during pregnancy.
Your baby’s development in week six
Size of a pomegranate seed
Around 5mm long
Around week six your baby’s tiny heart will begin to beat and this might be visible on an early ultrasound scan.
Your baby is still known as an embryo and is curved with a tail - resembling a tadpole! There are small swellings where your baby’s arms and legs are developing and small dimples are forming on the side of the head which will eventually be the ears.
Amazing!
Week 6 Checklist
You might like to:
Check ingredients: including medicines, shampoos and skin productscle/beauty-ingredients-pregnancy-safety-toxic as ingredients such as retinol or parabens are not recommended in pregnancy.
Make a worry list. Pregnancy can be a rollercoaster of emotions and often writing down your thoughts can help you rationalise them. Do seek help if you need it.
Know which foods to avoid. You can find a list here.
Spotlight on: Discharge
Each week we'll be delving into the common symptoms of early pregnancy and bringing you top tips for managing them from our team of specialists and parent community.
What’s with all the discharge?
Why? You’re probably used to the amount of discharge you produce throughout your monthly cycle and let us reassure you that it’s normal to have it in pregnancy too. However, you may find that you have more discharge than usual right now and this is your body’s way of stopping any infections from travelling up the vagina to the womb. Healthy discharge is usually clear or milky white and doesn’t smell bad.
If you have discharge which feels sore or itchy around your vagina, smells bad, is yellow, green or brown in colour or if you have pain when you pee, this might be a sign that something else is going on. Speak to your midwife or GP who will be able to advise you. Thrush and urine infections are more common during pregnancy.
Top Tips for pregnancy discharge
‘Grab yourself some decent panty liners - otherwise you might find things a little sore down below’ - Lucy
‘All I can say is that Femfresh and I became very good friends during the first trimester! Things did ease off later on in pregnancy.’ - Natasha
‘I’d never had it before but I was quite prone to thrush in both my pregnancies so do call your GP if you’ve got symptoms.’ - Catherine
Birth story of the week
This week we catch up with Tori and Fraser from our Forest Gate antenatal course, who found out at 6 weeks that they were having twins.
“We found out I was pregnant with twins very early on, at 6 weeks and were very surprised but excited. I was a bit anxious about the pregnancy, but the hypnobirthing techniques and guided meditations I learnt on the Happy Parents Happy Baby course really helped me to chill out and feel excited about the birth."
“The first time I saw my babies I was so thrilled! When Skye was held up over the curtain, it was just joy hearing her cries and was the best sound I've heard. Jamie came out a minute later and again his little cries were the best thing. He was shown to us with his arms stretched wide out, superman style, and he still does this little pose regularly. We really enjoyed the variety of sessions HPHB provided and felt that we were able to be informed in all aspects of the birth.”
We’re doubly overjoyed to share this story of Skye and Jamie’s birth!
Treat of the week
If you’re feeling the pregnancy fatigue, why not try these Spacemasks to help send you off at night?
They are safe to use in pregnancy and contain essence of jasmine to help you relax.
Products are based on suggestions from our specialists and community of parents. We may earn commission from shopping links.
Join our community
Happy Parents Happy Baby is here to support you through every step of your pregnancy, birth and parenting journey.
Connect with other parents-to-be and learn everything you need to know, by joining our award-winning antenatal classes.
That's all for now...
Thank you so much for joining us - see you next week!
Information you
can trust
Our articles are based on the latest-evidence based guidelines and scientific research and are written by our team of medical experts.
Coming up
next week
The emotional rollercoaster of pregnancy
Spotlight on: food aversions and cravings
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