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
Stretch marks, ugh! There’s really nothing you can do about them except try not to gain rapid and excessive weight. They are red, pink, blue-purple marks and usually start in the lower part of your abdomen. It’s mostly genetic so if sisters and Mother had them, you may get them too. It caused by rapid collagen stretching sort of like a slinky toy. Once you pull the slinky rings too far apart, they won’t go back to their original shape. Your skin loses its elasticity. Cocoa butter coat them if you want, but the problem is internal. The baby is still too little and immature to survive outside of the womb and starts to develop vernix to cover the skin surface that protects the skin from the amniotic fluid. Amniotic fluid is made from both the placenta and fetal urine. I know this sounds gross, but the baby swallows the urine and pees it out. It’s completely harmless because the fluid is sterile inside the bag of water. And of course, the baby’s lungs are fluid filled until birth. That means that your oxygen supply breathes for the baby via the umbilical cord.
Baby Development
Baby’s nutrition is coming from the amniotic fluid and the placenta—via mama. This helps make the digestive tract mature. The contents of the intestines are called meconium due to its contents, consistency, and color—black-greenish-and sticky like molasses. It is composed of cells from the amniotic sac, lanugo, vernix, mucus, amniotic fluid, and water. Baby may have its’ first bowel movement in the womb, but it usually occurs much later. No need to worry since the stool is sterile in the uterus. If you are having a baby girl, her vagina is fully formed at this point. The heartbeat is about 120-160 and can be heard with a stethoscope. It sounds like galloping horses—a stampede. With all ten fingers and toes completely developed, the baby can suck his or her thumb—maybe even the fist for some kids. They have wake-sleep cycles and may prefer sleeping in one favorite position. Baby’s movements should remain steady now –6-10 an hour when awake. Did you know that there are one vein and two arteries in the umbilical cord? Cords are twisted into a helix and can have fake knots or actual knots. Short and long cords have no significance and cords around the neck are common with very active babies and long cords. Cords are made of soft, spongy jelly that protects the blood vessels from pressure in the uterus.
Pregnancy Nutrition Week 6
Half of your pregnancy has passed! As a rule, most women find the time perfect for eating for two. Don’t make the mistake! It will be much easier both for you and your little one in labor if you control your menu and weight. Go on eating often but not as much, choose healthy products containing proteins, calcium, vitamins. Fresh and dried fruits, veggies, white and red meat are perfect for your baby-to-be.
Yogurt and dried plums will help you to strike constipation. Avoid sweets and buns, limit chocolate – as it is a well-known stimulator of the nervous system. Drink up – keep a bottle with fresh water close at hand and make some sips each hour.