Today we are talking about Week 6 of your pregnancy! Right now, your baby is about the size of a lentil or a sweet pea! While she still looks a little like an alien, baby’s nose, mouth and ears are developing and her eyes look like dark little spots on the side of her head. Her little arms and legs are also starting to pop out in the form of little buds. Measuring your little one at this stage is usually done from the crown of her head to her cute little rump and at week 6, this measurement is about 1/5th to a ¼ inch long. Her heart is beating at 100-160 beats per minute, about twice as fast as your own.
As for you, mama, your body might not look different on the outside, but on the inside, you are busy! Your symptoms can include frequent urination (yep, still!), fatigue, heart burn and indigestion, nausea, vomiting, bloating, gas and all sorts of fun things. Seriously, the gas is awful during pregnancy. I didn’t think the human body could produce smells like that, but it does and it’s normal!
Your hormones are causing more than physical changes, they may be making you feel like you have split personalities. Ricocheting emotions are caused partly by fluctuating hormones, but also, your life is about to change in a huge way, and that’s definitely cause for feeling emotional.
Know that all these symptoms are completely normal. In the coming weeks, as your baby grows, your body is going through a lot of changes.
There are a lot of odd side effects and symptoms that you’re going to experience that are all just par for the course of pregnancy. From Hyperpigmentation, skin tags, and excessive sweating, to food cravings and aversions, you’ll go through a lot before you get to the finish line!
Let’s talk a little about hyper-pigmentation. What does that even mean? And what is it? Hyperpigmentation is basically the darkening of areas that have more pigment already. This can include freckles, scars, nipples, genitals, thighs and armpits. Every single acne scar I’ve ever had has resurfaced for me during this pregnancy.
About 90% of pregnant women experience some form of skin darkening during pregnancy. This may be in the areas mentioned earlier or something called the Lines Nigra which is a vertical line that appears on your pregnant belly from around your breastbone to your pubic bone.
There’s not much you can do to prevent this hyper pigmentation from occurring. It’s just part of pregnancy and the darkened areas will likely fade back to pre-pregnancy shades once your postpartum hormones regulate.
This week on the podcast we have Mama Amy Dietrich sharing her labor and birth story with us. Make sure you take a listen and subscribe for more episodes.