Weekly Pregnancy Calendar : Week Six

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Week Six

Published 02.26.2008 | Permanent Link | Comments (26)

Your baby:

Has tripled or even quadrupled in size and is now three or four entire millimeters long! Godzilla baby!

Is working on growing a nose, some ears and a mouth.

Is also growing flappy little leg and arm buds.

Has a heartbeat that can be seen on an ultrasound -- 100 to 160 beats per minute.

You:

Are maybe moody as hell.

Are getting up in the middle of the night to pee.

Food cravings and/or aversions can be pretty strong at this point. If salad with a prenatal vitamin chaser makes your stomach flip and your esophagus burn, then for God's sake skip the salad and eat something that sounds appealing, be it chicken nuggets or black olives straight out of the can. There's no need to be the Healthy Salad Martyr Pregnant Woman, nobody likes her anyway.

Depending on the state of your digestive system and appetite, you may have gained a couple pounds already -- or you may have lost weight. Don't stress either way right now. It'll probably all even out in the end.

If you are "lucky" enough to score an ultrasound this week, you'll probably be able to see your baby's heartbeat. It's ridiculously exciting, considering it mostly looks like some flickering pixels on a TV with really crappy reception. After seeing the heartbeat, your risk of miscarriage shoots down to 10 to 15%. It's not as great as getting out of the double-digits (at 10 weeks your risk is only 3%), but still. In the crapshoot of fertility, take the sighs of relief whenever you can get them.

I saw my own little Quasimobryo's heartbeat on Monday, and pumped my fists in the air and told my husband to get my toddler's giant melon head out of the way of the screen. My doctor attempted to get a better idea of the baby's gestational age by measuring the head-to-rump length (which in these early days is more like "head-like-bulge-to-tail-like-tadpole-bottom), but came up with a measurement of only 5 weeks, 6 days.

I've decided to go ahead and ignore this age, because 1) it would be very, VERY unlikely to see a strong, obvious heartbeat at that age, 2) ultrasound measurements are very, VERY unreliable, particularly early on, and 3) I don't want to believe I am going to be pregnant for that many more weeks.

So I'm sticking with my earlier hunch that I am six full weeks along and closing in on week seven. Take THAT, science! You can't make me believe things I don't want to believe!

And for those of you who are not me, and therefore probably aren't nearly as interested in my Gestational Age of Mystery, may I just encourage y'all to take it easy? During my first pregnancy, I actually tried to fight my symptoms. No naps! Naps are for the weak! No junk food even though oh my God it would taste so good and be the edible equivalent to getting someone to scratch that one itch right in the middle of your back where you can't reach...oh...ahhh. No! You eat salad and healthy grilled chicken! (Even though: chicken! Ew! Puke!) No Tylenol no matter how much your head hurts! Sack up, little camper!

Try to rest. You aren't lazy or out of shape -- you're pregnant and there's just no fighting this fatigue. Try to eat what will stay down with the least amount of discomfort. Pay attention to your fiber intake (trust me, you don't want to add hemorrhoids to your first-trimester woes) and don't freak out if you had a tad less Folic Acid today than yesterday. Extra orange juice is a noble idea, but not if it's causing you fetal-position-type heartburn. I remember trying to act specifically NOT pregnant at work during the first trimester, but there definitely comes a time to cry uncle, eat the box of powdered donuts and then ask your boss if you can leave an hour early so you can go home and take a nap.

Oh Yeah, THIS: I miss pooping. That is all.

New This Time Around: I'm freaking itchy. All the time. My skin doesn't look or feel particularly dry, but MY GOD IT ITCHES. And when I scratch, I give myself welts and hives. And yet, I scratch. I sat in a friend's living room this weekend and scratched and scratched and scratched at my upper arms because it was driving me out of my mind and finally she asked if I had a rash or a bug bite or just some wicked cocaine withdrawal symptoms because MY GOD STOP SCRATCHING.

Surprise! It's yet another common symptom of pregnancy. Pruritus gravidarum, if you want to be all technical about it. Nearly 20% of pregnant women suffer from it -- most often in the third trimester, but it can occur at any time. I'm proof! Cooling lotions with menthol and camphor are the best treatment, although antihistamines can be brought in for really severe, going-to-lose-my-mind-or-claw-my-skin-off cases.

Pregnancy Video for the Week:
What questions should I ask when picking an OB/Gyn or midwife?

Comments (26):

psumommy said:

Yay! Now even more of an excuse to ignore my existing children and sit in front of the computer! :)

Also...colace. And from what I understand, carrots and peanut butter. You know what I'm talking about.

Posted on February 27, 2008 12:49

obabe said:

when my OB warned me about the side effect of zofran (constipation) i didnt even pay attention. (concentrated more on not wanting to puke all the dam time)

three weeks into taking it and i would PAY MONEY to take a normal crap again.
refried beans seemed to help though.

this blog/calendar ROCKS.

Posted on February 27, 2008 14:36

MamaB said:

When I was pregnant with #1, I was also SO, SO itchy. I couldn't sleep at night. My solution was to get some Vitamin E oil from Trader Joe's and pour it into a bath and just soak. It helped immensely.

Posted on February 27, 2008 15:22

Tricia Theis Rogalski said:

I ditto psumommy's advice. COLACE COLACE COLACE. EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Ahhhhhh.

Posted on February 27, 2008 15:52

Ophiothela said:

Oooh the itches! I could sit and scratch all day. I scratched so much the other day my husband freaked out because I was bleeding out of my ear. sheesh.

Posted on February 27, 2008 16:18

Elizabeth said:

How is it that reading about the unfortunate symptoms of pregnancy makes me miss being pregnant and wonder if it's time to start trying again? What is WRONG with me?

One of my friends had a lot of first-trimester itching. She found that a lotion with calendula in it was helpful.

Posted on February 27, 2008 16:25

gaffentine said:

Thank you THANK YOU thank you for this! I'm newly pregnant after trying for TWO. YEARS. and my stupid doctor won't see me until MARCH. I am freaking out over here, and since I am exactly as far along as you (due Oct. 17, best uneducated guess, see above re: haven't seen the damn doctor yet), this calendar is PRICE. LESS.

(And, Colace: duly noted!)

THANK YOU.

Posted on February 27, 2008 17:09

Tracey B. said:

Congratulations, again! Your entry almost makes me want to be pregnant again. Well, almost. It's well written, but I am not THAT far removed from pregnancy to remember that all of that crappy stuff you're writing about isn't so funny when you're living it!

Take care!

Posted on February 27, 2008 17:23

MrsHaley said:

@obabe -- Ask your OB if you might switch to Phenergan. The constipation isn't nearly as bad for me as it was on Zofran. I'm 10w2d and have been taking it (and still pooping) since 6w.

Posted on February 27, 2008 17:25

Muirnait said:

Ah, Amy, I am not remotely pregnant nor likely to be any time soon (seeing how I'm single and all not active...) but I still love your writing and your take on things, so this oughta be fun :-D

Posted on February 27, 2008 17:49

Ida said:

I am so excited about this site. I too am in the early stages of pregnancy, due Oct. 28. I can't wait to keep up with all of your research. It will keep me from having to do it.

Posted on February 27, 2008 22:16

Wallydraigle said:

The itching! I thought I was crazy! Or just not exfoliating enough or drinking enough water (in retrospect, this is impossible, as I drink about a gallon a day). This, along with the excessive ear wax is such a wonderful revelation to me. No one I know has ever had this condition during pregnancy, so I was a little befuddled.

Posted on February 28, 2008 01:10

Stacitee said:

Did the doctor tell you how fast the heartbeat was? I know it is an old wives tale that you can tell the sex of the baby by how fast the heartbeat is... but still... fun to try to figure it out, yes?

Posted on February 28, 2008 03:00

Amy Corbett Storch said:

Stacitee - no, he didn't! Pout. We didn't get a print-out, either.

Although Noah's heartbeat was always firmly in the "it's a girl!" range of that old wives' tale. AND the Chinese lunar calendar said he was going to be a girl. (This time it says I'm having a boy.) The only old wives' tales that turned out to be "true" were the way I carried (high and all in front) and my salt/meat/cheese cravings.

Oh, and Aveeno makes a lotion with menthol, and it has made a WORLD of difference with the itching. Although I smell kind of medicine-y. But at least I'm not clawing my skin off anymore.

Posted on February 28, 2008 09:22

LGraves65 said:

Every OB nurse I've known (50+) says the heartbeat/sex connection isn't accurate until the end of the pregnancy, when boy babies' heart rates tend to slow down and girls' remain the same (in the 150s).

It was accurate for me. Both my boys were in the 150s until the last couple of visits, when they dropped down to 120 or so, IIRC.

Posted on February 28, 2008 11:02

selzach said:

I had the crazy itchies with my first. Aloe vera gel worked wonders.

Posted on February 28, 2008 12:43

acumomma said:

Also preggo - 3rd one! Our second is 17 months (obviously this one wasn't planned) - excited to find your blog. Am itching like there is no tomarrow - definitely believe there is an emotional component to it though (thoughts of - omg - we're going to be outnumbered...etc). But the poo thing - anyone tried adding a flaxseed oil supplement. I've never even heard of all these Dr. RX's! Have to say I have the opposite problem in all my pregancies - loose, loose stools. Good Luck ladies!

Posted on February 28, 2008 13:56

shaunnam said:

This blog is such a great discovery! I, too, am 6 weeks pregnant with our first, due October 24th. And it's so great to read the stories of others! I've only known I'm pregnant for about 10 days and I think the Mr. is already getting sick of the blow-by-blow description of symptoms (although I must give him credit for trying hard to be very supportive). I'll be checking back regularly!

Posted on February 28, 2008 23:35

bessa said:

OMG the itchies. They were awful during my 3rd Trimester with my first. I was told it was just stretching skin, but this was different. My doc told me to put cortisone cream on my belly.

Nine weeks preggo with number 2, here. Get to hear heartbeat on Monday! And number 1 is going to be ONE in April. Yes, it was planned. Yes, we're crazy. But our little girl is the easiest baby ever. I hope that repeats itself!

Posted on February 29, 2008 16:09

Corie said:

I love your blog and have already bookmarked this site for future reference. And I love the picture at the top. One thought (that you may have already thought of and deemed completely impractical)...did you think about using the pregnancy test to indicate how far along you currently are and then move it every week? It may be a lot of work, but I thought it might be kind of cool...

Posted on February 29, 2008 17:19

akanejones said:

6 weeks and some change with #1 here (due 10/21/08). No doctors for me until the first week of April so all of my knowledge so far is through the internet. Thanks for starting this--it'll be great to have a handful of people going through this at the same time! Although I'm 33, I'm the first among my social circle to bite the bullet and have kids so I'm a bit of a loner in this department. I haven't had any itching yet (thank God) but I did just drink a big honking glass of prune juice for the first time ever so know that I'm there with you on some of the symptoms.

Posted on February 29, 2008 20:55

thatgirlkelly said:

OMG, pooping, I soooo miss pooping. I don't think I ever thought I would write those words.

Posted on March 1, 2008 22:56

Stacitee said:

Thanks for saying maybe/maybe not about caffeine causing miscarriages. As someone who had 2 miscarriages before learning about the caffeine thing it has been hard to not wonder if my one espresso a day habit was responsible.

Posted on March 5, 2008 11:15

E. said:

This is probably late, but maybe this will help those viewing the archives:

Dear Constipateds,

4 organic pears per day. It works for chemo patients, maybe it will work for pregnant ladies.

That is all.

Posted on May 8, 2008 21:13

MrsC said:

I feel a bit better after reading this because I was all confused as to why I have food cravings now... in my first pregnancy I didn't have cravings until the second trimester. And today I had to go to Taco Bell or my head would explode.

At least this pregnancy I am not working so I can rest and take it easy. I mean, at least I'm not having to nap in my cubicle. Napping on the couch is so much more comfortable, with the dulcet tones of Dora and Diego in the background.

Posted on June 26, 2008 17:19

Anonymous said:

Prune jiuce has become my best friend...but be causious only drink it when you no you'll be at home...I made the mistake of drinking it at work! It was horrible!

Posted on July 21, 2008 11:35

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About this column

Zero to Forty is a week-by-week guide to the miracle of pregnancy and all the various indignities that come with it. New installments will be published on Wednesdays, with other pregnancy-related content and ramblings to be published whenever the columnist can stay awake long enough to type themzzzzzz.

The column is well-researched but not written by a health care professional. Consider it your internet BFF pregnancy guide. See our legal disclaimer below.

About the author

Amy Corbett Storch, aka Amalah, is a freelance writer and professional blogger from Washington, DC. She is currently knocked up with her second child, due in October. Her first child is still currently wearing diapers. Amy is currently wondering what she has gotten herself into now.

Amy also writes Alpha Mom's Advice Smackdown.

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