6 Weeks Pregnant

Baby's Development This Week

During week 6, your baby is undergoing rapid organogenesis. Every day, millions of new cells are forming the foundations of the brain, heart, and limbs. They are safely tucked away in the amniotic sac, receiving all their nutrition through the developing umbilical cord.

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  Facial features begin forming — dark spots where eyes will be, openings for nostrils.
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  The jaw, cheeks, and chin are taking shape.
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  Tiny fingers and toes start to form from the limb buds.
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  The intestines are developing.
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  The embryo is about the size of a sweet pea.

Your Symptoms at Week 6

You are still in the early stages of your journey at week 6. Your body is working overtime to produce the hormones needed to support the pregnancy, which can lead to symptoms like fatigue and nausea. It's important to prioritize rest and stay hydrated during this demanding time.

Week 6 Checklist

• ✓Schedule your first prenatal visit if not done (essential)
• ✓Discuss genetic screening options with your provider (recommended)
• ✓Stay hydrated — aim for 8-10 glasses of water daily (essential)
• ✓Consider a dental checkup (pregnancy can affect gum health) (recommended)

Nutrition in the First Trimester

Early pregnancy nutrition is less about eating "for two" and more about consistency and covering key nutrient gaps, especially since nausea and food aversions are common in the first trimester and can make it hard to eat the way you planned to. If certain foods you used to enjoy suddenly feel unappealing, that’s a normal and common experience — the goal in these early weeks is simply to eat what you can tolerate while keeping your prenatal vitamin consistent, since that’s doing a lot of the nutritional heavy lifting when your actual food intake is inconsistent.

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  Take your prenatal vitamin daily, ideally with food if it causes nausea, and ask your provider about switching brands or formulations if one isn’t sitting well.
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  Small, frequent meals or snacks throughout the day can be easier to tolerate than three large meals, especially if nausea tends to strike on an empty stomach.
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  Bland, carbohydrate-based foods (crackers, toast, rice) are often better tolerated during nausea-heavy stretches — it’s fine to lean on these temporarily.
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  Stay hydrated, sipping fluids throughout the day rather than large amounts at once if nausea makes big glasses of water hard to manage.
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  Avoid alcohol, raw or undercooked meat and eggs, unpasteurized dairy, and high-mercury fish throughout pregnancy, starting now.
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  Don’t worry about calorie counts in the first trimester — actual calorie needs don’t meaningfully increase until later in pregnancy.

Staying Active in the First Trimester

If your provider has cleared you for exercise and you don’t have any pregnancy complications, most forms of moderate exercise you were already doing before pregnancy are generally safe to continue in the first trimester, though fatigue and nausea may naturally reduce your energy for it. Walking, swimming, and prenatal yoga are commonly recommended low-impact options if you’re starting fresh or scaling back from a more intense routine. It’s reasonable to listen to your body more than usual during this stage — if a workout that used to feel easy now feels exhausting, that’s a normal response to the hormonal and physical changes happening early in pregnancy, not a sign you need to push through it.

For Partners: Supporting the First Trimester

The first trimester can be physically and emotionally taxing in ways that aren’t always visible from the outside — nausea, fatigue, and mood shifts are common even when nothing looks different yet. Partners can help most in these early weeks by taking on more of the practical load (meals, errands, household tasks) without needing to be asked, checking in about how they’re actually feeling rather than assuming things are fine, and being patient with the unpredictability of symptoms like nausea and exhaustion that can vary significantly day to day.

Frequently Asked Questions