Your Pregnancy Week by Week: 6 Weeks

The following information—and much more—can also be found in the free Lamaze Pregnancy Week by Week email. Sign up now to receive helpful information for your stage of pregnancy. Subscribers will be given the opportunity to complete a Lamaze Parent Satisfaction Survey after their pregnancy and receive a Lamaze Toys coupon. We want to hear about your birth experience and the impact that childbirth education may have had so that we can continue to make sure parents have the information they need for the safest, healthiest birth possible.

No matter how you’ve come to this point, you have to start thinking about your lifestyle and your relationships through the lens of a pregnant person. You don’t have to lose sight of what makes you YOU, but give yourself permission to adjust some routines and activities.

What’s new with baby?

Your tiny baby already has the beginnings of a brain, eyes, ears, lungs and heart. In fact, their heart has even begun to beat to its own rhythm! While your little one is no longer than a grain of rice, her tiny arm and leg buds have already started to form.

What’s new with you?

So, it’s true. You are probably now settling into the fact that this pregnancy is happening. You may have confided in one or two people this fact. Are you ready and willing to tell your entire social circle? Here are some questions to ask yourself when deciding when to share your news with a wider circle:

• How is your relationship with your employer? Would you be treated unfairly at work because of your pregnancy? Is it important your employer knows about your pregnancy right away because you will need modifications at your workplace?
• How will the news impact your relationship with this person?
• Do you have travel plans or other commitments with this person such as sports teams or special events that will need to be cancelled or delayed?
• How do you feel about the pregnancy at this point, and are you ready to share those feelings with this person? Remember, both positive and negative feelings are normal.
• How comfortable do you feel telling this person about unexpected events in pregnancy, such as a miscarriage, if it were to happen?

Let's Talk: Due Dates

From the time that you learn you are pregnant, the countdown to your due date begins. But the seemingly simple question “When are you due?” can really be answered by only one person: Your baby.
  

Story from a Mama Who Has Been There

Right from the beginning of my pregnancy, I let go of the idea of a due date. When anyone asked me about my due date, I’d reply, ‘The end of September,’ rather than with a specific date. This way, I hoped to spare myself any unnecessary stress when the big DUE DATE came around and baby had not yet arrived in my arms. My baby and my body knew the perfect time for birth to happen, and they were not tied to a date on a calendar."

A Touch of Inspiration

"Rely on your own inner resources, trust your body's responses, and take joy in preparing for the new life that is now becoming a part of yours." – Peggy O'Mara, editor and publisher of Mothering Magazine

Q & A with an Experienced Childbirth Educator

Question: I'm a little confused about my due date. I figured out a due date online using the day that I think I conceived. Then yesterday, at my first prenatal visit, my doctor asked me about my periods and then used a plastic wheel to come up with a date, which was a few days off from what I had come up with. Then she sent me for an ultrasound and it came up with another date, a few days off in the other direction. How do I know what my real due date is?”

Answer: Your estimated due date is just that—an estimate. It is calculated by adding 40 weeks to the date of your last period, and assumes that you have a 28-day cycle and your baby was conceived around day 14. Since this isn't true for many women, we always say that the due date is not exact. Calculating a due date based on when you conceived or based on an early ultrasound may give different dates, but these are still estimates. Your baby may be quite ready to be born up to two weeks earlier than your estimated due date, or two weeks later. Only your baby's birth day is your real due date!

Many babies take more or less than 40 weeks to be ready for the outside world. In fact, only five percent of babies are born on their estimated due date. Imagine making a batch of popcorn. Most kernels pop during a few noisy moments. But, there are lots of early and late poppers, too. All the popped kernels are perfect—but each needs a slightly different amount of time to be fully cooked. The same is true for babies!

By adopting a relaxed attitude about your due date in early pregnancy, you're practicing patience and trust that will serve you well as your pregnancy progresses. More than likely, you will go into labor only at the right time for you and your baby.

Judith Lothian, RN, PhD, LCCE, FACCE
Co-author of The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence, 2nd edition

Judith Lothian is a childbirth educator and an associate professor of nursing at Seton Hall University. Judith writes and lectures on issues related to birth, breastfeeding and childbirth education. She is the associate editor of The Journal of Perinatal Education and co-author of The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence, 2nd edition.

More Information and Inspiration

• Lamaze International believes that pregnancy is a normal life event. Explore the Lamaze approach to pregnancy.
• Discover tips for a healthy pregnancy.

Just for Fun

You’re still a few weeks away from knowing the sex of your baby. While you’re waiting, you can still have some fun guessing whether your baby will be a boy or girl. Check out some of the ways parents have tried to guess the sex of their baby.