6 Weeks Pregnant: Congratulations!

In this article:

• Pregnancy Week 6: All About You
• Pregnancy Week 6: All About Baby
• How Big Is Baby?
• Most Common Pregnancy Questions
• Multiple Madness
• For Your Partner
• Fun Fact
• Follow The Chronicles of a Real-Life Pregnancy
• Join Your Due Date Club

Congratulations! You're pregnant! Get ready for those early pregnancy symptoms.

Just how pregnant are you? Use our Due Date Calculator to find out, and then join a Due Date Club. Here you can compare notes, commiserate, and revel in the many joys of being pregnant with potential friends for life!

Pregnancy Week 6: All About You

Your First Doctor's Visit
Get ready to be poked and prodded! Take heart, it's for a good cause—making sure you and your growing baby-to-be are healthy. Your first prenatal visit will include a complete physical and a thorough medical history. You'll give urine and blood samples to test for a variety of possible health issues.

Urine samples: Often at the beginning of your visit, you'll be asked to give a urine sample. If you're not a pro at peeing in a cup the first time, don't worry, you'll have plenty more practice. You'll give a urine sample at each appointment! With the sample, your healthcare provider can check for kidney problems and urinary tract infections (if left untreated either of these conditions could pose risks to your developing baby). Urinalysis also reveals if your sugar levels are normal—high sugar levels may indicate you're at risk for gestational diabetes.

Blood samples: At some point during your visit you'll have your blood drawn. Your blood will be checked for problems such as anemia; immunity to rubella (>German measles) and possibly chicken pox, and for >sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, hepatitis B, HIV, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Any of these conditions could be harmful to your unborn baby. The good news is that you won't have to give blood or get a pelvic exam at every appointment.

Your blood will also be screened for its Rh factor. A person's blood is either Rh positive or Rh negative. Rh refers to a protein, and the presence of this protein, or lack of it, is referred to as the Rh (for Rhesus) factor. If you are Rh negative and your partner is Rh positive, your baby-to-be might also be positive. While the your and your baby's blood systems are separate, there can be times when your baby's blood might enter your system. If this happens, it could trigger your immune system to create antibodies against the Rh factor and treat your Rh-positive baby like a foreign intruder. Luckily, your healthcare provider can give you medication to keep you and your baby safe and healthy.

Time for a Physical
Your healthcare provider will perform a complete physical. Be prepared: The first part of a physical is stepping on the scale. By looking at your weight, your healthcare provider can make sure that you're gaining just the right amount—not too much, not too little. You'll also have your blood pressure checked. For the exam, your healthcare provider will check your breasts for any irregularities and perform a Pap smear, if it's time for one. He or she will also examine your pelvic area. Carefully working with two fingers in your vagina and a hand on your abdomen, your doctor will make sure your body is ready for the next few months of rapid growth.

Depending on your provider, you may have an ultrasound during your first appointment. Your unborn baby is so tiny an exterior ultrasound might not be able to give you a full picture; ultrasounds this early in the pregnancy are internal.

Talking to Your Healthcare Provider
This first visit gives you time to get to know your healthcare provider. You may want to write down questions before your visit. It's not too early to start talking about your expectations for the birth. Ask questions, like what kind of pain medications your provider might give you or if he or she has experience with water births or any other types of birthing technique you're interested in trying. Don't forget simple questions too, like the best way to reach your provider (especially after hours) and if you'll be speaking directly to your provider or an on-call nurse.

Take time to discuss with your doctor any concerns you have about your pregnancy. At this point, you may be bloated and retaining water. You're probably taking more and more trips to the bathroom. Tenderness may become more noticeable around your breasts and your abdomen.