Cow & Gate - Devoted to feeding babies

Your pregnancy - week by week

Sign-up for our free emails


select your due date:



Pregnancy calendar - week 6

image of advisor

Discovering you’re pregnant can bring on all sorts of emotions – happiness, excitement and nervousness, too! Most mums-to-be have lots of questions bubbling away and we’ve got lots of advice to help you on this site. Sometimes a chat works wonders though, so if there’s anything you need to ask about looking after yourself during pregnancy, we’re here to help.

Suzanne, pregnancy advisor and mum

Your baby’s development


Your baby’s now about 8mm long – double the size they were last week but still only the size of a little tadpole. Their tiny heart has already started to beat at about 100–130 beats per minute as blood begins to circulate. The little buds that will become arms and legs are starting to form. Brain waves are detectable from day 40 as brain tissues are growing rapidly. Their eyes are starting to take shape and have already started to darken with pigment.

Did you know?

Up to 50% of pregnancies aren’t planned. If you find out you’re pregnant and haven’t been taking folic acid supplements, don’t worry. Just start to take them straight away and carry on until you reach 12 weeks.

You & your body


During early pregnancy, it’s advised to take supplements of folic acid to help reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida. You might be starting to feel nauseous as pregnancy hormones rise. Eating little and often can help, and of course a healthy diet is important to give you both the nutrients you need. Nibbling a dry cracker before you get up in the morning may help settle your tummy.

Back to previous page Back to top

Get involved

Found this article useful?
Rate it!

©  Cow & Gate 2008 - baby and infant, development products and advice

This website is owned by Nutricia Ltd; registered company number 00275552,
registered address Newmarket House Newmarket Avenue White Horse Business Park Trowbridge Wiltshire BA 14 0XQ.