6 weeks pregnant: limb buds and the first wave of nausea
Nausea often arrives about now, just as your baby starts to grow arms, legs and ears. Practical ways to get through the week.
Updated October 13, 2026 · sources checked October 13, 2026
In short
At 6 weeks you are in the first trimester. The NHS describes an embryo of around 6 mm with limb buds for arms and legs and tiny dents where the ears will be. Morning sickness often starts now. The one thing to do this week: eat little and often, keep a snack by your bed, and call if you cannot keep fluids down.
Where you are at 6 weeks
You are in the first trimester and in month two by Cleveland Clinic's grouping. Your due date sits about 40 weeks after the first day of your last period: the due date calculator gives it to the day, and the pregnancy week calculator tells you where you are today. If you conceived through IVF, ACOG says your date comes from the embryo's age and transfer date, so follow your clinic.
Your baby this week
The NHS gives a length of around 6 mm and compares the embryo to a pea (its introduction mentions a baked bean; the detailed description says a pea, so take both as "very small"). Some people think it looks like a tadpole, with a little tail.
- Arms and legs are starting as limb buds, and there are tiny dents where the ears will be (NHS).
- There is a bump where the heart is and another where the head will be.
- Cleveland Clinic adds that blood cells are taking shape and the structures that become the eyes and mouth are forming.
- The embryo is covered by a thin, transparent skin.
Your body: morning sickness and more
ACOG says nausea and vomiting of pregnancy usually start before 9 weeks and, for most people, go away by 14 weeks. It can strike at any time of day, though the NHS says it is often worse when you first wake up.
What the NHS suggests:
- keep a plain snack by your bed and eat before getting up
- eat small meals often, about 6 a day, and drink plenty of water in sips
- rest as much as you can, because tiredness makes nausea worse
- some people find ginger, sucking ice cubes or acupressure wristbands help
To be honest about the evidence: a Cochrane review (Matthews 2015, 41 trials) found that ginger may help, but evidence for ginger, acupressure and vitamin B6 is limited and inconsistent. That does not mean they do not work; it means you can try what suits you without pressure. If nothing helps, ask about treatment. Never take an anti-sickness medicine without advice.
Other common signs now: sore breasts, headaches, mood swings, needing to pee more, bloating and a milky discharge.
Is this normal? When to call
Call your midwife, GP or NHS 111 (UK), or your OB-GYN or midwife (US), if you are vomiting and cannot keep food or fluids down for 24 hours, have very dark urine or have not peed in more than 8 hours, feel very weak or faint when standing, have tummy pain or a high temperature, or vomit blood (NHS). The most severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum, affects up to 3 in 100 pregnancies (ACOG) and needs treatment. For any bleeding or one-sided tummy pain, call your early pregnancy unit or provider the same day; call 999 or 911 if severe pain comes with dizziness or fainting.
If you have bleeding and you are frightened of losing the pregnancy: ACOG says a small amount of early bleeding is common and does not necessarily mean a miscarriage, and that when miscarriage does happen it is usually random and not caused by anything you did. Miscarriage UK (support line 0303 003 6464) and Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support in the US are there if you need them.
Appointments and tests coming up
- UK: your booking appointment usually happens between 8 and 12 weeks. If you have not heard back after self-referring, contact your local maternity services (NHS).
- US: your first prenatal visit usually includes blood type and Rh factor, a urine culture and infection screening (ACOG). An early ultrasound may be offered to date the pregnancy if your period dates are uncertain.
Your week 6 checklist
For your partner
Take over cooking and strong smells if you can, keep crackers and water in reach, and do not take mood swings personally.
Previous and next week
Week 5: the heart begins · Week 7: telling people and extra blood · The first trimester · All weeks
Questions parents ask
If I am 6 weeks pregnant, when is my due date?
Your due date is about 40 weeks from the first day of your last period, so at 6 weeks it is roughly 34 weeks away. The due date calculator works it out to the day. ACOG notes that if your period dates are uncertain, an early ultrasound measuring the embryo can be used instead, and after IVF the date is set from the embryo's age and transfer date.
Can you see a heartbeat on a 6 week ultrasound?
Sometimes. The NHS says the heartbeat can sometimes be picked up by a vaginal scan at this stage, though in England you are unlikely to be offered one this early unless you have had IVF. Cleveland Clinic also says pulses may be seen on a vaginal ultrasound around week 6.
Is it normal to have no morning sickness at 6 weeks?
Yes. Not everyone has nausea, and ACOG says it usually starts before 9 weeks, so it may also simply not have begun. Having no symptoms is not, on its own, a sign that something is wrong.
Sources
- NHS — Week-by-week guide: week 6 checked October 13, 2026
- Cleveland Clinic — Fetal development: week-by-week stages of pregnancy checked October 13, 2026
- NHS — Vomiting and morning sickness checked October 13, 2026
- ACOG — Morning Sickness: Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy checked October 13, 2026
- ACOG — How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy checked October 13, 2026
- Matthews A et al. (2015), Cochrane — Interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy (PMID 26348534) checked October 13, 2026
Mamavela explains; it does not replace your midwife, doctor or pediatrician, who know your situation. If something worries you, call them. In an emergency, call 911 (US), 999 (UK) or 112.