Pregnancy Diary: 6 Weeks Pregnant – Morning Sickness & Spotting

I’m 6 weeks pregnant. Well, 6 weeks and two days. It’s Sunday, 29th March 2020. In my 5 weeks update, I wrote about how worried I was all the time about miscarrying. Every time I went to the toilet, I was scared there would be blood. Over the past 3 or 4 days, I’d been feeling slightly more relaxed about this. I think that’s largely because the morning sickness from hell kicked in, which has been distracting me from over-analysing everything. Hard to worry about miscarriage when you’re too busy feeling absolutely dreadful.

Morning Sickness Hits Hard at 6 Weeks

After a few small bouts of nausea that seemed to go away after a few hours in my 4th week, I was playing my piano on Wednesday morning when, at about 9:30 am, it hit me like a ton of bricks. The sickness lasted most of the day and only seemed to ease up in the evening, so I was able to sleep. It was just a constant feeling of ‘I am going to be sick, lie still, lie still’.

The next day, I had it all day without any let-up. I went to bed at around 10 pm but just lay there feeling nauseous. Eventually, I got up and watched TV whilst eating crackers until about 1 am, hoping it would help.

By Friday, I was absolutely fed up. Pregnancy is the worst, and I declared I was never doing this again! Feeling sick all the time is awful. I have an intense fear of vomiting, so constant nausea is my worst nightmare. And I was only 6 weeks pregnant – was this going to get even worse?

I’d really wanted to eat healthily during this pregnancy, but I quickly found that only certain foods were tolerable. Toast, pasta, potatoes, crackers, noodles, and salty crisps seemed to ease the nausea slightly. So that’s what I’d been living on – all beige carbs, all the time. Not exactly the nutritious pregnancy diet I’d planned!

 I had dinner at around 8pm on Friday and started to feel a bit better. The sickness seemed to have lifted! I was able to go to bed and actually sleep. When I woke up the next day, I felt fine. It felt like a miracle. On Saturday, I had hardly any nausea at all, and I was so grateful for the break. I decided not to work out as I didn’t want to risk triggering the sickness again. Instead, I spent the day mostly playing the piano and enjoying feeling somewhat normal.

The Day I Saw Blood: Brown Spotting at 6 Weeks

I woke up on Sunday, and sadly, the nausea was back with a vengeance. I got up and made toast, feeling sorry for myself. Then I decided to go back to bed. I went to the toilet first, and that’s when I saw it – blood when I wiped. My absolute nightmare had become reality, and I cannot tell you how terrifying that moment was. My heart sank. It was dark brown blood – more like watery brown discharge – and it got darker, then lighter again over the next few visits to the bathroom.

From pregnancy apps and a Facebook group I was in, I knew that spotting was fairly common in early pregnancy. Dark brown blood is generally a good sign, as it’s old blood. I knew it was only something to really worry about if I started bleeding bright red blood. Despite knowing this logically, my mind still went into complete overdrive. It didn’t help that the country was in COVID lockdown, and it was a Sunday, so I couldn’t call my GP for advice or reassurance.

To make matters worse, my midwife appointment that was supposed to be on the 14th April had been cancelled due to COVID – they weren’t seeing non-urgent patients face-to-face. I’d get a call at some point for a shorter appointment over the phone instead. No scan, no reassurance, just a phone call.

I spent all day lying in bed feeling utterly miserable about everything. I wasn’t sure I was able to do this – pregnancy was proving to be physically and mentally exhausting in ways I’d never imagined. The combination of relentless nausea and the fear of miscarriage was overwhelming.

6 Weeks 6 Days: Getting Anti-Sickness Medication

Thankfully, the spotting stopped. There was a tiny bit on Monday, but none since then. What a relief. The morning sickness, however, had not stopped. Not even slightly. I’d been absolutely miserable – in bed all day, feeling sick, and even eating didn’t make me feel better anymore. The smell of food had become disgusting. Everything made me queasy.

And if one more person tells me to try ginger, I may actually scream. Of course, I’ve tried ginger! Ginger beer, ginger sweets, ginger tea, ginger biscuits, crystallised ginger – I’ve tried it all. Now the mere thought of ginger makes me feel sick. Ginger is the worst so-called morning sickness cure! Don’t bother!

By Tuesday, I’d had enough. I couldn’t cope anymore – I wasn’t getting any break from the nausea, and all I could do was lie in bed and stare at the wall. I called my GP, and thankfully, she prescribed some anti-sickness medication. It was a phone appointment that took all of 2 minutes, then she sent my prescription electronically to the pharmacy. A hundred tablets, which would last about 5-6 weeks.

The medication hasn’t stopped the sickness completely, but it has taken the edge off. The nausea is still there in the background, and I still can’t stand the smell or taste of certain foods, but at least I’m able to get out of bed now. I can play the piano and do some work from home, which is a massive improvement.

I know that over the next 3 weeks, my hormones will continue to increase, and the morning sickness could potentially get worse. I’m just hoping the tablets continue to help keep it at bay. I hate being pregnant. (I’m grateful to be pregnant, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t wait for this baby to be here so I can feel like myself again!)

Midwife Appointment Update

My midwife appointment is now a phone appointment on 15th April. I’ll be 8 weeks 5 days.

Final Thoughts

Week 6 of pregnancy was brutal. The combination of relentless morning sickness and the terrifying brown spotting made it one of the hardest weeks of the entire pregnancy. I felt physically awful and emotionally drained, questioning whether I could actually do this.

Getting the anti-sickness medication was a turning point – it didn’t cure the nausea, but it made it bearable enough that I could function. If you’re experiencing severe morning sickness, please don’t hesitate to ask your GP for help. There’s no prize for suffering through it.

The spotting stopped, the baby was fine, and eventually the sickness eased too. But at 6 weeks, it felt never-ending. If you’re in the thick of it right now, I’m sending you so much sympathy.

Frequently Asked Questions: 6 Weeks Pregnant

Is brown spotting normal at 6 weeks pregnant?

Yes, brown spotting is quite common in early pregnancy and is usually nothing to worry about. Brown blood is old blood, which is generally a good sign. However, if you have bright red bleeding, severe cramping, or you’re concerned, always contact your midwife or GP. The spotting I experienced at 6 weeks stopped after a day or so and everything was fine.

When does morning sickness start?

Morning sickness typically starts around 6 weeks pregnant, though it can begin earlier or later. For me, it hit hard at 6 weeks and was absolutely relentless. Despite the name, ‘morning’ sickness can happen at any time of day – mine was all day long!

Can you get anti-sickness medication for pregnancy?

Yes! If your morning sickness is severe and affecting your ability to function, speak to your GP. I called mine at 6 weeks when I couldn’t get out of bed, and she prescribed anti-sickness tablets that made a huge difference. Don’t suffer in silence – there is help available.

Does ginger help with morning sickness?

Ginger is often recommended for morning sickness, but it didn’t work for me at all. I tried ginger beer, ginger tea, ginger biscuits, ginger sweets, and crystallised ginger – and eventually, ginger itself started making me feel sick! Everyone’s different, so it might work for you, but don’t feel bad if it doesn’t.

What foods help with morning sickness?

For me, plain carbohydrates were the only things I could tolerate: toast, pasta, potatoes, crackers, noodles, and salty crisps. It’s not the healthy pregnancy diet I’d planned, but when you’re that nauseous, you eat whatever you can keep down. Every woman is different – some find cold foods better, others prefer hot.

How long does morning sickness last?

For most women, morning sickness eases around 12-14 weeks, though some experience it longer. At 6 weeks, when mine was at its worst, I was worried it would never end. The anti-sickness medication helped me get through those brutal early weeks.

All my pregnancy diary blog posts:

Pregnancy Diary Week 4

Pregnancy Diary Week 5

Pregnancy Diary – 6 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary – 7 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary – 8 Weeks Pregnant

Pregnancy Diary – 9 Weeks Pregnant

Pregnancy Diary – 10 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary – 11 & 12 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary: 13 & 14 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary: 15 & 16 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary: 17 & 18 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary: 19 & 20 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary: 21 & 22 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary: 23 & 24 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary: 25 & 26 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary: 27 & 28 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary: 29 & 30 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary: 31 & 32 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary: 33 & 34 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary: 35 & 36 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy Diary: 37 & 38 weeks pregnant

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