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Day 47 of 280 · 6 weeks + 5 days

Sips, not gulps

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 5 sources · Plain-text version

The small drinks that stay down. Why between meals beats with meals this week, and how to keep a bottle within reach all day.

Size this week
about the size and shape of a pea
Length this week
around 6 mm from head to bottom
A Black woman at an office desk in the afternoon with a half-full water bottle beside her keyboard, window blinds casting soft stripes of light, the screen turned away.

Six weeks and five days. A small day: one bottle, and a change in when you drink from it.

Your baby

A single green pea resting on a fingertip, close up, soft window light.

Around 6mm long, about the size and shape of a pea (NHS). Limb buds are forming and the ears are beginning to take shape (NHS). Everything the baby uses comes from you (NHS), which is why fluids matter even on the days food doesn't.

Your body

This week's list from the NHS includes a metallic taste, sore breasts, headaches, frequent urination and mood changes alongside the morning sickness (NHS). Nausea can turn up at any time of day (NICHD), and a stronger sense of smell and gastric reflux can make it worse (MedlinePlus).

What helps, according to MedlinePlus: seltzer, ginger ale and sparkling water may settle things, and it's better to drink between meals rather than with them (MedlinePlus). The same page says to avoid large meals and have a snack as often as every 1 to 2 hours during the day (MedlinePlus). Small and often, for drinks as well as food.

Try today

  1. The between-meals sip

    Time: all day, a few seconds at a time

    1. Fill one bottle this morning and keep it within arm's reach: desk, car, bedside, wherever you are.

    2. Sip between meals, not with them (MedlinePlus).

    3. If plain water turns your stomach, try seltzer, ginger ale or sparkling water instead (MedlinePlus).

    4. At each meal, put the bottle out of reach and eat. Pick it up again once the plate is cleared.

    5. Tonight, note whether you kept more down than yesterday.

    Make it work:

    The bottle pairs with the snack clock. A snack every 1 to 2 hours, a sip in between (MedlinePlus).

Watch for

  • Normal

    headaches, on this week's NHS list (NHS).

    Call your provider

    for a headache that won't go away or gets worse over time, or one that comes with blurred vision or dizziness (CDC).

  • Normal

    a metallic taste and sore breasts (NHS).

    Call your provider

    before you take anything for them; ask whether a medicine is safe before taking it (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    a little dizziness with the nausea; some women have dizziness and headaches alongside morning sickness (MedlinePlus).

    Call your provider

    for dizziness or fainting; both are on the CDC's urgent warning list (CDC).

  • Normal

    feeling warm and off-colour on a bad morning.

    Call your provider today

    for a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher (CDC).

For you

Mood changes are on the NHS's list for this week (NHS), and NICHD says mood swings from hormonal changes can begin a few weeks after conception (NICHD). A hard afternoon this week is chemistry, not a verdict on you, your partner or the pregnancy. It will pass, and the next one will too.

If you're the partner: refill the bottle. It sounds small, and it is, which is why it's easy to keep doing. Notice which drink she reaches for and buy more of that one.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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