Nine Weeks Pregnant

Welcome to the third month of pregnancy! At nine weeks pregnant, your baby is about the size of a cherry tomato now and weighs less than an ounce. Do not worry though, your baby will get much bigger and weigh much more as your pregnancy progresses.

Your Baby’s Development

Your baby will start to resemble a baby about now. The arms, legs, head and torso have all developed and the tail should have disappeared as the spinal column will have developed by pregnancy week nine. If you looked at your baby now, the head will still look large as the brain develops quickly, and the hands and feet will still be webbed.

The sex organs will have started development by now. However, it will be another 10 weeks or so before anyone will be able to tell you if you have a boy or girl. The sex of the baby is usually seen at the 20 week scan, which can take place between 18 and 22 weeks gestation.

The eyelids will have developed by nine weeks pregnant and the eyes will be fused shut. This helps the eyes develop and they will not open until about 27 weeks pregnant. The heart will also have developed dramatically, now forming the four chambers.

Changes in You

You will continue to put on weight, unless you suffer from very bad morning sickness, but this weight is likely to be water retention. Your weight will fluctuate much more than usual throughout the day so if you are going to measure yourself, ensure you do it at the same time each day. This will help to avoid any major fluctuations.

It is worth remembering that your weight gain is not necessarily fat. There is the weight of your baby, the placenta and the amniotic fluid to think about. Some fat is beneficial during pregnancy and will help to support the weight of your baby, your growing breasts and other aspects of pregnancy. It is common for people to gain between 18 and 35 pounds during pregnancy, depending on the starting weight.

Pregnancy Symptoms at Nine Weeks Pregnant

By pregnancy week nine, you may notice a small pouch forming when you look in the mirror. It is unlikely that passers-by will notice this. Close family members or friends may notice something but will usually put it down to water retention, bloating or just general weight gain. It is unlikely that you will actually start showing for another month or two. You may want to start showing now but enjoy this time while you can.

Itchy skin is a common symptom at nine weeks pregnant. This is because your body is starting to stretch and your hormones continue to change rapidly. Dry skin and eczema may also be problems, especially if you suffered from them before getting pregnant. Moisturising cream or cocoa butter are great options to help with these issues and have been linked to helping to avoid stretch marks later in pregnancy.

Gas and wind are common symptoms when you are at week nine of pregnancy. As your uterus grows and takes up more space in your abdominal cavity, your organs need to shift. Your digestive system will become much slower and your muscles in the gastrointestinal tract relax more. Eat slowly to help avoid embarrassment with gas or wind and avoid foods that are more likely to cause the problems, such as carbonated drinks, spicy foods and dairy foods.

Headaches are common during this time and are linked to the increase in hormones. Stress and fatigue are also linked to headaches, along with dehydration and hunger. This symptom is likely to disappear later in pregnancy as your hormones stabilise.

You may find that you suffer from mood swings at nine weeks pregnant. This is completely normal and, again, is linked to the hormones. You may be completely happy one minute but crying your eyes out the next. Other pregnancy symptoms, such as fatigue and morning sickness, will also cause this emotional turmoil. Once you get into the second trimester, you will find that your mood swings subside for some time. Just think, you have four weeks to go!