9 weeks pregnant

During week nine your baby is beginning to develop her bones and cartilage. All of the fingers and both thumbs have appeared but they are webbed. The basic structure of your baby’s eye is underway and the tongue is coming along nicely. The intestines that were in the umbilical cord have now begun to move out into the abdomen as its body begins to get bigger.

About this time your baby is approximately 0.9 inch to 1.2 inches in length or about the size of an olive. Your baby will weigh about 2 grams at this time (0.07oz). An ultrasound can detect a heartbeat.

Your baby is able to move her arms and legs, but you still can’t feel it. He or she will have longer fingers, and more defined toes. The body will straighten. The baby’s ovaries are now formed, or if it’s a boy, his testes are there.

You’ve probably seen pictures of a fetus: it might look a little strange, but they look remarkably similar to those from our cousin species in our planet, reminding us of our ties with nature. For example, the tail that the fetus had is now “shrunk”, and gone, while other animals have their tails continue to develop. The baby’s head, though, our number one asset, is now bigger than the body. The nerves are connecting to the muscles and organs.

Not all babies will develop exactly the same. If you have any questions or concerns you should speak to your healthcare provider.

Mother

Thanks to your growing uterus, which will be about the size of a grapefruit by this time you will have some changes to look forward to this week.

You may notice that your waistline has expanded and that you may develop some heartburn. Also you may notice that you have some lower back ache or have developed a little sciatic problem in your back and down your leg. This is because your uterus is growing and may press onto your sciatic nerve. That is what causes the pain down your leg. If you notice any of these symptoms and they cause you concern you should contact your healthcare advisor.

If you did not think your breast could get any bigger, well think again! They will be more swollen with milk glands and even more tender. It would be good time to purchase a maternity bra with good support.

During your prenatal visit your healthcare provider may do a pelvic examination and measure your baby from crown to rump.

Your body has never had so much quantity of hormones running through. The changes this brings will make you irritable at times, emotional at other times (happy and sad). Recognize these flares, and take control of the bad feelings, but savor the good ones.

Nutrition and toxins

You’re eating for two. Your baby will get calcium one way or another, so make it the other way: through your diet instead of your own bones (not your teeth though), and you don’t want to deal with osteoporosis later in life. One trick: get more calcium from nonfat milk instead of drinking water. Get other sources of calcium from:

• cheese,
• sardines,
• salmon,
• tofu,
• calcium-fortified orange juice,
• multivitamins.

1000 mg calcium daily should suffice for your total intake.

Alcohol. Any amount of alcohol during pregnancy is unsafe: no one knows the magic threshold, so even a little bit of wine for dinner should be avoided.

Maternity Changes

Your breasts may be getting larger, and more tender. The nipple area (the areola) will get darker. Little bumps around the areola called “Montgomery’s” glands which are there to lubricate this sensitive area, will show up. You may see more veins as well. Usually, all these changes are temporary and will last throughout pregnancy. These changes may be bothersome, and finding maternity wear, like a supportive bra will help.