9 Weeks Pregnant ─ Pregnancy Symptoms

You May be Feeling Under the Weather this Week but Exciting Events are Taking Place

223 DAYS TO GO. . .

COMMON PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS FOR WEEK 9

70%

Breast Pain
70% of women experience breast pain and tenderness as a symptom during week 9 of pregnancy. More >>

68%

Fatigue
68% of women experience fatigue as a symptom during week 9 of pregnancy. More >>

67%

Nausea
67% of women experience nausea as a symptom during week 9 of pregnancy. More >>

You won’t be aware of this, but during this ninth week, your baby starts to make tiny movements! As your baby continues developing, movement of the arms and hands starts ever so slightly. It will take many weeks until you actually feel movements.

WHAT'S GOING ON INSIDE?

The Yolk Sac reduces smaller in size and will soon not be needed.

The Placenta continues to mature in preparation to deliver vital nutrients.

The Ears are continuing to develop.

The Eyes are slowly moving into position as the head takes shape.

The Organs are progressing but not ready to perform specific functions.

The Fingers are segmenting into digits but still connected.

Many women experience a change in their food preferences during pregnancy. You may even be experiencing symptoms of random food cravings. It seems that your body instinctively knows what you like to eat, and what you should eat to get the nutrients your baby needs. You should try to eat healthily. Don’t worry about the strange looks you might get when ordering some wild combination of foods. Eat whatever combinations you desire.



During this 9th week, your baby’s facial features are beginning to take shape. Your baby’s eyelids fuse and remain closed until around the 26th week. The lips have formed and the surrounding skin will have the greatest concentration of nerves in your baby so far. The muscular tongue arises from the base of the mouth. However, it will be two weeks before the first taste buds appear on your baby’s tongue. Your baby’s body is still very curled up, with the head resting on the chest. Over the next two weeks, the jaw and the neck will grow, causing the head to gradually lift off of the chest. Your baby’s bones are also beginning to develop this 9th week. These bones will continue to grow and lengthen until the teenage years of your child. This week, your baby’s elbows are also forming. You will not be aware of it yet, but this development will allow your baby to make slight movements. It is interesting to know that the development of your baby’s lower limbs lags slightly behind the development of your baby’s upper limbs. The toes are not yet distinct, and the legs are not yet bending at the knee.

Your baby is definitely developing quickly! Your baby’s digestive system is large strides forward. The pancreas, gall bladder, and liver have all formed buds leading off from the upper small bowel, but none are contributing to any digestive function, yet.

A few weeks from now you will have your first prenatal appointment. Start thinking now about any questions you might have for your doctor, and the kind of setting you would like to have for your birth, be it in a hospital or birthing center.

On a Food Note

Many people may be telling you that it is not healthy to eat cheese during your pregnancy. This is not true, and is a common myth. Only unpasteurized cheeses are potentially dangerous. They increase the risk of listeria, a rare bacterium that can attack the baby. All other cheeses are fine, and provide a good source of calcium. So, say cheese!!