9th Week of Pregnancy
What changes are occurring with your body?
You still may not physically appear pregnant to other people, but you definitely are beginning to notice several changes. It may be that you are experiencing mood swings, and/or you may notice an increase in heartburn and feeling more bloated. These are common complaints of pregnancy.
Preventing heartburn is the best way to deal with it! You can avoid heartburn by eating smaller meals throughout the day versus eating three larger meals at typical mealtimes. You can also prevent heartburn by avoiding lying down after meals and avoiding spicy or greasy foods.
What is happening with your baby?
While your baby is still extremely small, he/she is now ready for rapid weight gain. The baby is beginning to look more like a little person since the embryonic tail is completely gone by week 9. The eyelids are fully formed, have fused shut, and will open again during week 28.
All the baby's joints such as the knees, elbows, shoulders, ankles, and wrists are working and allowing the baby to move about freely within the amniotic sac. Your baby's heart began beating around day 24, but now his/her heart has divided into four chambers, and the valves are beginning to develop. Your baby can also make a fist, and he/she may begin sucking his/her thumb.*
How big is your baby?
Your baby is about the size of a grape, measuring about 1 ½ inches from its head to its rump, and weighs a fraction of an ounce.*
What should you plan for this week?
If you are over the age of 35 or have a family history of a genetic illness, such as cystic fibrosis, then you may want to consider seeing a genetic counselor. Talk with your health care provider about obtaining a referral or the need to perform prenatal tests such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS). This test may be performed between 9 and 12 weeks and detects chromosomal abnormalities (i.e., Down Syndrome) and genetic disorders (i.e, cystic fibrosis) with high levels of accuracy (98-99%). Although the probabilities of identification are high, this test does not measure the severity of these disorders.
Tips for making your pregnancy better:
At this point in your pregnancy you may begin to feel more fatigued. This may be caused by the hormonal changes, trouble sleeping at night, or from your battle with morning sickness.
Not sleeping well at night may be caused from not being able to find a comfortable position or from frequent trips to the bathroom. If you are having difficulty resting, you might want to consider changing your sleeping positions.
Tips for mom’s partner:
Attempt to create a tranquil, quiet, relaxed environment in your bedroom. This can be achieved by moving the office out of the bedroom and into another room in the house. You can also replace brighter bulbs with dimmer bulbs, or if you are really handy put in a dimmer switch.
* The information that the American Pregnancy Association provides is used as a general guide for healthy pregnancy development, although development may vary due to the mother’s health or a miscalculation of ovulation. Each woman and pregnancy is unique and may be experienced differently. Remember that babies develop at different rates, even before they are born. The purpose of this developmental information is to give you a general idea of how your baby is growing, and you must remember that your baby’s growth may vary from that which is outlined.