Pregnancy Week 9
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Inside Pregnancy Week 9
Week 9 fetal development image showing the fetal growth of your baby to date. Medical Illustration Copyright © 2008 Nucleus Medical Art, All rights reserved
At this point in the pregnancy, the baby has switched gears from focusing on development to gaining weight. The tail has disappeared now, looking all human baby now. The head is more baby-like, with ears more prominent, and eyelids are formed, with eyes now tightly shut until week 28 or so, when the eyes will open.
The new organs on the scene are the liver, spleen and gallbladder. However, it’s those joints that keep baby busy right now. All of them are flexing and functional, the shoulders, knees, elbows, ankles, and wrists. There is a lot of bending and kicking going on in there, but you’ll still be oblivious to it unless you get a glimpse of the fetal workout during a sonogram.
The baby will even respond to anything being in the palm of the hand by curving fingers around it. During a sonogram, you might even catch baby sucking the thumb now! The fingerprints are formed as well.
The heart which is beating strong at this point, is developing the valves now.
The baby is now about an inch long, and weighs .07 oz. Basically, the little one is about grape-sized.
Pregnancy Symptoms You May Feel During Week 9
While there are plenty of things probably making you plenty aware that you are pregnant, and uncomfortable, the front runners for complaints include bloating making clothes tight and heartburn becomes problematic, too. That’s why small frequent meals and not lying down after eating is recommended. Also avoiding greasy, spicy foods might help. However, with hormone levels and the metabolism rising, the blood pressure and blood sugar levels are dropping and the end result is a perfect storm for the most exhausting kind of fatigue you will likely experience, at least until the end of pregnancy. However, a reprieve will be in order in a few weeks at least.
Those hormones are creating another kind of havoc for mom. Mood swings make an appearance about this point in the pregnancy. You might be feeling good, when all of the sudden, you feel overwhelmed and teary, or perhaps you look at your beloved and for no real reason that you can pinpoint, you are just aggravated with them. Welcome to mood swings! Just remember that you aren’t going crazy, that this is just a sign that your body is busy building baby and this is just a silly side effect. Try not to take anything too seriously, and don’t make any huge important life decisions while in the midst of a swing, either an up or downward one.
Visit With the Obstetrician
The baby’s heartbeat is strong enough this week to be detected by the handheld Doppler device your doctor will use at every visit from now on. You’ll soon learn to be excited by that thumping sound. Don’t be concerned if the doctor can’t isolate the sweet sound this week though, because it’s not unusual for the baby to be hiding in some corner of the uterus out of Doppler range. Don’t worry, the sound you are waiting for will be strong and audible within the next few weeks.
If you are over the age of 35 or have a family history of genetic conditions, your doctor will probably discuss the option of Chorionic Villus Testing, or CVS. This test is typically done between the 9th and 12th week of pregnancy. The test involves sampling a small bit of the placental tissue, and is done either through the cervix or abdomen. The test checks for over 200 abnormal DNA conditions, such as Tay-Sachs disease or Down’s Syndrome, but will not show a neural tube disorder. The test is generally considered safe and highly accurate, but you should discuss all the risks and benefits of such a test with your physician.
Preparing for Baby
You are probably beginning to fully accept that yes, you indeed are truly pregnant now, if only because your body has made it so clear to you by now. The upside is that you can begin to really start planning in earnest for the baby. Now is a good time to start looking for ideas for that nursery, and get an overall plan for what kinds of things you feel you need and want for baby’s room. For one reason, it will provide a nice distraction from the aches, pains, nausea and fatigue and for another, this time will pass much faster than it seems to you now. Go to stores and look at the choices, read books and magazines. Save some money and get them from the library. Just enjoy the planning and decision-making process. Use it as a reward for getting through all the long days of building a baby.
Pregnancy Lifestyle
Between getting up to go to the bathroom countless times a night, heartburn and general discomfort, sleeping may be pretty difficult at this point. Consider what changes might make your bedroom more of a haven. Get work stuff out of the room. Change the temperature, the sheets, get some new pillows, and maybe invest in a special cushion to support that growing tummy and aching back. Try to find new sleeping positions that will be more comfortable for your new body.