Week Nine of Pregnancy

Your Baby and Changes…

During week nine of pregnancy, your baby will have grown up to thirty mm in length, or roughly one inch long!  This is exciting to know!  Your baby still weighs less than one ounce, however from this point on get ready for the baby to gain weight rapidly!  Your baby continues to grow organs and limbs, and should have the primary physical features in place such as arms, legs, head, and torso.  Organs and muscles are communicating with one another to move independently.   The lids which your baby formed over its eyes in week eight are now beginning to close permanently until about week twenty seven, and by now the sex organs are beginning to development, however your physician man not be able to tell the sex as of yet.  This should be determined at eighteen to twenty weeks if you, as a Mommy, want to know the gender of your baby.   Lastly, your baby’s heart should have four unique chambers which are working hard to distribute as many nutrients throughout his little body for development.

Your Body and Changes…

By now your uterus has grown significantly, much like the size of a small honeydew melon.  You might begin feeling bouts of fatigue, and may feel as if you need more rest compared to weeks before.   Your weight gain continues, although much of it may be contributed to water and the body retaining it throughout your pregnancy.  Many suggest weighing in once per week, as the weight can go up and down in one day by as much as five pounds or greater.  This can be stressful if you are obsessive about your weight, so weighing in once per week will limit your concern rather than focusing on it daily.  Most women will put on at least seven pounds of body fat during pregnancy, and it is important to remember that this gain is completely relevant to your baby’s nutrients, so don’t fret about it too much.  The weight tends to fall off about childbirth with the right diet and exercise focus.  At this stage in pregnancy, weight begins to distribute throughout the body from your breasts to your uterus.  While you don’t want to gain weight excessively, this is the one time in life and throughout a wonderful experience that you should not worry about it.  It will come off!

Some other areas you might or might not be aware of that you will experience are mood swings and an increase in stress level.  Most likely, people you are around will let you know of these experiences.  Many women go one from extreme to another, from feeling tired to worrying about the pregnancy period.  Try to relax at any time you get the chance, as this can be a very trying period for you.  Some find that moderate exercise during this period, such as mild walk or a quick yoga session helps to control these characteristics of pregnancy.