9 Weeks Pregnant

If you’re 9 weeks pregnant, congratulations! This is a great time to learn more about the changes happening in your body and your baby’s development. In this article we’ll discuss the symptoms you may experience at 9 weeks, your baby’s development, and also provide lifestyle tips and advice to help ensure a healthy pregnancy. By the end, you’ll be well-prepared to enter the second trimester of pregnancy. Let’s get started!

Highlights at 9 Weeks Pregnant

Here’s a quick summary of some important highlights and developments to look forward to at 9 weeks pregnant:

• Your little one is starting to look more like a tiny baby. Little facial features and fingers and toes are continuing to develop.

• They are just the size of a cherry right now!

• An increase in pregnancy hormones might heighten some of your symptoms this week – but your second trimester is on the horizon!

• At 9 weeks pregnant, you might consider purchasing some stretchy clothes and a good supportive bra as your body changes.

• You can talk to your doctor or midwife about staying fit and healthy throughout your pregnancy. Now is a good time to take up some gentle exercise, such as walking, swimming or yoga!

Your Baby's Development at 9 Weeks Pregnant

At 9 weeks, your little foetus is looking more and more like a real and very tiny baby, rather than a pink blob. Here are some more developmental changes happening at 9 weeks pregnant:

• Your foetus’s facial features are coming along nicely at 9 weeks. The eyes are bigger and eyelids are forming to protect them. A little colour pigment is present in the eyes. They also have a mouth, tongue and teeny-tiny taste buds.

• The fingers and toes are now visible as little ridges; each finger and toe has not yet separated out – they’re still webbed.

• Your baby’s bones are forming, as are the internal organs such as the heart, brain, lungs, kidneys and gut.

• The genitals are also forming at 9 weeks pregnant, but you won’t find out your little one’s gender until your mid-pregnancy ultrasound scan.

It’s still too early to find out your baby’s gender at 9 weeks pregnant; you usually have to wait until your ultrasound scan at 18 to 20 weeks or leave it as a surprise for when your baby is born! Either way, you can have a little unscientific fun guessing your baby’s gender!

9 Week Pregnancy in Months

Your doctor and midwife will usually measure your pregnancy in weeks, but perhaps you’re curious about how many months is equal to 9 weeks. There are various ways of grouping the 40 weeks of pregnancy into months; however, at 9 weeks pregnant, you’re likely in your third month of pregnancy, even if you haven’t noticed any belly bump or symptoms!

Between weeks 8 to 14, you’ll be offered a dating scan which will estimate your baby’s due date. If at 9 weeks pregnant, you haven’t yet found out your due date via ultrasound, you will in the next few weeks. Until then, you can use our Due Date Calculator.

Your Baby’s Size at 9 Weeks Pregnant

How big is a baby at 9 weeks? At 9 weeks, your baby is about the size of a cherry or strawberry! Your little one now measures around 22 millimetres long, from head to bottom.

Your Baby: What Does 9 Weeks Pregnant Look Like?

Take a look at the image below to help you imagine how things are taking shape within the uterus when you are 9 weeks pregnant.

Your Body at 9 Weeks Pregnant

Symptoms at 9 weeks pregnant might be very intense because pregnancy hormones are increasing, and hCG levels have doubled in amount every two to three days since the start of your pregnancy and reach its peak around week 9. This means you might be feeling intense nausea, very moody, extremely tired, and just a little tender all-round.

It might help to keep in mind that hCG plays a very important role in keeping your pregnancy on track and your foetus happily snug in the uterus.

Another plus is that in about a month or so, you’ll be in the second trimester and probably feeling much better!

Although, you might be dealing with lots of pregnancy symptoms right now, this is also a great time to talk to your midwife about exercising during your pregnancy.

If you're already active, you may need to make some adjustments to your fitness routine, but you can probably keep up with what you currently do for as long as it feels OK and as long as your midwife gives you the all-clear. If you haven't been as active, choose a safe activity to help get you moving, such as walking, prenatal yoga, swimming and water aerobics – all excellent choices as they're gentle on your joints.

Moderate exercise will help you develop the strength and stamina you'll need during labour and delivery. Try not to exhaust yourself, drink plenty of water and follow the guidelines suggested by your midwife or the exercise instructor. If you do a group class, the instructor may suggest adaptations suited for pregnancy.

To keep track of your weight gain throughout your pregnancy, try our Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator.

Your Symptoms at 9 Weeks Pregnant

Here are some symptoms you may be experiencing at 9 weeks pregnant:

• Growing waistline. Your belly, at nine weeks pregnant, may not be showing per se, but your pre-pregnancy clothes are probably feeling a little snug as your waistline thickens.

• Spotting. Light bleeding or spotting is usually nothing to worry about, however, it’s always the safest to contact your midwife for a check-up, just in case. It some cases, bleeding could be a sign of something more serious like an ectopic pregnancy.

• Mild uterine cramping. It can be perfectly normal to experience mild uterine cramping at 9 weeks pregnant, which may feel similar to period pains. If the cramping is severe or if you feel other pain like lower back pain, call your doctor to rule out any problems.

• Morning sickness. Given the pregnancy hormone, hCG, is at its peak this week, this could be a particularly bad time for you in terms of nausea and vomiting. Keep on eating smaller meals frequently throughout the day and remember to stay hydrated. Some mums-to-be find eating ginger biscuits or drinking ginger tea helps, while others swear by sucking on ice.

• Food cravings and aversions. Your sense of smell is heightened now, and foods and smells you once enjoyed may now seem unpleasant. On the flipside, you may now find you crave certain foods. Feel free to indulge any food cravings you have from time to time. Just make sure you’re sticking to a balanced diet overall. Always talk to your doctor if you crave non-food things like dirt or chalk.

• Fatigue. Thanks to your increased levels progesterone and oestrogen, you may be extremely tired. Rest as much as you can, whenever you can, and try to clear your diary of as many activities as possible to give yourself enough ‘me time’.

• Feeling moody. If you’re feeling on top of the world one minute and down in the dumps the next, you can thank those pregnancy hormones we keep mentioning. Speak to loved ones about how you're feeling — it may help you feel a little better — and seek help from your doctor if your mood swings are severe.

• Vaginal discharge. Having a little more discharge than you usually do is normal, but if it smells foul, or if the vaginal area is itchy or sore, visit your doctor for a check-up as it may be an infection of some kind. Not every mum-to-be has an increased amount of vaginal discharge during pregnancy, but some have quite a bit more. If this is you, it might help to wear a panty liner.

• Headaches. At nine weeks pregnant it's not unusual to be getting headaches. They tend to go away in the second and third trimesters. For now, reducing stress, drinking water and getting good sleep might help clear them. If your headaches are severe, chat with your doctor about which painkiller is safe for you to take.

What Size Is a Pregnant Belly at 9 Weeks?

At 9 weeks, your pregnancy bump probably won’t be showing just yet, especially if this is your first pregnancy. Remember, your baby is only the size of a cherry at 9 weeks! It’s common for that bump to start showing around 12 weeks pregnant. If this is your second pregnancy, your bump may show earlier than 12 weeks due to the changes that occurred to your body in your first pregnancy. You may also have started to show if you’re 9 weeks pregnant with twins.

What Does 9 Weeks Pregnant Look Like?

Check out the image below for a better idea of what your belly might look like around 9 weeks pregnant, when you’re in your third month of pregnancy.

Things to Consider at 9 Weeks Pregnant

There are many things to consider at 9 weeks pregnant and throughout your pregnancy journey. From announcing your big news to adjusting your diet, check out our list below.

• Make sure you get fitted regularly for the right size bra to keep yourself comfortable. You may need to switch to a supportive maternity bra as your breasts get fuller.

• If you haven’t spilled the beans yet, you might want to have some fun thinking about howyou will share the news that you're expecting when the time is right for you. Here are some fun ideas for pregnancy announcement cards to consider. You could use the image from your dating scan as part of your big reveal, and use the updated due date you get at the dating scan, too. No matter how you share the news, enjoy the moment!

• Throughout your pregnancy you’ll need to keep an eye on your caffeine intake. You might be surprised to learn that caffeine comes from a variety of sources, including coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks and even chocolate! Experts recommend consuming 200 mg a day at most. That means you’re almost at your limit if you have one mug of instant coffee and one mug of tea. To help you work it out, here's an approximate of how much caffeine is in what:

  • One mug of filter coffee: 140 mg

  • One mug of instant coffee: 100 mg

  • One mug of tea: 75 mg

  • One can (250 ml) of energy drink: about 80 mg

  • One can (250 ml) of cola: 40 mg

  • One bar (50 g) of dark chocolate: probably less than 25 mg

  • One bar (50 g) of milk chocolate: probably less than 10 mg

• A few additional pregnancy-related expenses and extra outgoings related to buying baby gear may pop up in the coming months. It may be good to create a budget for your extra expenses, consider hand-me-downs from other parents, or add some must-have items to your baby shower registry. Ask other parents for tips and tricks based on their past experiences with budgeting and buying baby gear. You may also like to speak to your doctor or midwife about what free or discounted resources are available to you in your area.

Questions for Your Doctor at 9 Weeks Pregnant

These early weeks of pregnancy may bring many questions and concerns. Remember, your doctor or midwife is there for you throughout your pregnancy. Some common questions at 9 weeks pregnant include:

• When will I have my dating scan? It’s usually scheduled between 8 and 14 weeks, which means you may have your dating ultrasound scan at 9 weeks pregnant. During this scan your doctor will double check your due date, assess foetal development, and screen for abnormalities such as Down’s syndrome.

• What's the best approach to eating well, getting the right nutrients, and maintaining healthy weight gain during pregnancy? Tell your doctor if you're feeling hungry all the time, or if you can’t keep anything down due to morning sickness.

• Will I have tests for sickle cell and thalassaemia? These are usually done before week 10. Sickle cell is a group of inheritable conditions that affect red blood cells, and thalassaemia is a condition that affects a substance in the blood called haemoglobin.

• How should I do Kegel exercises?

9 Weeks Pregnant: Your Checklist

At 9 weeks pregnant and in the weeks to come, consider the following to-do items:

☐ If you haven’t already, schedule your ‘booking appointment’ with your midwife or doctor. This usually takes place between 8 and 12 weeks. During this appointment you’ll get information about your foetus’s developments and your pregnancy. You’ll be asked if you need additional support. Any risk factors you might have will be identified. Your measurements will be taken. And, the rest of your antenatal care will be explained.

☐ Find out what healthcare services are available to you in your local area. Your doctor's office is a good place to start and you can also use this tool: nhs.uk/service-search for more information.

☐ Even though you won’t know your baby's gender at 9 weeks, you can still have some fun with our Baby Name Generator. You've got plenty of time to choose a name you love!

_{How We Wrote This Article The information in this article is based on the expert advice found in trusted medical and government sources, such as the National Health Service (NHS). You can find a full list of sources used for this article below. The content on this page should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult medical professionals for full diagnosis and treatment.}