Pregnancy week 9: from embryo to almost-baby

The construction nearly done

In building terms, the structure is up. By week nine's end every major organ — heart, brain, lungs, kidneys, liver, intestines — is formed or in the last stage of forming.

That is why the early weeks were so strict about medicines, smoke and alcohol — organs are most fragile while forming. From here the baby mostly grows, and the windows of vulnerability close one by one.

For you too this is a turning week — the nausea's peak commonly sits here. Read the word carefully: a peak has a far side. By weeks twelve to fourteen, most stomachs settle.

Your baby this week

Call it a baby now — grape-sized, over two centimetres, about two grams. The head is still half the body; the proportions fix themselves over coming months.

Elbows and knees bend, and the movements are turning from twitches into slow swimming. Fingers are nearly free; nail beds are forming at their tips.

The heart has its four chambers, beating 160-170 a minute. The genitals have begun forming — nothing shows on scan for months, and in India checking or telling is a crime regardless.

Changes in your body

The waistline is thickening quietly — the belly won't 'show' for weeks, but old clothes testify first. This is more hormone-bloat than uterus; the ratio changes later.

Fatigue stays deep and the mood swings on — crying inside good news included. That is progesterone's doing, not your character's.

Headaches can rise in this stretch — hormones, broken sleep and long gaps between meals stack up. Water and regular food are the first treatment; medicine only as the doctor prescribed — not every painkiller is pregnancy-safe.

What to do this week

If the dating scan and first tests are done, one big job remains: book the NT scan. Its window is 11 weeks to 13 weeks 6 days — missed, it cannot be done at all.

Calcium joins the plate now — milk, curd or paneer twice daily. If milk won't sit (common now), curd and chaas cover it; the doctor usually adds a calcium tablet from the second trimester.

This is a good week to start gentle exercise — a daily 20-30 minute walk is the safest, best-tested option. Continue an existing routine with the doctor's nod; don't start anything new and heavy.

Book a dental check in these weeks. Pregnancy gums bleed easily, and gum infection isn't good for pregnancy. Tell the dentist you're pregnant — X-rays and some medicines get skipped.

Week 9 at a glance

The week's essentials in one place. Your doctor may adjust these for your situation.

When to see a doctor at once

Bleeding and cramps: the standing rule — same-day. A headache that is unbearable, or comes with flashes or blurring, is not a normal pregnancy headache — same-day as well.

If week nine still keeps water down only sometimes and weight is falling, this is no longer for enduring. Hyperemesis has treatment — fluids, safe medicines — and taking it is not defeat.

This article is general information only and no substitute for personal medical advice. The person who can advise you knowing your health, your medicines and your previous pregnancies is your obstetrician, or the doctor at your nearest health centre.

Work out your due date

Enter the first day of your last period and your cycle length — your estimated due date, this week's count and the anomaly scan window all appear right here.

It is only an estimate — most babies aren't born on the exact date. A first-trimester scan dates a pregnancy more accurately; in the end, your doctor's date is the one that counts.

Frequently asked questions