Week 9

Pic: Sparx Media

Article originally in Parent24

Want to know what your baby looks like and what you can expect at this stage?

Select your current week below:

How's the foetus?

Your baby is about the size of a small Brussels sprout, weighs about 2g and is 2.3cm long from crown to rump.

• Cartilage and bones are beginning to form.
• The tongue begins to develop.
• Your baby's eyes are well-developed and eyelids appear.
• All organs, nerves and muscles are beginning to function.
• His hands are bent at the wrist and arms are growing longer.
• Intestines start to move out of the umbilical cord and into the baby's abdomen.
• The baby's feet begin to lose their webbed look and the toes are clearly visible.
• By the end of this week the inner workings of the ear will be complete.
• The internal sex organs are starting to develop but you won't be able to tell the baby's gender yet.

What's with my body?

• Morning sickness might be the only thing on your mind at the moment. Eat smaller, more frequent meals to combat nausea.
• You might also suffer mood swings that come and go and that you have no control over.
• You may have a dull cramping feeling in your belly. This is your uterus starting to grow and stretch. You might also have a slight brownish or reddish discharge - this is normal. But if the cramping is severe and the discharge is bright red, go to your doctor as soon as possible.
• There is more blood in your body. This will improve your skin, but can soften your gums. You may have nose-bleeds, which are common in pregnancy.
• You might feel warm because of the extra blood your heart is pumping.
• Some women develop patches of dark pigment on their cheeks, foreheads and noses during pregnancy, so slap on the high-SPF sunscreen from now on.

Go back to the complete list of Pregnancy week-by-week updates.