Week 9. Your breasts will be bigger now and your waist may be thickening a little. Your pregnancy hormones are flooding your body, which may still be causing you to feel unwell. Thankfully this will not last forever.
Your belly at 9 weeks pregnant may not have a pronounced, rounded look, but your pre-pregnancy clothes are probably feeling a little snug due to a combination of a thickening waistline and some bloating brought on by pregnancy hormones.
Many women choose to delay announcing a pregnancy at least until the end of the first trimester (12 weeks into their pregnancy). This is usually because of concerns about the risk of miscarriage (pregnancy loss) during this time.
The risk of miscarriage drops significantly as pregnancy progresses. In one study, researchers found a miscarriage rate of 9.4 percent at 6 weeks of pregnancy, 4.2 percent at 7 weeks, 1.5 percent at 8 weeks, 0.5 percent at 9 weeks and 0.7 percent at 10 weeks.
Most miscarriages - 8 out of 10 (80 percent) - happen in the first trimester before the 12th week of pregnancy. Miscarriage in the second trimester (between 13 and 19 weeks) happens in 1 to 5 in 100 (1 to 5 percent) pregnancies.
What causes miscarriage? Chromosomal abnormalities cause about 50% of all miscarriages in the first trimester (up to 13 weeks) of pregnancy. Chromosomes are tiny structures inside the cells of your body that carry your genes.
What pregnancy trimester is the hardest? For many women, the first trimester of pregnancy is often the hardest. During this period, your body is going through a major transformation and needs time to adjust to the changes.
Although experience with fatigue tends to vary, most women will feel more tired than usual during their pregnancy. Fatigue during pregnancy is most common during the first trimester. It tends to go away during the second trimester, but will usually return in the third trimester.
Your nausea and vomiting may be worse than ever: Morning sickness peaks around 9 or 10 weeks of pregnancy for many women. That's when levels of the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) are highest (morning sickness is thought to be linked to rises in hCG and estrogen).
Consistent Growth Patterns. Good growth and development is the surest manner to keep track that your foetus is developing into a healthy baby. Having regular antenatal care helps your healthcare practitioner to plot your baby's development and ensure that growth milestones are being achieved.
Your doctor will perform an ultrasound to track the growth of your baby's health and development. Generally, a foetus grows by two inches every month. So, by the seventh month, your baby should be 14 inches long. By the end of nine-month, a foetus weighs around 3 kilos and 18-20 inches long.
Boys' and girls' genitals develop along the same path with no outward sign of gender until about nine weeks. It's at that point that the genital tubercle begins to develop into a penis or clitoris. However, it's not until 14 or 15 weeks that you can clearly begin to see the differentiated genitalia.
Certain uterine conditions or weak cervical tissues (incompetent cervix) might increase the risk of miscarriage. Smoking, alcohol and illicit drugs. Women who smoke during pregnancy have a greater risk of miscarriage than do nonsmokers. Heavy alcohol use and illicit drug use also increase the risk of miscarriage.
More than 80% of miscarriages occur within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. After 12 weeks, the rate decreases rapidly (Dante et al, 2013; Houry and Salhy, 2014).
Here's the good news: According to a study, after an ultrasound confirms baby's heartbeat at eight weeks, the risk of miscarriage is about 3 percent.
Do not eat raw or undercooked meat, chicken, or fish (such as sushi or raw oysters). Do not eat raw eggs or foods that contain raw eggs, such as Caesar dressing. Do not eat raw sprouts, especially alfalfa sprouts. Do not eat soft cheeses and unpasteurized dairy foods, such as Brie, feta, or blue cheese.
Fingers and toes become distinct. Mom-to-be: Once the size of your fist, your uterus is now the size of a grapefruit. You still probably don't show much, but you may feel more comfortable in looser clothes. You may continue to feel tired and moody, but take heart: These symptoms shouldn't last too much longer.
Your pregnancy hormones are flooding your body, which may still be causing you to feel unwell. Thankfully this will not last forever. In a month, you'll be entering the second trimester when many people start to feel lots better.