9 Weeks Pregnant — Your Baby Is The Size Of A Piece Of Sushi

Welcome to Scary Mommy’s pregnancy week by week guide! We’re here to give you all the info about what to expect when you’re expecting: be it week by week symptoms, your baby’s development, your changing body, or ultrasounds and appointments. Here’s everything you need to know about week 9.

Your Body at 9 Weeks Pregnant

Your Belly is Just Starting to Swell

Is it just us, or is it getting tight in here? You’re not showing yet, but at 9 weeks pregnant, your growing uterus may be making your feel like you’ve just eaten Thanksgiving dinner, all the time. Before you go all out and invest in a fancy maternity wardrobe, you might want to get a little belly band or button extender and give those favorite jeans a few more weeks out on the town.

Nap Time, All the Time

All that progesterone and extra blood coursing through your veins is making you super tired, so don’t be surprised if you’re in bed and passed out by 8 p.m., even if you used to be able to party until the break of dawn (or at least, binge watch a series until the break of dawn.) We know, this fatigue might make your miserable, and you may be having a serious case of FOMO about all those parties and outings you are missing on, but try to enjoy the rest. In a matter of months, you are going to miss sleep, a lot!

Your Baby at 9 Weeks Pregnant

At 9 weeks pregnant, your fetus is about the size of a piece of sushi, weighing just a fraction of an ounce and measuring around 1.67 inches. Your baby has finally lost their little tail, but their head is still making up half of their body, which is a bit freaky (cute, but freaky.) Your baby’s arms are growing and it now has elbows. And toes! There’s nothing cuter than baby toes.

In other exciting news, baby’s heart has finally divided into four chambers, which means you might be able to hear a heartbeat on a doppler. Get all your tissues ready for this super moving moment.

Your Symptoms and Health at 9 Weeks Pregnant

A Billion Snacks a Day Keep the Nausea Away

Morning sickness is rough and week 9 is peak puke city. We know this might be counter intuitive, but hear us out — snacking as much as you can will help with that serious nausea. If it’s hard to keep it all down, forgo big meals for more frequent smaller snacks, and meet your two new best friends: crackers and hard ginger candy, keep them everywhere, in your purse, in your work desk, in your bedtime stand, in the glove compartment of your car, inside your new maternity bra, because you never know when the nausea will hit you.

Sure, the constant crumbs may be a bit of a pain, especially when you have to share a bed full of crumbs with your partner, but hey, your body is the one making a whole new human. They’re not allowed to complain.

The CVS Test

If you’re over the age of 35, have any history of genetic diseases in your family, or are genetically predisposed to certain conditions, you physician may want you to do the CVS test. No, not the one when you go to the CVS drugstore and purchase all your pregnancy cravings (though we are down with that.) We’re talking about chorionic villus sampling, at test that samples tissue from your placenta to detect chromosomal abnormalities and conditions like Down syndrome with a really high accuracy (between 98 and 99 percent). CVS testing does carry some risk, so discuss with your OB to find out if it’s the right test for you.

Carrying a Baby and Crying Like a Baby

Your life is a Mariah Carey song. Every little thing is giving you emotions! The most unexpected things makes you cry, or laugh and your mood swings can be so crazy. Your partner leaving dishes in the sink or buying the wrong kind of yogurt can elicit soap opera level reactions, and you may find yourself storming out of rooms in tears more than you’ve ever had before. It’s all those dastardly hormones that are making you emotional. The good news is that in a week or two, your hormones will balance out. So stay away from videos of soldiers coming home to their dogs in the meantime.

Stand Clear of the Cat Litter Box

If you have a cat, it’s important to try to be off litter box duty for the next 7months. Cat feces can contain toxoplasmosis, a parasite that is super dangerous for your developing baby. If you do have to change your cat’s litter box, make sure to wear gloves and wash your hands ASAP.

You should also change your cat’s litter box everyday, and make sure you cat stays indoors and eats only commercial food if possible. Also, if you have a green thumb, be sure to wear gloves and wash your hands after gardening.

When morning sickness becomes dangerous

Morning sickness, you might have figured by now, does not stay in the confines of the early morning (so rude!), usually starts at around week 6 and abates at week 12 (that’s just three weeks away! Hold on tight to that toilet bowl!).

But for some, morning sickness can become debilitating and even dangerous. Call your doctor if you can’t keep anything down, are starting to get dehydrated, or if your morning sickness is keeping you from getting on in your day to day life.

You might have hyperemesis gravidarum, a truly tortuous medical condition which is basically extreme morning sickness. Having hyperemesis is pretty awful, and severe forms of the condition may land you in the hospital but at least you can know that you’re not the only one there — Amy Schumer, Kate Middleton and Amber Rose have all been there.

Double Trouble

It’s week 9, but because you have yet to have your dating scan (which usually occurs between weeks 10 and 12), you still have no idea you’re expecting twins. Though most expectant mothers of one baby might not be showing just yet, you might, since your uterus is carrying double the capacity. However, early baby bumps aren’t necessarily a sign of twins. BMI and height play a factor in how soon a pregnancy bump begins to show, as do the amount of pregnancies you’ve previously had.

The contents of this article have been medically reviewed by Ruth A. Tessler, M.D. in July, 2019.

Written by Lior Zaltzman.

Follow Preggo Nancy’s pregnancy journey week-by-week and share in her joy, her symptoms, and even her pregnancy cravings.

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