Nine Weeks Pregnant

 Ninth Week of Pregnancy

Nine Weeks Pregnant

Your baby

Your baby is continuing to grow and develop. After a growth spurt, your baby now measures just over half an inch (thirteen to seventeen millimeters) from crown to rump. The toe rays are beginning to have toes, and they are wiggling more. 

 If you were to look via ultrasound at your baby at this point, you would see the arms and legs and the baby moving. If you were to touch the outside of the uterus, your baby’s home, your baby would move away from the touch. 

 The organ systems are still growing, and the bones are still hardening. This work will continue for weeks to come.

Exercise for Two 

Exercise is incredibly important in pregnancy. Not only does it contribute to an easier pregnancy by keeping weight gain and side eff ects such as back pain at a minimum, but it also can provide benefi ts in labor. Women who have exercised during pregnancy tend to have faster and easier labors, not to mention shorter recoveries. This means you will bounce back from having a baby faster.

The following are a few simple rules to exercising when pregnant: 

• Stay well hydrated before, during, and after exercise. 

• Don’t do anything that hurts. 

• Continue doing most of your pre-pregnancy regimen, but talk to your practitioner before starting new exercises. 

• Avoid anything that could cause you to lose your balance or get kicked in the abdomen. • Stop immediately and call your practitioner if you have bleeding, shortness of breath, or pain. 

• Watch your heart rate. The general rule of thumb is to keep your heart rate from going higher than 140 beats per minute, but this may be diff erent for women who are extremely active. Ask your practitioner for the appropriate range for your fi tness level

Pregnancy may spur you to exercise in a way you haven’t before. Many women fi nd that pregnancy is a good time to start thinking about the optimal lifestyle habits that they want to instill in their kids. While you shouldn’t use pregnancy as a time to start something like running marathons, it can be a great time to explore low-impact forms of movement such as walking, prenatal yoga, and swimming.

With the help of your body’s signals, your practitioner, and your fi tness trainer or coach, you can fi nd an exercise plan to help both you and baby grow toward fi tness. The circumstances under which you would need to avoid exercise completely, even if only for a brief period, include the following:

• Bleeding 

• Threatened preterm labor, or a history of it 

• Some instances of multiple pregnancies 

• Intrauterine growth restriction, which is when fetal development slows beyond what is normal due to a physical restriction in growth or lack of nutrients

It’s important to fi nd something that you really enjoy so you’ll stick with it and reap all the benefi ts that exercising in pregnancy can off er you and your baby. This is also a wonderful time to get your husband and/or friends on board to do something you all can enjoy and feel good about together. If you start with group walks in the park now, once the baby arrives, you can bring your sling or stroller along as you continue a lifelong habit of health.

Look forward to Showing 

Few things are more thrilling than the protruding abdomen of a pregnant woman. It’s even better when that belly belongs to you. So you’re probably waiting to feel that expansion in your own body and clothes.

The problem is that it doesn’t happen soon enough for most women, and usually not in the fi rst trimester. This is because your uterus is still safely tucked into your pelvis. But don’t assume you’re crazy because your clothes seem to be fi tting diff erently than before and you swear you’re feeling something.

Some of your pregnancy symptoms, such as bloating, gas, and constipation, can make your intestines feel expanded, which can make your clothes feel tight or fi t diff erently. Plus as your uterus grows, while it’s still in the pelvis, your intestines have to move somewhere—so why not up and out? This may require some wardrobe alterations on your end, but it’s probably not enough to require maternity clothes.

Watch out for Weird Pregnancy Symptoms 

When you’re reviewing the list of common pregnancy symptoms, some tend to be familiar, such as morning sickness and heartburn. But there are others that may surprise you, such as nasal stuffi ness, sensitivity to smells, emotional highs and lows, and food aversions.

As the hormones begin their work of supporting your pregnancy and helping your baby grow, your body will change and react diff erently than you may have expected. The dance of the hormones is doing its job, and your body is taking part in the process.

The following are several lesser-known pregnancy symptoms and how you can best handle them:

NOSE TROUBLE: Nasal stuffi ness and nose bleeds are fairly common in pregnancy. Keeping your nasal passages well moisturized and snorting saline solution (store bought or homemade) can help alleviate these side eff ects 

BURPING AND BELCHING: The gastrointestinal tract takes a huge hit during pregnancy. Not only is it dealing with the infl ux of hormones, but it is also taking a beating as the uterus rises and displaces your intestines. Don’t be surprised if you frequently burping after a meal, often uncontrollably. If you are able to identify certain foods or drinks that seem to make matters worse, try avoiding them to see if the problem goes away

INSOMNIA: The inability to fall asleep or stay asleep is a major annoyance in pregnancy. The real problem arises when you’re exhausted and still can’t get the sleep you need. Try relaxation before bed time, practice yoga, do your exercises earlier in the day, and avoid heavy meals before bed. If you fi nd that you’re still having trouble, ask your practitioner to help you pinpoint what the issue is—whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional. Sometimes a racing mind or problems you’re having during the day can keep your mind ccupied all night.

Any other symptoms that you are experiencing may or may not be a normal part of a healthy pregnancy. Don’t forget to ask your midwife or doctor for advice for handling them. Your practitioner has lots of experience dealing with every possible pregnancy symptom and is likely to have some tried-and-true solutions for you. 

Figure Out If You’re Having Twins

A frequent question of women during early pregnancy is: How many babies are in there? You may fi nd yourself asking that question too. The following are the most common reasons that women believe that they may be having multiples: 

• History of multiple pregnancy personally or in the family 

• History of fertility treatments 

• Rate of expansion of their abdomens 

• A hunch or dreams  

All of these are valid reasons to believe that you might be the mother of more than one baby. Your practitioner will likely take a detailed family and personal history as it relates to multiple pregnancies and decide what needs to be done. Sometimes an ultrasound is ordered early on to verify if you are indeed expecting twins (or more). Other times, you and your practitioner might decide to wait until other clinical symptoms of a multiple gestation arise. These might include:

• Uterus measuring large for dates 

• Hearing more than one heartbeat during a routine exam 

• Mother feeling lots of movement or that the “baby is all over the place” 

• Abnormal numbers for certain blood work

Sometimes twins aren’t found until later in pregnancy following additional testing, such as a screening ultrasound conducted at mid-pregnancy

If you fi nd you are having twins, it will probably come as quite the shock to you and your family. Try to let the information sink in before making any big decisions such as changing doctors or hospitals or making major purchases. 

Joining a local Mother of Twins Club or other multiple birth organization is a good place to start. You can also talk to your practitioner about his or her ability to cope with the special needs of a multiple pregnancy. It may mean that you should invite another practitioner to assist in your care depending on the practitioner you have already employed.

Twins are most often diagnosed via early ultrasound. Talk to your practitioner about multiples if you are having symptoms.

Choose Your Practitioner  

The practitioner that you choose should be able to care for you throughout your pregnancy and postpartum period. This will be someone with whom you will need to build a great deal of trust and someone with whom you develop a bond over the course of your prenatal care. Today’s pregnant woman has many diff erent types of practitioners from which to choose.

Obstetrician/gynecologist: These surgical specialists have dedicated their lives to taking care of women’s issues, including pregnancy and birth. Many women choose to see an obstetrician for their pregnancy care. 

Most obstetricians work in hospitals, but a few do home births and work in birth centers. They usually work in groups of other obstetricians and may have a call schedule devised for doing births outside of offi ce hours.

MATERNAL FETAL MEDICINE (MFM) SPECIALIST (PERINATOLOGIST): The MFM specialist is an obstetrician who has completed a fellowship beyond medical school and residency to care for extremely sick mothers and babies. They are often used as consultants for other practitioners to help guide the care of pregnant women who fall into this category. 

You may be in the care of a midwife and be asked to do a genetic screening with an MFM, or your regular doctor fi nds out you are carrying twins and would like a second opinion or extra screening. Many high-risk women wind up seeing an MFM for their entire pregnancies. MFMs most always practice in hospitals with NICU capabilities because of the nature of their patient population.

FAMILY PRACTITIONER: These doctors have the care of the entire family at heart and may specialize in births or may run general practices. This could be someone with whom you already have a close relationship and that makes it easy to continue receiving care from this person. Another benefi t of using a family practitioner is that he or she can often continue on as your baby’s doctor after birth. Family practitioners work in all types of birth settings.

CERTIFIED NURSE-MIDWIFE: A nurse-midwife is a nurse and a midwife, a combined profession in the United States. These women care for low-risk pregnant women and do well woman care. While they are also trained in well newborn care for the fi rst year of life, the majority do not practice this skill, opting instead to defer to pediatricians. 

CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL MIDWIFE: This type of midwife has been trained and passed rigorous board examinations by the North American Registry of Midwives to be awarded this credential. They care only for low-risk pregnant women, usually in home birth or birth center settings. 

They are also trained in screening women for problems to ensure that they receive the care that they need from the right source, even if that means transferring care when appropriate. Most certifi ed professional midwives are affi liated with physicians or physicians groups or will work with a physician of your choosing.

 DIRECT ENTRY MIDWIFE: A direct entry midwife may or may not have formal training, and many train as apprentices to other midwives. She may be studying to be a certifi ed professional midwife. You will most often fi nd this type of provider in a home birth or birth center setting, caring for low-risk pregnant women.

Did you know that pregnancy even changes your eyes? The progesterone and fluid retention triggered by pregnancy has the ability to alter how you see, both by changing the shape of your eye and increasing dryness.