The gestational age is considered to be in obstetric weeks. Throughout pregnancy, the baby grows and develops, and changes occur in the body of the expectant mother. How does the fetus change at 9 weeks? We will answer the questions of concern to future parents.
Nine weeks
The gestation period of 9 weeks corresponds to the end of the second and the beginning of the third month of pregnancy. The countdown in weeks in obstetric practice starts from the day of the last menstruation, which means a discrepancy with the true gestational age by about 2 weeks. With a normal cycle time of 28 days, ovulation occurs at about 14 days, from which moment conception is possible.
But it is impossible to accurately determine its moment, especially since it may be late, when, according to all calculations, the meeting of an egg and a sperm is already impossible, but in some women it does happen. Also sooner or later - with a difference of several days, the implantation of the ovum takes place in the wall of the uterus. Strictly speaking, this is the beginning of pregnancy, but it is also impossible to track this moment.
Therefore, in medicine, it is customary to take the day of the beginning of the last menstruation as a starting point. This is reliable information, and even more so for a woman with a clear cycle. Knowing this date allows you to calculate not only the gestational age, but also the approximate date of birth. Approximate again, because usually pregnancy lasts 280 days, if you count from the first day of your last menstrual period. This corresponds to 10 lunar months, 40 weeks, or roughly nine calendar months.
The date of birth (PDD) is called presumptive because the onset of labor and the time the baby is born depends on many factors, from the moment when ovulation occurred to the mother's health, the impact on her of stress and medications. Even modern science has not yet determined exactly what triggers the birth mechanism.
What changes in the mother's body?
So, the ninth week of pregnancy is approximately 7 weeks from the date of conception. These 9 weeks bring many changes in the feelings of the expectant mother, but many changes so far remain unnoticed. Some women at 9 weeks of pregnancy do not even notice their new condition, although the corpus luteum is already producing a sufficient amount of progesterone. This hormone, which is also called the pregnancy hormone, is responsible for many physiological processes in the body of the expectant mother. He is responsible for the onset of pregnancy, and for its preservation and successful course.
Progesterone relaxes the muscles of the uterus, prepares the mammary glands for lactation, affects a woman's mood, making her less susceptible to external stimuli, calm, and sometimes even slightly inhibited.
External signs
At week 9, the abdomen, as a rule, is not yet visible to others, and the woman herself notes only a slight bulge above the bosom, the breast slightly increases in size, sometimes painful sensations and small discharge from the nipples appear. All these are normal symptoms, indicating that the body is adjusting to the woman's new state. But some women, even at this time, still do not know about their pregnancy, especially if this is the first pregnancy, and the woman has an irregular cycle.
At this time, a woman can already begin to gain weight. The normal weight gain does not exceed 1-2 kg, but in women suffering from early toxicosis, weight may, on the contrary, decrease due to the inability to eat normally and poorly digested food.
Physiological changes
There are other changes that almost every woman notices. This is a change in taste preferences. There are a lot of stories on this topic, including funny ones. And these are not the whims of the expectant mother, who requires more attention. During this period, women really want something unusual, or those products that she did not really like.
Everyone knows the by the talk of the town cravings of pregnant women for salty: cucumbers, fish and mushrooms. Doctors advise to eat the desired product, however, you should not get carried away with salt: this can lead to edema and aggravation of symptoms of toxicosis. You should not, giving in to desire, to eat lime from the walls - this is also a common taste preference for expectant mothers. Tell your doctor about it and he will prescribe medications that contain calcium.
Constipation is also a common problem at 9 weeks. Their appearance is associated with physiological processes, but, nevertheless, they must be fought with, taking mild laxatives as prescribed by a doctor. At a period of 9 weeks, it is normal for a small vaginal discharge of white or pale yellow color to appear.
If the discharge has acquired a brown color or blood is noticeable in it, you need to see a doctor, and immediately.
Early toxicosis
Many women in the ninth week of pregnancy have time to experience the delights of early toxicosis: morning sickness, nausea, vomiting, and an acute reaction to odors. The woman feels dizzy and drowsy. With severe manifestations of toxicosis, you must definitely consult a doctor, and not wait for it to pass on its own.
Symptoms do go away by the second trimester of pregnancy, but modern medicine is able to alleviate the condition of a woman using effective and safe means for the child. Besides, toxicosis can harm the child, so at the first symptoms of it, you need to tell the doctor about them.
How does the child develop?
Of course, most of all future parents are interested in knowing what happens to the baby at 8-9 weeks. It grows, and by this time of pregnancy the length of the fruit already reaches 2.5 cm... It's about a small grape or cherry. It is freely located in the uterine cavity. Moreover, its weight is 4 grams. But, despite the small size, when carrying out an ultrasound examination, the baby's face and genital tubercle can already be distinguished.
Also, on an ultrasound scan, the doctor can see and tell the parents a lot of other useful information, as well as show the fetus on a monitor connected to the ultrasound sensor. The embryo at the 9th week of life looks like a person, the head, face with a nose and lips, ears, body, arms and legs with small fingers are clearly distinguishable. But the child has a small tail, and the proportions of the body are far from the proportions of an adult, and even a newborn. The embryo's head is much larger and dominates the body.
The child develops muscles, so his movements become more coordinated. He can throw his head back, wiggle his fingers, arms and legs. Also, the baby's liver begins to synthesize erythrocytes, the ureters are visible, the kidneys are working, the lymphatic system is developing. On ultrasound, the heartbeat of the embryo is clearly determined. At this time, the child's brain is already starting to work, so the child moves in response to external stimuli.
The formation of the brain continues: the pituitary gland and the cerebellum appear. At a period of 9 weeks, the umbilical cord begins to work, which connects the organisms of the mother and the child, transfers to the embryo all the trace elements and vitamins necessary for normal development, and also carries away the waste products of the fetus.
Boy or girl
A boy or a girl will be born - at this time not a single specialist will say, even using the most modern ultrasound machine. The sex of the child has already been determined, this happens at the time of conception and depends on which sperm fertilized the egg - with the Y or X chromosome. But the genitals of the child at 8-9 weeks of pregnancy are not yet developed. The doctor sees only the genital tubercle, and more accurately will be able to tell on an ultrasound scan after 14 weeks. By this time, the penis will develop from the genital tubercle - in the boy or the clitoris - in the girl.
If there are medical indications, for example, if the father or mother of the unborn child has a history of diseases that are transmitted only through the female or male line, such as hemophilia, it is possible to determine the period at 9 weeks. But for this, invasive methods are used, that is, those associated with penetration into the fetal bladder. So, during amniocentesis, a special needle is inserted into the amniotic fluid to take fluid.
This manipulation is carried out in a hospital setting and poses a certain threat to the child. In some cases, after amniocentesis, a frozen pregnancy occurs or a spontaneous miscarriage occurs
Tests at week 9
As a rule, at the 9th week of pregnancy, a woman already knows about her new condition and has decided to keep the baby. Therefore, this period is the most appropriate time to register for pregnancy in an antenatal clinic or conclude an agreement on the management of pregnancy with a private clinic. At the first appointment, the doctor will take an anamnesis - detailed information about the woman's health, previous pregnancies and their outcome. Also, if a woman does not know her blood group and Rhesus, the doctor will send both her and her husband for an appropriate analysis to exclude the likelihood of a Rh-conflict pregnancy.
At week 9, a general blood and urine test is done, as well as a biochemical blood test. It will not be superfluous to check for toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, a blood test for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis. The doctor takes a vaginal swab to do tests for sexually transmitted infections: gonorrhea, chlamydia, and some others.
Impressive women can get agitated by one listing of these diseases. However, there is nothing humiliating in this for the expectant mother. On the contrary, negative results will guarantee that the baby will be born healthy.
Many diseases are latent, that is, secretly, and future parents may not even know about their presence. But diseases can lead to deviations in the physical or mental development of the child, therefore, such tests are prescribed without fail.
If a woman has not previously done an analysis for hCG, the doctor may prescribe it to confirm the normal development of the embryo.
Also, the 9th week of pregnancy is the optimal time for the first ultrasound. The baby is already big enough to see many details of its development, including confirming multiple pregnancies.
Possible complications
In addition to toxicosis, for a period of nine weeks, a woman may be bothered by pain in the lower abdomen. Sensations of low intensity appear due to the fact that the uterus grows and begins to press on other organs of the small pelvis. This is usually accompanied by the appearance of constipation, increased gas production. Lower abdominal pain may indicate the onset of a miscarriage. Such pains are much more intense, sometimes regular, cramping and accompanied by bleeding.
When these symptoms appear, the woman needs to get medical help as soon as possible in order to maintain the pregnancy.
Another possible complication is sciatica - pinching of the sciatic nerve. More often this condition occurs with multiple pregnancies, but it also occurs with singleton. The uterus, increasing in size, presses on the sciatic nerve. Because of this, a woman has pain in the lumbar region. Sciatica usually goes away on its own when the uterus extends beyond the pelvis. The pressure on the sciatic nerve decreases and the pain stops.
What can and cannot be for mom?
In a new state for herself, a woman is often afraid to make even an extra movement, so as not to harm the baby. Her caution is understandable, but modern medicine does not consider pregnancy a disease. Women no longer need to spend all 9 months in bed, as it was once considered common. If the woman is healthy, and the examination showed that the child is developing normally, then the expectant mother, who is at a period of 9 weeks, can lead a normal life with minor adjustments for pregnancy.
These amendments concern, first of all, the intake of alcohol and smoking. It is best if a woman stops smoking and drinking alcohol while preparing for pregnancy, but if this did not happen, then you need to forget about bad habits as soon as the woman found out about pregnancy. It is in the ninth week that a child's brain is formed, and alcohol and nicotine can seriously harm him. In addition, alcohol distorts the facial features of the unborn child, he is not born as beautiful as the parents dreamed about it.
During pregnancy, including the ninth week, it is better for the expectant mother to give up heavy physical exertion associated with both professional activities and strength training. Russian legislation, protecting the future mother and child, provides for the transfer of women, whose work is related to physical activity, to lighter ones.
As for sports, expectant mothers are shown yoga, water aerobics and other non-power sports. Many sports centers offer special classes for pregnant women. Also, doctors recommend abandoning sports where there is a high probability of falling, for example, ice skating and alpine skiing. In pregnant women, the center of gravity shifts, making it more difficult for them to control their bodies. At the same time, a severe fall can lead to placental abruption and loss of pregnancy.
Some changes need to be made in the diet. The forming body needs calcium, iron, micro- and macroelements and, of course, vitamins. He can receive them only from the mother's body. Therefore, a woman needs to change her diet, giving preference to natural products. You need to eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, red meat, fish, and in case of their lack, take special vitamins. But you should refrain from taking medications that are not prescribed by your doctor.
In case of any ailment, an increase in body temperature above 38 C, you must immediately inform your doctor. He will prescribe drugs that are safe for the child.
For fetal development at 9 weeks gestation, see the next video.
