The first trimester is chugging along, and hopefully you aren’t feeling too badly! But if you are exhausted and nauseated, that’s unfortunately very normal: surging levels of the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) make this is peak time for morning sickness! Hang in there, mama. These next few weeks are almost certainly the worst of it, and shortly you’ll be back to your old self (except: pregnant!).

Your baby and your body’s transformation continues in the ninth week of pregnancy. Read on to learn about the developments and the symptoms at nine weeks pregnant.

Baby at nine weeks pregnant

Another week, another fruit comparison. This week your baby’s size is the equivalent of a medium green olive, about 1 to 1.25 inches crown to rump. Here’s something to celebrate: at the end of this week your baby gets an exciting promotion in terminology, from embryo to fetus. Woot!  

Your baby is looking much more graceful these days, with longer arms, legs, and fingers and a more developed neck. S/he’s moving those growing limbs around, but it’s still too early for you to feel it. Eyelids are now almost fully covering the eyes, which were previously uncovered, and under those lids, the pupils and optic nerves have begun to form. 

Your body at nine weeks pregnant

Blame your thicker waistline on your expanding uterus, currently crowding your pelvic area and soon to be extending itself up into your abdomen. (That expansion puts it right on your bladder, which is why you are feeling like you have to pee so often!). It’s also possible and totally normal if you have gained a few pounds by nine weeks pregnant. Experts recommend women who begin pregnancy at a healthy weight gain between 25-35 pounds throughout these nine months. You might add about three to five pounds of that recommendation during the first trimester. 

Also expanding is the amount of blood in your body, which will increase by as much as 50% by pregnancy’s end. This blood increase is one reason it’s very important that pregnant women eat plenty of iron-rich foods. Many women develop mild anemia during pregnancy. If you’re not getting enough iron, your body might not be able to make the number of red blood cells it needs to produce the additional blood.  

Although it's one of the rarer symptoms at nine weeks pregnant, some women experience bleeding early in their pregnancies. If you're bleeding or spotting at any point in your pregnancy, you should contact your doctor or midwife. It could be nothing to worry about, but it could also be an early sign of ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage.

Nine weeks pregnant ultrasound

If your practitioner orders an ultrasound at this appointment, it will very likely be a transvaginal ultrasound, which provides the best look at your baby and uterus at nine weeks pregnant. You will very likely be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat on an ultrasound by the ninth week of pregnancy.

Nine weeks is how many months pregnant? 

At this stage in your pregnancy, you're two months, one week (2m1w) pregnant, and into your third month of pregnancy.

Common symptoms at nine weeks pregnant

• Nausea and morning sickness: Blame pregnancy hormones for your nausea, vomiting, and food aversions. If you’re having a hard time eating large meals, try to eat smaller, more frequent snacks, with the goal of always keeping something – even if it’s just soda crackers – in your stomach, which will help with nausea.
• Try taking tiny sips of lemonade and suck on popsicles to prevent dehydration.
• Sensitivity to smells: This pregnancy symptom often goes hand in hand with nausea. You might find yourself noticing smells you hadn’t before. You might also dislike or even feel repulsed by smells of things that you normally like, such as food or product scents. This symptom is likely to stick until your nausea and morning sickness eases up.
• Fatigue: Your body is literally manufacturing a new organ, the placenta, during the first trimester. That means blood, nutrients, and energy that were previously available to you are being redirected to grow the placenta, and can leave you seriously exhausted or even fatigued. The good news is your energy is almost certain to return during the second trimester.
• Breathlessness: This is a symptom you might have already experienced, or will in the next 30 weeks. As your baby’s oxygen requirements go up, you might experience some shortness of breath. 
• Congestion: You might be surprised to find you’re experiencing some stuffiness and nasal congestion as a result of your pregnancy, but it’s not uncommon: in fact, it even has a name, pregnancy rhinitis. The blame for you swelling nasal passages again goes to pregnancy hormones. This is another symptom that’s likely to stick around. Try natural methods for relief, and speak to your doctor before taking any over-the-counter medications for guidance on which are ok to take during pregnancy
• Headaches: It's also not uncommon for women to have headaches or even migraines throughout early pregnancy. The changing hormone levels in your body usually cause these headaches.
• Cravings for non-foods: A  less symptom is pica. This is a craving for non-foods, such as chalk, dirt, clay or laundry soap. Experts think pica may be caused by an iron deficiency or a nutrient deficit. It can be very dangerous to ingest even a small amount of non-foods. Talk to your doctor if you’re experiencing any unusual cravings
• Back pain: As your body loosens up the ligaments in preparation for labor, you might experience some back aches and pains.

Pregnancy checklist at nine weeks pregnant 

• Get familiar with: When you're pregnant at nine weeks, it's a good time to start looking into the types of prenatal tests that are available to you. Here’s an overview of the most common prenatal tests; many check for abnormalities in the pregnancy and any risks to both maternal and baby health. Your healthcare provider will present the option of tests and should explain exactly what each test does and why it’s recommended, but it’s helpful to prepare yourself with the basic info before your appointment.
• Be aware that: It's easy to develop a urinary tract infection when you're pregnant at nine weeks because of the high levels of progesterone found in your body. If you notice the signs of an infection, talk to your doctor right away so he or she can prescribe some antibiotics that are safe to use during pregnancy.
• Stay safe at work: It's also important to make sure that your workplace is a safe one for your growing baby. If you work with any chemicals or in an environment that you're worried about, bring up your concerns with your healthcare provider. 

What to Expect at 10 Weeks Pregnant