9 weeks pregnant: Pregnancy Symptoms & Baby Development

When you are 9 weeks pregnant your baby’s mouth and tongue have started to form and taste buds are already in place¹. Measuring between 2cm and 3cm long from head to bottom, they’re roughly the size of a cherry. At this stage, your baby’s eyes are becoming more defined¹ and their nose has assumed a recognisable shape².

Your baby’s major organs, including their brain, heart, lungs and kidneys, continue to develop. It’s still too early to see their gender on an ultrasound, but your baby’s tiny movements may be visible³ – a sign of their muscles starting to form⁴. Your midwife may also be able to hear your baby’s rapid heartbeat through a handheld doppler (ultrasound device) on your abdomen⁴.

While it’s common to be bloated at 9 weeks pregnant, it’s unlikely that you’ll look pregnant yet or see any signs of a pregnancy belly. 

Early pregnancy symptoms vary from person to person. At 9 weeks⁵, you may experience any of the following signs of pregnancy, or no symptoms at all:

If you haven’t visited your GP since becoming pregnant, week nine is a good time to call them and schedule your first antenatal visit, known as the booking appointment. While you may not be sharing the news far and wide, this opportunity to talk about your prenatal health in detail can make your pregnancy feel more real.

During pregnancy, your immune system is naturally suppressed to allow your body to accept your growing passenger¹¹. This can leave you more vulnerable to infection, so it’s important to take extra care with food preparation and hygiene.

The following foods can cause food poisoning, so it’s best to avoid them. If you’re ever in doubt, take the safe option and throw it out.

• Raw or undercooked eggs that do not bear the British Lion mark, as well as foods that are made from them, such as homemade mayonnaise, certain ice cream and homemade mousse. 
• Rare and undercooked meat, fish and chicken. 
• Steak tartare, sushi and other foods that contain raw meat and fish.
• Unpasteurised milk, cheese or yogurt.

 It’s recommended that you get 10 micrograms of vitamin D each day during pregnancy¹².

The most efficient way to get vitamin D is through exposure to direct sunlight – UVB rays in particular. However, the latitude of the UK means we only get around 6 months of effective sunlight each year, from April to September. This may explain why a significant number of young women in the UK have a low vitamin D status, and why skin exposure alone may not be enough to support your baby during pregnancy^13.

• Oily fish, including herrings, mackerel, sardines, salmon, trout (limit your intake to 2 portions a week).
• Eggs – the yolk contains the vitamin D.
• Fortified foods - some brands of milk and breakfast cereals have added vitamin D.

Vitamin D forms an essential part of your healthy pregnancy diet. It plays a vital supporting role in the growth and development of your baby’s bones by regulating the levels of calcium and phosphate in their body¹⁴. An adequate supply of vitamin D also reduces your baby’s risk of vitamin D deficiency.

As well as supporting your baby’s bone development during pregnancy, the vitamin D you consume now helps to build up your baby’s personal store, which they will rely on during their first few months of life¹⁵.

Weight gain during pregnancy depends on your pre-pregnancy weight, and varies a great deal from mother to mother. Most women gain between 10kg and 12.5kg (22–28lb) while pregnant, some of which is the weight of the growing baby¹⁴. Learn everything you need to know about weight gain in pregnancy.