Pregnancy Week 9

Written by Lone Parenting Advisor

Pregnancy week 9 is 49 days after conception and a lot of soon to be mothers are considering the options available to them about birthplaces and making the necessary arrangements. See the Pregnancy planning article on this site which contains a birth plan that will be very useful.

Mood swings can now be evident, they are caused by the increased hormone levels and are sometimes unpleasant to expectant mothers as they can experience ups and downs that affect their lifestyle and people close to them.

The mood swings during early pregnancy are an almost certainty so you need to accept that they are going to happen and work through them with the support of friends and family.

Foetal Development

The foetus has grown more since the previous week and should now measure round 2.3cm in length and has a weight of about 2grams. the size and shape of the foetus at this stage of pregnancy is often compared to that of a peapod.

The eyelids are now almost fully formed, but will remain closed sealing and protecting the eyes until a later stage of pregnancy. the completion of the inner ear happens during pregnancy week 9 as development is rapid.

The limbs of the foetus continue to grow and develop and will begin to bend at the knees and elbows which are also going through growth and development. The development of the wrists and ankles are forming nicely and the webbed like appearance of both the fingers and toes has vanished due to the completion of the separation process of the individual digits. nail beds are now in early stages of development on the fingers and toes, but nails will not grow until the foetus is around the 20 weeks of pregnancy.

The heart of the foetus has separated into four chambers comprising of working valves in the aorta and pulmonary blood vessels. The co-ordinated blood vessels are able to control the flow of blood directing a one way system to and from the lungs and body. Lungs are now growing well and the bronchi are starting to branch out within the chest of the foetus.

Although the bones are soft to begin with they are flexible, this is due to them being made initially from cartilage. The tissues that form the muscle is now working between the bones and the skin creating strength for the foetus.

Development and growth of the neck of the foetus is enabling movement, a slight raise and turn of the head is now possible and in some cases a foetus at this stage of development can move the hand towards their face and initiate contact which is believed to be early signs of thumb sucking.

As the development of the sexual organs continues it is still difficult to differentiate the sex of the foetus at this stage of pregnancy. The anus is in the process of development as are the testes or ovaries.

The liver has taken on the initial primary role of producing the blood supply so the yolk sac is no longer needed and has vanished, once the bone marrow is produced then the liver will cease this function.

Ultrasound

It is still difficult to see much of the foetus through ultrasound and although the sexual organs are developing as it is purely guesswork to determine the sex of the foetus at this stage of pregnancy.

The crown to rump length of the foetus is about 2.5cm at week 9 of pregnancy.