Week 9: An inch to grow on

Fetal development in pregnancy week 9:


fetus in third month
Congratulations! Your amazing growing baby has been accepted into to
the fetus-club, a very exclusive and exiting new stage in their
prenatal development. Basically, this means the little sweet pea has
graduated from swimming embryo creature to a recognizable human being!
This week in particular, the irises of their little eyes can function,
but (frustratingly for them?) their eyelids remain fused shut for a
while yet. Their external ears are formed and their inner ears are now
filled with fluid—so your little one is already developing their sense
of balance. Your baby's little swimmer legs are still relatively,
although other bodily developments are going forward at a nice pace:
their kidney is actually functioning now, which means they’ve started
urinating (this might seem charming now but wait till you have to start
buying diapers!).

And how's mom doing?
You’re nearing the end of the first trimester and while there are
plenty of dynamic and noticeable changes going on inside of you, not
many changes are noticeable to you, with the exception of a mildly
bulging midline-- which doesn't look pregnant enough to stop people
from wondering if you need to Having a baby is the
ultimate test for your body—if you take care of your health now you’ll
come out of the pregnancy on top of your health and ready to be an
energetic mother lay off the donuts. Although your body might
seem a little boring right now, you can expect the creeping-up-effect
of weight gain as you will gain roughly 1-2 lbs gain per week (some
more and some less). It’s not a bad idea to chart this to make sure
you’re not over or underfeeding both of you. As you’ve entered into the
Fetal Period, it might be a good time to evaluate your personal health
regimen—that is, if you haven’t already. Are you eating enough protein?
Remember, protein can be found in beans, soy products and nuts—it
doesn’t have to be a 12 ounce sirloin! Are you sleeping well,
exercising right, drinking enough (non-sugary) fluids and getting your
vitamin C? Having a baby is the ultimate test for your body—if you take
care of your health now you’ll come out of the pregnancy on top of your
health and ready to be an energetic mother, if not, well, let’s just
say, you’re increasing the chances of suffering from depression,
osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity, and a multitude of little nasty
viruses (think colds and flues) that good health could've beat before
you even noticed they’d invaded.