Pregnancy Guide Week by Week: 9 To 12 Weeks

The first 12 weeks of your pregnancy, according to a clinical term is known as the ‘first trimester and it is considered as the most crucial and the earliest period of pregnancy since your conception. When your body is bearing a child for almost 9 weeks now, it has already undergone massive physiological, psychological, and hormonal changes and some changes are yet to come till the 12th week. Though your revealing baby bump is yet to occur in the upcoming second trimester, in the first 12 weeks, your body will have immense changes. Being a parent, it is quite usual to be concerned about the health of your baby. Here is the guide for the 9th to 12th week of your pregnancy that will help you to get a clear idea about how to take care of yourself during this time, and thus to take care of your baby.

The 9th week of pregnancy:

When you are in the 9th week of your pregnancy, you will know that your baby is about 22mm or 0.7 inches in height, with a much-developed head, neck, has already undergone rapid growth, and is yet to develop a lot more body parts and organs. For instance, the face is gradually growing, and the broad cells and cone cells develop in the eyes. The skeleton, with tender bone, has already formed and this can be visible if you do a USG. This is the stage when the baby’s tongue develops taste buds. The baby has now more distinct hands and toes, but these will go through further developments in the upcoming weeks.

In the 9th week of pregnancy, your uterus will undergo further growth and the waistline will become thicker. This week onwards, your body will require extra nutrition, because your body is undergoing massive changes, and a healthy, nutrient-rich diet each day is particularly essential from this time onwards to help the body to carry out all the physiological functions properly. During this time, you are likely to experience problems related to digestion, which can cause bloating, stomach upset, heartburn, or problems in bowel movement that can eventually lead to constipation.

The 10th week of pregnancy:

This week, the baby has grown a bit and it is now the size of your fist. The limbs have grown a bit more and by the 10th week, they are movable. The fingers and toes are becoming prominent now. The earlobes and the ear canals are starting to develop on either side of the baby’s head. There are other facial, and organ-related developments that are gradually taking place this week, such as the jawbones are developing, with the growth of a depression that will eventually become nostrils of the nose. By this week you will be able to feel any kind of movement made by the baby.

The 10th week is a crucial week for the baby because this is the time when you need to check on most frequently whether your baby is in good health and to test if your baby can develop any abnormalities such as Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome, and Patau’s syndrome. During this time, the mother needs to get a thorough medical check-up and get fully vaccinated against highly contagious diseases such as flu (influenza) and whooping cough (pertussis), And Covid-19.

The 11th week of pregnancy:

The 11th week of pregnancy is another important week for the baby’s overall growth and development. By this week, your baby has grown to the size of about 2 inches. The frequent heartbeats of the baby can be easily felt with the doctor’s stethoscope, or it can be seen through an ultrasound. The teeth, earbuds, and nostrils are rapidly growing with other major organs such as the intestines.

During this week of pregnancy, there is a sudden change in the female reproductive hormones, particularly estrogen and progesterone and these hormones have both advantageous and disadvantageous effects. The mother-to-be is likely to experience certain difficulties during this time such as some occurrences of skin problems such as acne, and oily skin, issues related to digestion such as stomach upset, bloating, indigestion, nausea, accompanied by vomiting. She may also find trouble falling asleep easily and once you start to notice these symptoms, you should get them to the notice of your concerned medicinal caregiver as soon as possible.

Moreover, during this time, you might see that your hair and nails are undergoing faster growth.

The 12th week of pregnancy:

This is the week when your first trimester ends. By the 12th week, your baby is approximately 2.5 inches in height. It has developed several body parts and organs. Every single part of the baby’s body is growing rapidly. The baby is developing facial features such as teeth, taste buds, jaws, and some of its fingers and toes. The nose, eyes, and chin are now becoming prominent. The mother-to-be needs to be exceptionally careful during this time because during this time there are high chances of miscarriage. So, she should take precautionary steps and abide by the instruction of the doctors, and under thorough routine check-ups. She is likely to put on some more weight during this week and can experience nausea, with tendencies of vomiting, frequent urinating, and many others.

Common Symptoms of Pregnancy from Weeks 9 To 12:

The 9th Week:

The most noticeable symptoms of the 9th week are:

• Tender or tingly breasts
• Irritability or unexpected emotions
• Nausea
• Heartburn, stomach upset, bloating
• Vomiting
• Extreme tiredness and dizziness
• Increase in hunger, food aversions, and craving
• Frequent urge to urinate

Tips For This Week:

• You might have soreness and feelings of tingly breasts that are very sensitive now. Try out maternity wear and maternity, bra to be comfortable.
• Maintain a proper diet: Consume foods that are filled with nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and high fiber that will help in proper digestion and will thus help you to stay regular. Do not keep long gaps in between meals and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
• Avoid too much caffeine consumption and cut out habits of smoking, drinking, or intake of drugs.

The 10th Week:

The common symptoms a mother-to-be experiences in this week are as follows:

• Increase in body weight
• Pain In the abdomen
• A slimy discharge from the vagina
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Excessive tiredness and feeling of exhaustion
• Heartburn
• Bloating of stomach
• Food cravings and aversions
• Sudden mood swings
• Difficulty in bowel movement leading to constipation

Tip Of the Week:

In this week, it is very important to comfort yourself. If you wear tight-fitting clothes, those might make you feel uncomfortable. Try to put on maternity wear and start buying maternity bras because during this time your breast shapes are hanging- they are becoming swollen, tingly, and sensitive or you can also choose nursing bras, particularly if you want to breastfeed.

The 11th Week:

The significant symptoms of this week are as follows:

• Skin becomes more glowing
• Stronger nails and thick hair growth
• Unwanted hair growth
• Heartburn
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Sense of exhaustion and tiredness
• Blemishes

Tip Of the Week:

Apart from attending the concerned gynecologist who is dealing with your pregnancy, also try to get an appointment with a dental care expert because expecting mothers undergo a lot of changes in their bodies and these changes can affect their dental health, particularly during these early weeks of your pregnancy. Besides, you need to maintain healthy dental habits such as brushing your teeth twice a day, cleaning, flossing, and threading the corners of your mouth and the pockets of your teeth. The dentist might also prescribe you the intake of calcium or calcium supplements that will not only help to keep your gums and teeth healthy but will also help to increase the strength of your muscles.

The 12th Week:

The symptoms at the end of trimester 1 or the 12th week of pregnancy can be listed as:

• Increase in skin pigmentation, a condition that has a medical term called ‘melasma’
• Darkening of the nipples
• Tingling and soreness of breasts
• Increase in weight

Tip Of the Week:

From this week of pregnancy, one might experience stretch marks in their thighs, hips, abdomen, breasts, or buttocks. But do not be tensed about stretch marks, because those marks will fade away after delivery. You can consult a doctor who might prescribe you some creams or ointments to get rid of pregnancy stretch marks.