13-6-2009 - 9 Weeks Pregnant

My mood while writing this blog: Ok

The ninth week of pregnancy advances the baby from being an embryo to a fetus which measures between 13 to 17 mm and weighs about 1 gm. If there are multiple babies you are expecting they will be roughly of the same size and weight as the single babies. In the ninth month there is rapid development in the baby as he/she starts looking like a small human being.

This is what you looked like when your arms and legs began to grow. Now you have ears, eyes that open and shut, two legs, two arms and 10 fingers and toes. You are starting to resemble what you will look like when you are born. Mommy feels better on the medicine the doctor gave her and she wants you to know that she loves you. Your Daddy is getting more excited by the day and can't wait until the time they get to see you again at the doctors' office. I will be there too.

With the rapid development in the baby till now the baby has developed all the features of a human being but is still small in size. The embryonic tail has disappeared at this stage and the baby is now ready for rapid weight gain. The eyelids which are fully formed are tightly shut and open in the 28th week. The gender of the baby can be found out at this stage. The baby’s joints such as the ankles, wrists, knees and elbows are now well developed and flexible allowing the baby to move freely in the amniotic sac. The heart of the baby develops further into four chambers and the valves begin developing. A strong fetal heartbeat should be detected at this stage by ultrasound technology and if this does not occur the doctor might take other tests to confirm the safety of the fetus. The baby can make a fist and begin sucking his/her thumb at this stage. In the ninth week the baby will open its mouth for the first time. The eyes will be totally ready and well formed but the membranes that cover the eyes will be still closed. The salivary glands and vocal chord begins to develop at this stage. The hands and feet develop the fastest in this stage and the heart beats at a rate of 150 beats per minute. The head is quite large at this stage compared to the rest of the body and it curves into the chest. The baby moves freely about as the muscles continue developing. The elbows and the sex organs are fully developed by now. The baby is the size of a grape by now measuring around 11/2 inches from the head to the rump and weighing a fraction of an ounce.