You are 9 Weeks Pregnant!
WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH YOU
Your breasts may be feeling full and tender. This can be one of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy. The areola typically darkens and Montgomery’s glands, lubricating sweat glands on the areola, may become prominent and more numerous. Especially for those with a light complexion, veins in the breast often become more pronounced.
Emotionally, you may feel like you are suffering from an ongoing bout of PMS. Even silly commercials may make you cry!
WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY
This week, your baby-to-be grows to between 20 and 28 millimeters from crown to rump, or about an inch. Weighing in at one gram, your baby is very active, although you can’t feel its movements. He or she now has all the major organs, muscles and nerves. A Doppler may be able to identify the heartbeat. While testes and ovaries are formed, external genitalia appear sexless, which is why it is too early for an ultrasound to reveal gender. Eyelids are beginning to form and the trunk is straightening and elongating.
EATING FOR TWO
Adding a few tablespoons of nonfat milk powder to many of your recipes is a great way to sneak in some extra calcium. For soups and hot cereals, use nonfat milk instead of water.
FACT OF THE WEEK
Women who consume more than three alcoholic drinks per week during the first trimester have double the risk of miscarriage compared to nondrinking women. This news comes from an intensive study based upon more than 5,000 women. Women who drank prior to pregnancy have no increased incidence of miscarriage over the nondrinker. Bottom line? Drinking any amount during pregnancy can be unsafe for the developing fetus.