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Your baby's body is starting to take shape
Week 9: Your baby’s skeleton, intestines, and reproductive systems begin to form
When you're 9 weeks pregnant, your baby's body parts and proportions continue to develop and change quickly:
- During the 9th week of your pregnancy, your baby grows to about 1 inch, which is about the length of an olive.
- By your 9th week of pregnancy, your baby's skeleton begins to harden. Hardening of the bones (ossification) begins with the formation of cartilage.
- Her fingers, toes, knees, and elbows develop.
- Nipples and hair follicles form.
- Her intestinal system — pancreas, bile ducts, gallbladder, and anus — forms. Her intestines elongate.
- Your baby's reproductive organs begin to develop internally when you're 9 weeks pregnant.
- Muscles develop and your baby may start to move — you might feel her movements in several more weeks.
Your Week 9 nutrition and health
Why healthy habits should start now
Being pregnant gives you a new perspective on how your health habits can affect your body and your baby. There are many benefits to good nutrition during pregnancy.
Good nutrition includes a healthy diet supplemented with a prenatal multivitamin as prescribed by your doctor. Starting now in your first trimester will help you maintain these habits throughout your pregnancy.
