9 week pregnancy symptoms?

Week-by-week guide to pregnancy
happy couple looking at pregnancy test results
When you're pregnant, you have lots of questions. Our week-by-week pregnancy guide is packed with lots of useful information. From what's happening inside your body, to how your baby is developing, and tips and advice on having a healthy pregnancy – this is your one-stop pregnancy guide!

1st trimester
2nd trimester
3rd trimester

1st trimester

Our week-by-week pregnancy guide is full of essential information. From early pregnancy symptoms to how your baby is growing and developing, you'll find it all here.

Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12

Week 9 – your 1st trimester

Your breasts will be bigger now and your waist may be thickening a little. Your pregnancy hormones are flooding your body, which may still be causing you to feel unwell. Thankfully this will not last forever. In a month, you'll be entering the second trimester when many people start to feel lots better.
What's happening in my body?

Over the past few weeks, the levels of the pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin, have been doubling in your body every 2 or 3 days. When you are 9 weeks pregnant, this hormone is at its peak.

You will also have higher levels of the other hormones, including oestrogen and progesterone. This powerful combo will help to increase the blood supply to your womb. Some women describe this time as being like an “emotional rollercoaster”, so get lots of rest and accept any offers of help.

Super snacks

It's tempting to reach for the biscuits when you're feeling tired and low, but try sticking to healthy snacks instead. If you eat little and often throughout the day, it keeps your blood sugar stable, which can reduce morning sickness. Here are a few snack ideas:

boiled egg with wholemeal soldiers
hummus with carrot sticks
pitta bread with grated cheese Here are lots more ideas for snacktime and some easy healthy recipes.

Early pregnancy symptoms (at 9 weeks)

This is a tough time, but week by week you should start feeling better. Your signs of pregnancy could include:

extreme tiredness
feeling sick
mood swings
a metallic taste in your mouth
sore breasts
headaches
new likes and dislikes for food and drink
a heightened sense of smell
a milky white pregnancy discharge from your vagina
light spotting (see your doctor if you get bleeding in pregnancy)
cramping, a bit like period pains
darkened skin on your face or brown patches - this is known as chloasma faciei or the “mask of pregnancy”
thicker and shinier hair
bloating and the feeling of being bloated (read some ways to deal with bloating on week 10's page)

Tommy's, the baby charity, has a list of 10 common pregnancy complaints and advice on how to manage them.

Read Tommy's guide to common pregnancy symptoms.
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What does my baby look like?

Eye eye!

Your baby's eyes are getting bigger and will have a bit of colour in them now. It's a myth that all babies are born with blue eyes – they could be anything from slate grey to inky black depending on the parents' genetics. Eye colour often changes after birth.

Your baby, or foetus, is now around 22mm long from head to bottom, which is about the size of a strawberry.

The face is looking more recognisable, with eyes protected by eyelids, a little mouth and even a tongue with tiny taste buds. The hands and feet are developing, but there are no fingers or toes yet, just grooves where they will be.

All the major internal organs – the heart, brain, lung, kidneys and gut – are developing. Bones are starting to form. Your baby's genitals are also starting to take shape – but you probably won't find out if it's a boy or a girl until your anomaly scan at around 18 to 21 weeks.