At 9 weeks pregnant, you are slowly nearing the end of your first trimester. As you continue to struggle through morning sickness, fatigue, and other early pregnancy symptoms, don't be too surprised if you start to experience pregnancy mood swings as well.
The changing levels of hormones in your pregnant body can make you moody and irritable at times, and it can also put a strain your relationship with your husband or partner. You may find yourself crying uncontrollable at 9 weeks pregnant, and laughing hysterically seconds later. You may be all over your partner one minute, and minutes later you don't want him to touch you. Your partner may not know what to do, but rest assured that your behavior is normal.
How to Cope with Ranging Emotions
With the surge of pregnancy hormones in your body, it can be difficult to handle your raging emotions. You may find it hard to stay calm at points during pregnancy at 9 weeks. Remember to have open and honest communication with your partner. Talk to him about what you're going through, what things are stressing you out, and how you feel about your pregnancy and your changing body.
Some women may be extra emotional as they struggle with pregnancy body image issues. They may be worried about getting "fat" during pregnancy, as they start on packing on the pounds. If they haven't told their friends and families that they are expecting, certain offhand comments can cause them to have crying spells.
Keep Your Partner Informed
Make sure you keep a box of tissues nearby for those emotional moments. It might help if you bring your partner to your prenatal checkups, so he has an opportunity to speak to your doctor about his concerns. Your doctor or healthcare provider may be able to ease both of your worries, so that you can enjoy the rest of your pregnancy!
Inform your partner or husband that he should expect these mood fluctuations during pregnancy. Thankfully, these pregnancy symptoms will go away in the weeks after delivery. However, if you breastfeed, you may continue to stay emotional, because your body produces certain hormones for lactation.
Relax and Prevent Mood Swings
During pregnancy week 9, if you are experiencing mood swings, you may want to stay away from sad and sappy movies. Try selecting funny or comedic films and television programs. Take care of yourself and try to relax!
At 9 weeks pregnant, if you're starting to have mixed feelings about being pregnant, don't stress. This is normal too. Every mother is worried about the future, whether she will be a good mother or not. Talk to your partner about your worries. This can also help the two of you bond together as you prepare for the arrival of your baby.
Weight Gain During Pregnancy - Week 9
Your pregnancy weight gain at 9 weeks pregnant may be around two pounds, possibly less. You are definitely not ready for maternity clothes yet, but it won’t be too long now. In the second trimester, you will start gaining at least one pound or two with each week that passes
How is Dad Doing? During pregnancy week 9, as you're sharing your feelings with your partner, you might be surprised to learn that pregnancy is often just as emotional for him as it is for you! Most fathers feel helpless when they see their pregnant wife crying for no reason. Your partner or husband may not know how to help or how to soothe you.
Couvade Syndrome
Your partner can also feel guilty for your pregnancy symptoms. He may blame himself for your "condition." If you are nauseated, throwing up, and fatigued all the time, your husband or partner may feel responsible. In some cases, your partner might experience a sympathy pregnancy, also called "Couvade Syndrome."
Men with Couvade Syndrome start to experience pregnancy symptoms, including morning sickness, fatigue, backaches, food cravings, and even mood swings. Some fathers-to-be even put on weight during his sympathy pregnancy!
He can experience these symptoms as early as pregnancy week 9, as Couvade Syndrome can start in the first trimester. Some men feel so tied to their wives and their unborn babies that they even experience "contractions" at the same time as their wives.
Causes of Couvade Syndrome
The causes of Couvade Syndrome are not known, but there are several theories. He may be jealous of the attention you're getting from your pregnancy, or he feels guilty for causing your pregnancy that he takes on your symptoms. It is also possible that he feels so close to you and your unborn baby that he gets " all your pregnant symptoms" to support you.
The symptoms of Couvade Syndrome disappear as soon as your baby is born. Remember that it took the two of you to make a baby, so you are not alone on this new journey.
Take a Prenatal Class with Dad
Let your husband get involved with your pregnancy. Take him to your prenatal visits. You may want to take a parenting class together. Many couples find that a parenting class helps them bond with each other during pregnancy.
At 9 weeks pregnant, you may also want to start thinking about taking a birthing technique class. Both the Lamaze and Bradley Method are two popular classes that expecting parents like to take. While there is no class that is better than personal experiencing, these classes will help both you and your partner feel more secure and more prepared for the arrival of your baby.
When you experience pregnancy as a couple, you are more likely to experience a happy pregnancy and cope with fewer emotional ups and downs.
Fetal Development at Pregnancy Week 9: We're Talking Grapes, Baby! By the time you reach 9 weeks of pregnancy, your baby will be almost one inch from crown to rump, or roughly the size of a ripe grape! Your baby weighs just under an ounce this week.
As you go through your pregnancy week by week, your tiny baby will start packing on the pounds. By the time he or she is born, you may have a seven-pound baby on your hands!
During pregnancy week 9, your baby's head is still huge and bowed over the bulge of his or her belly. His or her outer ears have started to take shape.
Until now, your baby's eyes have been at the side of his or her head. But at 9 weeks pregnant, your baby's eyes are making their way to the front of the face. You baby has eyelids now, but they won't open until the end of the second trimester.
While your baby's gender was determined at conception, your little one is now developing reproductive organs, however it won't be until you are roughly 20 weeks pregnant that your doctor can distinguish the sex of your baby with a 99 percent accuracy rate. And that's only if your baby decides to cooperate and gets in a good position.
Your little one's fingers are becoming more distinguishable at 9 weeks pregnant, but they are still not separate. The toes are developing more slowly and they're still budlike.
Did you know that your baby can move his elbows at pregnancy week 9? Though you won't be able to feel your baby's movements for several more months, your little one is already making small movements.
Throughout your pregnancy week by week, your little baby is starting to look more and more like a human being. His or her body isn't as curled up as it was several weeks ago, as it is slowly straightening up.
At 9 weeks pregnant, your little baby's bones are starting to harden. This process is called "ossification." As your baby grows, his or her bones will gradually calcify and harden. Your little one's bones will continue to lengthen throughout your pregnancy and until he or she is a teenager.
Mom's Changes at Pregnancy Week 9 As your baby gets larger, your uterus will expand too. Before pregnancy, your uterus was only the size of a plum, and at 9 weeks pregnant, it has grown to the size of a large papaya. Just think that by the time you reach pregnancy week 40, your uterus will be comparable to the size of a basketball! At 9 weeks pregnant, your uterus is starting to tilt upwards.
Your pregnancy weight gain at 9 weeks pregnant is only about one or two pounds for the average sized woman. You don’t look noticeably pregnant yet and you won’t for another couple of weeks. By the end of your first trimester, at 13 weeks pregnant, you will have only gained about 5 or 6 pounds. (Keep in mind that every woman gains weight differently.)
Headaches During Pregnancy
During pregnancy week 9, you may start to experience tension headaches or migraines. Headaches are very common in the first trimester of pregnancy, due to your new pregnancy hormones. Though you can't take any medications (except Tylenol) to treat them, you can sometimes get relief by rubbing your temples and lying in a dark, cool room.
If you've been sitting in front of the computer for a long period of time, you may want to stand up and take breaks. Eyestrain can make headaches worse. Remember to try to take breaks from the computer screen, and drink plenty of water. Being dehydrated can also elongate headaches.
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