Are you 9 weeks pregnant? Your baby, at this time, is the size of a green olive. You could also liken your baby’s size to that of a cherry or a Hershey’s Kiss. You could be one of those lucky ones who has experienced horrible pregnancy symptoms up until this point and all of a sudden, it feels like your symptoms have disappeared at 9 weeks! Maybe you are still going through it and wondering how something so teeny tiny could be giving you so much trouble. You should know that you are not alone. Pregnancy symptoms at 9 weeks are varied.
Can you start to show at 9 weeks?
Whether a pregnant woman shows at 9 weeks will differ from woman to woman. Generally, your 9 weeks pregnant belly will not be very evident at this point. We know even at 29 weeks, there are some pregnant women whose baby bump will not be immediately evident to people who do not know them. If you carry small, it is unlikely that you will be showing at 9 weeks. It does not mean you won’t be feeling any pregnancy symptoms though.
Perfectly normal symptoms you could feel at 9 weeks pregnant
- Headaches
Headaches may peak around 9 weeks. This is because of the surge in bloood flow throughout your body to provide for your baby as well. In addition, your hormones are changing as your pregnancy progresses and these hormonal changes may cause headaches.
- Colostrum
Colostrum is your first milk. It is a high-nutrient milk released from your breasts. It could be described as the first stage of breastmilk. Colostrum varies in consistency and starts to develop during pregnancy.
While some moms may notice lactating beginning around 20 weeks pregnant, others might notice it much earlier. You may see a bit of colostrum secretion at 9 weeks. While not many women report it this early in pregnancy, it is not so uncommon and it certainly not a sign of something wrong. However, you should feel free to discuss this and any other pregnancy symptoms you experience with your doctor.
- Insomnia
Your pregnancy symptoms at 9 weeks might include difficulty in falling asleep and/or staying asleep throughout the night. This can be attributed to several things from hormonal changes to your brain finding it difficult to switch off due to anxiety you might be feeling about pending life changes.
- Constipation
Once again, your pregnancy hormones may be to blame for this. Struggling to move your bowels when you hit the 9 week mark may be because your digestive system has slowed down during pregnany. It may also be because of the iron content in your prenatal vitamins.
- Gas
As the progesterone and estrogen levels in your body increase during pregnancy, your digestive system slows down and your body stores more gas. This gas can become painful in your abdomen and your chest.
- Exhaustion and sleepiness
Your body is getting familiar with housing and growing another human being. It is no wonder that you feel so exhausted around now. Being exhausted at 9 weeks pregnant after feeling relatively normal since the earlier part of your pregnancy is not at all uncommon.
- Nausea
Or rather, nausea and vomiting. I say that because this symptom could be you frequently feeling like you want to vomit or you actually vomiting frequently. For a lot of women who have been experiencing nausea or morning sickness from the beginning of their pregnancy, the 9 week mark is sometimes where it will peak and then ease off after that.
- Vertigo
Vertigo is a symptom felt whereby you feel like your surroundings are spinning. You might feel very dizzy and struggle to keep straight. It is also characterised by nausea and loss of hearing.
With your body working overtime to pump blood throughout your body for both yourself and baby, this symptom is perhaps not surprising. If you are experiencing vertigo at 9 weeks, it might also be caused by low blood sugar or low iron levels. It is a symptom you should absolutely be talking to your doctor about.
- Larger breasts
Do not be surprised if you go up a cup size starting from now. Infact, it might go up more than a couple of cup sizes. Enjoy it if you have always wished for bigger boobs or wondered what it would be like to have them. They do not remain this big for every woman after birth and you may be thankful for that!
READ: The Best Maternity and Nursing Bras for Larger Breasts
- Warm breasts
Apart from getting larger, your breasts could also feel hot or warm. When they get swollen and tender, they may start to feel hot from the strain of the change in size. While some women may notice this much earlier in pregnancy, for others, it starts to happen around now.
- Tender, itchy and darker nipples
It is not only your breasts that can start to surprise from 9 weeks. Another part of your body that could begin to show pregnancy symptoms at 9 weeks are your nipples. With the rest of your breasts, they are also becoming larger and are therefore likely to be more tender and the stretching of your skin there may also cause some itching. You will also notice that they start to darken in colour.
Do pregnancy symptoms disappear at 9 weeks?
Interestingly, some women do report that their pregnancy symptoms seem to ease off at 9 weeks. They also feel more energetic and more like their “old” or pre-pregnancy selves. Women, particularly those who have experienced loss of pregnancy previously following symptoms disappearing, may start to worry. If this is you, simply continue to follow up with your routine doctor’s appointments to make sure everything is alright. Call your doctor if you feel worried. Try to enjoy the fact that you are not feeling quite so unwell anymore.
For some women, the pregnancy symptoms do return after seemingly disappearing at 9 weeks!
There are several things you can try to alleviate all the discomfort.
How best to care for yourself at 9 weeks pregnant
- Get a head start on sleep. If you are finding it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep in the night, it only makes sense to start early. Or at least earlier than usual. Even if only by 30 minutes or so. As you continue to grow larger in belly size, it might only get more difficult to get to sleep so start to strategize on how to get more sleep now.
- Eat smaller portions regularly. By eating less but more often, you give your digestive system more time to break down a smaller quantity of food. You reduce the likelihood of indigestion and gas.
- Wear comfortable clothing. With various parts of your body growing and stretching, one way to make yourself feel less itchy is to make sure you are wearing comfortable clothing that is not too tight. From your underwear to your outwear, your clothes should not be too restrictive and should fit properly. They should also be made of comfortable, breathable fabric.
- Avoid gassy foods. Indigestion and gasiness can be alleviated by avoiding foods that lead to gas in your intestines. These include vegetables like cabbage, brussel sprouts and broccoli. If you have found that you are sensitive to lactose, this might also be a good time to cut back on that.
- Meditation. An excellent stress reliever both in and out of pregnancy is meditation. At 9 weeks pregnant, you could find not only mental but also physical relief in practicing meditation. Apart from helping you to achieve better sleep, it can also help you to better deal with any pains that you may be feeling during your pregnancy.
Are you feeling any interesting pregnancy symptoms at 9 weeks?
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