Week 9
Your baby is about 1.6 cm long (around 2/3 in) and weighs roughly 1 g (a thirtieth of an ounce), about the size of a grape, though babies vary. The heart is dividing into its four chambers, the fingers are starting to separate, eyelids are forming and the little tail at the base of the spine is almost gone. For you, nausea and tiredness are often at or near their peak. This week covers a handful of safety topics, including cats and gardening, heat and fever, and hazards at work. It also gives you the plain facts about miscarriage, a reason to book a dental checkup, and some room for the worries that can come with waiting.
Day 57 · 8 weeks 0 days
A four-chambered heart is taking shape
The simple tube that began beating a few weeks ago has looped and folded, and now walls are forming inside it. Over this week and next, it divides into the four chambers of a human heart: two upper chambers that receive blood and two lower ones that pump it out. Valves are forming between them. The heart now beats around 150 to 170 times a minute, much faster than yours.
Your baby's hands are changing too. The paddles have deepening notches between the fingers, which will soon separate fully. The toes are a few days behind. Elbows and wrists can bend.
On the face, eyelids are starting to grow over the eyes, and the outer ears are forming low on the sides of the head before moving up into place. The tip of the nose is visible in profile. The tail-like end of the spine has nearly disappeared.
Your baby is still curled, with a large head tucked toward the chest. The body will slowly straighten over the coming weeks.
Try this: If you are keeping a journal or photo record of your pregnancy, add today's date and a line about how you feel.
Day 58 · 8 weeks 1 day
Cats, gardens and toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite found in cat feces, soil and undercooked meat. Most adults who catch it have mild or no symptoms. If you catch it for the first time during pregnancy, though, it can pass to the baby and affect the eyes and brain.
You do not need to give up your cat. Cats that live indoors and eat commercial food are unlikely to carry the parasite. The main precaution is the litter box. If you can, have someone else clean it. If you must do it yourself, wear gloves, change the litter every day (the parasite takes a day or more to become infectious), and wash your hands well afterward. Avoid stray cats and do not adopt a new cat during pregnancy if you can help it. Wear gloves when gardening or handling soil, and cover children's sandboxes when not in use. Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly, especially if homegrown. Cook meat until it is no longer pink, as you read last week, and avoid uncooked cured meats.
Call your care provider if you develop a flu-like illness with swollen glands, or you think you may have been exposed.
Try this: Agree today on who will look after the litter box until the baby is born, and put gardening gloves by the back door.
Day 59 · 8 weeks 2 days
The facts about miscarriage, said plainly
Miscarriage means a pregnancy ending on its own before about 20 to 24 weeks, depending on where you live. It is common: roughly 1 in 8 to 1 in 6 known pregnancies end this way, most of them in the first 12 weeks. Many more happen so early that they are never noticed.
Most first-trimester miscarriages happen because of a chromosome difference in the embryo that means it cannot develop. It is nobody's fault. Miscarriage is not caused by exercise, sex, working, lifting everyday things, a stressful day, a minor fall or an argument. The risk does rise with age and with some health conditions, and it falls steadily as pregnancy goes on, especially once a heartbeat has been seen.
Bleeding in early pregnancy does not always mean miscarriage. About 1 in 4 people have some spotting or bleeding in the first trimester, and many go on to have healthy pregnancies.
Call your care provider if you have bleeding, with or without cramping, or you pass tissue.
Get help right away if you soak through a pad in an hour or less, feel faint, or have severe pain.
If a loss does happen, grief is normal, whatever stage it comes at. Support is available, and you can ask for it.
Try this: If worry about miscarriage is weighing on you, write down one question about it to ask at your next appointment.
Day 60 · 8 weeks 3 days
Book a dental checkup
Dental care is safe and worthwhile in pregnancy, and many people put it off without needing to. Routine checkups, cleanings and fillings can all go ahead. Local anesthetic used for dental work is considered safe. X-rays can be done when needed; the dose is very small.
Pregnancy hormones make gums more sensitive, and you will read more about that in a few weeks. Your teeth face another challenge right now: stomach acid. If you are vomiting, acid softens tooth enamel for a short time. Brushing straight away can wear it down. Instead, rinse your mouth with water, or with a little baking soda dissolved in water, and wait about 30 minutes before brushing.
Use a fluoride toothpaste twice a day and floss once a day. If the taste of toothpaste makes you gag, try a mild flavour or a smaller brush head. Sweet snacks to fight nausea are understandable, but sipping sugary drinks all day is hard on teeth.
Tell your dentist you are pregnant and roughly how far along. Urgent dental problems, such as an infection or a broken tooth, should be treated at any stage.
Try this: Call your dental office today and book a checkup for sometime in the next few weeks.
Day 61 · 8 weeks 4 days
Living with the not-knowing
Early pregnancy has a lot of waiting in it. Waiting for the first appointment, for a scan, for test results, for the nausea to lift, for a point where it feels safe to relax. For many people, especially after a previous loss or fertility treatment, this stretch is filled with worry. Some days you may find yourself checking for symptoms, or worrying when a symptom fades. Symptoms naturally come and go, and a good day without nausea is not a warning sign on its own.
It can help to name your worries rather than carry them silently. Talk to your partner, a friend or your care provider. Some people find it useful to set a "worry time," ten minutes to write everything down, then close the notebook. Gentle routines, time outdoors and limiting late-night searching online can all ease the load.
If worry is taking over, it deserves attention in its own right. Anxiety in pregnancy is common and treatable.
Call your care provider if anxiety stops you sleeping, eating or getting through the day, or you have panic attacks.
For your partner: Ask how your partner is really doing, and let the answer be whatever it is. You can share your own worries too; it often helps both of you.
Day 62 · 8 weeks 5 days
Keep your core temperature in check
In the early weeks, a big rise in your body temperature, especially to 39°C (102°F) or above for a long time, has been linked to a higher chance of some birth differences, particularly of the neural tube. This is why most guidance suggests avoiding hot tubs and saunas in pregnancy, or keeping any use very short, and skipping hot yoga.
Warm baths are fine. Keep the water comfortably warm rather than hot, and get out if you feel dizzy or overheated. The same common sense applies to exercising on very hot days: go early or late, drink water and slow down.
Fever matters too. If you get sick and your temperature rises, bring it down rather than riding it out. Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is generally considered the first choice for fever and pain in pregnancy. Check with your care provider or pharmacist about what to take and how much, and avoid anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen unless your care provider says otherwise.
Call your care provider if your temperature is 38°C (100.4°F) or higher, especially if it comes with a rash, pain when you pee, abdominal pain or feeling very unwell.
Try this: Check that you have a working thermometer at home, and put it somewhere easy to find.
Day 63 · 8 weeks 6 days
Is your work safe for pregnancy?
Most jobs are safe to continue in pregnancy, but some involve exposures worth checking now, during the weeks when the baby's organs are forming.
Think about chemicals, such as solvents, pesticides, some cleaning and laboratory products, lead and anesthetic gases. Think about radiation in medical or industrial settings, very heavy or repeated lifting, long hours standing, night shifts, and jobs with a risk of falls or physical harm. If you work with young children or in health care, infections are the main concern. Cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common virus spread through saliva and urine, can affect a developing baby. Wash your hands after changing diapers or wiping noses, and avoid sharing cups, utensils or kisses on the mouth with young children. If you are exposed to fifth disease (parvovirus), chickenpox or measles, tell your care provider.
You do not have to tell your employer you are pregnant before you are ready, though you may need to if a hazard is involved. In many places, employers must assess risks and adjust duties. Your care provider can help you decide what is safe and can write a note if needed.
Try this: Make a list of anything in your work that worries you, and bring it to your next appointment.