What’s happening to the mother in week 9 to 12?
Your hormones are changing, and both thoughts and feelings can fluctuate greatly. You may feel anything from great joy to worry and grief. It is not uncommon to worry about having a miscarriage, your relationship with your partner, changes to your body, or your work and life situation.
The mucous membranes are also more fragile than usual. This may result in some bleeding from the gums when you brush your teeth, nosebleeds or minor bleeding from your vagina during sexual intercourse. This isn’t dangerous.
Your womb is continuing to grow, but it is still positioned safely down in the pelvis. Your pregnancy will therefore not necessarily be apparent to anyone else. If you have been pregnant before, your stomach may become visible earlier.
If you have experienced gestational nausea, you might find that this issue gradually disappears during this period. A few women are still nauseous after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Development of the fetus
The embryo is now considered to be a foetus and is usually around 4 cm long and weighs about 8 grams.
Around this time, it becomes possible to see that the foetus has developed fingers and toes. The external genitalia continue to develop. However, it is still difficult to distinguish between what will become female and male genitalia. During this period, the intestines gradually start to retract from the umbilical cord and into the foetus’ abdominal cavity.