9 weeks is here! The changes that you can see on ultrasound now are occurring weekly at this stage and with
today’s technology, the details are astounding! Your baby is starting to look a lot like what you expect a baby to
look like. It is just tiny still. Your baby weighs almost 1/15 of an ounce and is just shy of 1 inch long. That is
about the size of a peanut. All the body parts are now there and will become more defined over the next few
weeks. The arms and legs are longer, and the joints can bend at the knees and elbows making it easier for us to
see punches and kicks on ultrasound. The fingers and toes are no longer webbed and sometimes I see the baby
opening and closing the fist and wiggling toes. Facial features are now more distinct, and you can see a good
baby profile with the right angle. There are also other major changes taking place, such as the baby’s heart is
now dividing into the four essential chambers. The baby’s nerves and muscles are really gearing up now and
the eyelids are fused shut over the fully formed eyes. The connection from you to your baby, the placenta, has
developed enough now to overtake the critical job of producing hormones and nourishing your baby. You may
be able to see where the placenta is attached at this point. Your placenta can attach anywhere in the uterus,
but if it is in the front, it can cushion the kicks from the baby and take longer to feel their movements.
