Your Pregnancy Weeks 9 to 12: Embryo to Fetus

At week 9, your baby has graduated from embryo to fetus. She is nearly an inch long and looks more like a baby for digestive tract and reproductive organs are formed, but it's still too early for even for a skilled technician to tell whether you're having a boy or a girl. This week, your baby may start hiccoughing one of the earliest movements that fetus makes. Soon, you'll feel the tail jerks that come with each hiccough. 

By week 10, he's about the size of a grape and can stretch his spine. Because his head so large, the stretch causes the whole body to turn around. The eyes and eyelids are more developed, and eyebrows have started to grow. It looks like your baby is sleeping, but a lot is happening this week. The outer part of the ear is developing and tooth buds are forming. 

His brain is producing almost 250,000 per minute. His liver, instead of the yolk sac is now producing blood cells. His kidneys are producing urine and releasing it into the amniotic fluid. The skin consists of many layers and isn't transparent anymore. Male babies start producing the sex hormone testosterone. By the end of 10 weeks, your baby has more than 90% of the anatomic structures present in adults. 

You baby is about 2 inches long by week 11. From now through week 20 of your pregnancy, she will increase 30 fold in wight and will triple in length. A skilled technician might be able to tell at this point whether you're having a boy or girl, but most of the time, a baby sex can't be detected until 15 or 16 weeks. 

You can't feel it, but your baby is experiencing muscle twitches as she grows. Your baby is almost 3 inches long by week 12 with fingernails, toenails, and bones forming. A fine layer of hair covers most of his body. There are about 3 tablespoons of amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus and he may began to swallow small amounts of it.