9 Weeks Pregnant: Baby the Size of a Cherry

Week 9 is the last stretch of the embryo stage. All the main organs have started forming and now begin to grow and mature.

Your baby this week

Face: Eyelids are forming and covering the eyes, and the tip of the nose has appeared.
Muscles: Muscles are developing, so those small movements are getting stronger.
Tail gone: The small tail at the base of the spine has disappeared.

Headaches, often from hormone changes. Ask what pain relief is okay for you.
Visible veins on your breasts and belly as your blood volume rises.
Mood ups and downs that can catch you by surprise.
Sickness that may still be strong. It often starts easing between 12 and 14 weeks.

You have bleeding, or cramping pain low in your belly
You have sharp pain on one side, pain in the tip of your shoulder, or you feel faint
You're being sick so often you can't keep fluids down
You have a fever, or it burns or stings when you pee

If the pain is severe or you feel faint, call emergency services.

Weeks 10–14

Your dating scan, which checks your baby's growth and gives a more exact due date.

From around 10 weeks

Screening for conditions like Down's syndrome may be offered. Whether to have it is your choice.

Which screening tests are offered here, and what do the results tell me?
What pain relief can I use for headaches?
Is there anything I should be doing differently because of my health or history?

Add your own, then bring the list with you.

Read up on the screening options too, so you can talk them through together rather than leaving the research to one person.

Enter your due date once and NUGA knows you're at week 9. The day before each appointment, it gathers what you've noted and the questions to bring.

This page draws on public guidance from:

General information, not medical advice. Every pregnancy is different, and your midwife or doctor knows yours. Last updated October 2026.