Pregnancy Guide: Week 10

The tooth fairy isn’t visiting yet, but your baby is growing those pearly whites in preparation for later. Tooth buds are forming beneath the gums now. The stomach has begun making digestive compounds, and the kidneys are making urine. Your baby’s bones, cartilage, knees, and ankles are forming now. His little elbows can already bend.

10 weeks pregnant is how many months?

You’re still in your third month of pregnancy, and in just a couple more weeks, your first trimester will be over. Hopefully, many of the first trimester symptoms will be, too.

Your Baby at 10 Weeks

Your baby is now a fetus, rather than an embryo. He’s growing quickly, and he looks more like a human every day. Along with bones and cartilage, there are small indentations where the knees and ankles will be. The elbows are flexing, and soon you’ll feel tiny punches.

Your baby is forming tooth buds and in just another year or so, you’ll see them peeking through his gums in a phase of babyhood called teething. His stomach is making the liquid he will use for digesting the food he chews, and the kidneys are working to process waste. If your baby is a boy, he’s already making testosterone.

How big is a baby at 10 weeks?

He is 3.2 centimetres long and weighs 35 grams. He’s about the size of a prune, but he’s not wrinkly like one.

Your Body at 10 Weeks

Pregnancy hormones can cause the muscles in your bowel to lack their normal efficiency, so you may be stopped up. Your regularity may feel sluggish, but fibre will help. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, plenty of water, and continuing your exercise regime will get you back on track. People often wonder when to stop working out when pregnant and it really depends on you and guidance from your health care professional.

If you’re still dealing with morning sickness, hang in there because it’s likely almost over. Just a few more weeks and you’ll no longer need to worry about your remedies like small, bland meals more often or extra vitamin B6 and calcium in your diet.

If you’re a thin woman already, at ten weeks you’ll likely notice that you have a rounded lower abdomen already. Your pants may be too tight already as well. You’re just starting to show because your uterus is growing as rapidly as your baby and is now the size of a grapefruit.

Even if you’re not showing at all, that’s normal, too. Just about anything goes when it comes to pregnant bellies. Everyone shows at different times and in different ways. 

If this isn’t your first pregnancy, you may show earlier than you did the first time.

Your veins are starting to get darker and show more, especially around your belly and breasts. They’re carrying more blood to and fro these days, and this road map is a complex highway of health for your baby.

Unfortunately, if you’re dealing with constipation these days, that’s all too common. Don’t eat refined sugars like bread, rice, or pasta. Eat fibre like fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. 

Drink plenty of water to help with cramps, bloating and plenty of other first trimester symptoms. Moving your body can help move your bowels, so don’t forget to exercise.

Symptoms

If your energy seems nonexistent, you’ll be over that in no time. Ask for plenty of help, rest when you can, and continue with the exercise so you’ll be ready to crash at bedtime. You’ll feel much better if you stay as healthy as you can.

Your nausea should disappear with your fatigue, but until then, continue eating bland, frequent meals. The worst thing you can do is skip a meal or let yourself get so hungry that nausea gets worse. If eating anything at all seems to be making it worse, try sea sickness bracelets, ginger, vitamin B6, or acupuncture.

You may be having cravings, but between bouts of nausea and utter exhaustion, you may not be indulging in them much. On the other hand, you may be indulging in them way too much if junk food is the only thing you can stomach. Distract yourself with a book or a walk to keep your weight gain under control. 

You will gain weight, but it’s important to ensure that weight comes from the healthy nutrients your baby needs.

At this point, you may have heartburn, bloating, and gas. Don’t eat lying down or right before bed, to help with the heartburn. Prop yourself up in bed, avoid foods that produce gas, and keep a food journal to pinpoint anything that might be causing you discomfort.

There are plenty of things going on in the pelvic area, and one of those includes increased vaginal discharge that is pretty annoying. It’s there for a reason, so don’t wash it away. Wear panty liners to stay dry and comfortable.

Tips/Things to do

Do your best to stay off your feet and stay comfortable when you feel exhaustion, pain, or discomfort sets in. It’s important to exercise and stay healthy, but it’s also important that you don’t hurt yourself.

Get plenty of sunshine. Vitamin D is good for your baby, especially when he’s growing bones and teeth. Eat healthy foods with plenty of vitamins to help you stay healthy and feel more energized. If you’re already starting to find you are your partner are fighting more often, don’t worry. It’s common that there are fights expectant couples might have. It could be an opportunity to get some of that sunshine and fresh air together by taking a walk together.

Now’s the time to start taking those bump pictures. If you’re starting to show, you’re going to want to start chronicling the journey in pictures for posterity and to show your little bundle of joy later. It’s one of the most exciting changes your body will go through. Try being creative with your pictures to make it more fun. Pose holding something the size of your baby that week or make silly poses that will be even funnier when you’re bigger.

Amidst all these things that you should be doing, you really need to listen to your body. Rest when you feel like you need it, eat when you are hungry and take baby-safe medications for any aches and pains you feel. Just make sure to clear it with your doctor first.

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