Your Baby at Week 10
At a Glance
Baby’s First Teeth
For upon |While baby-to-be’s pearly whites won’t appear until he’s about 6 months old, teeny tooth buds are now developing under the gums.
Tummy Time
This week, the stomach is producing digestive juices and the kidneys are making larger quantities of urine.
Building Bones
Bones and cartilage are forming this week, knees and ankles are starting to take shape and tiny elbows are already working!
The Start of the Fetal Period
Congratulations! Your baby has officially graduated this week from embryo to fetus, and with that change are a whole bunch of others happening in her development.
10 Weeks Pregnant Is How Many Months?
If you’re 10 weeks pregnant, you’re in month 3 of your pregnancy. Only 6 months left to go! Still have questions? Here’s some more information on how weeks, months and trimesters are broken down in pregnancy.
Baby’s Bones Form
Your baby’s growth is fast and furious when you are 10 weeks pregnant. She’s nearly an inch-and-a-half long and the size of a prune, but not nearly as shriveled (even with all the time spent in water). In fact, your baby is really taking a human shape now. Bones and cartilage are forming and small indentations on the legs are developing into knees and ankles. The arms, complete with elbows, can flex already (how’s that for magical?), but don’t run to the store for a baseball bat just yet. Though your baby’s arms are taking shape and getting stronger, each one is still teeny-tiny.
Baby’s First Teeth
The tooth bud fairy is making an appearance this week, heralding the arrival of your baby’s little choppers, which are forming under the gums. But those pearly whites won’t break through the gums until your baby is close to six months old. Other systems are a go, too. Your baby’s stomach is producing digestive juices, the kidneys are producing larger quantities of urine and, if it’s a boy, your little one is already producing testosterone (how manly!).
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Watch Your Baby’s Growth at Week 10
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Your Body at Week 10
All clogged up? For many moms-to-be, those pesky pregnancy hormones cause the smooth muscles of the large bowel to fall down on the job — they get sluggish and you get constipated. Fiber in the form of whole grains, fruits and veggies can help, as can drinking lots of water and exercising regularly. Still coping with nausea and vomiting? Your doctor may suggest one or more of these morning sickness remedies.
Rounder Tummy
If you haven’t already looked in the mirror lately and examined your newly pregnant body, take a deep breath, take off your clothes and go for it. First thing you’re likely to notice at 10 weeks pregnant (and the first thing you’ll be looking for, duh ) is a slight roundness in your lower abdomen — which will probably be more noticeable if you’re slight to begin with and less so if you’re not. That’s your ever-growing uterus you’re checking out, which is now about the size of a small grapefruit. But don’t worry if you can’t quite see it yet — you will in just a few more weeks.
Visible Veins
Second thing you might notice are all those blue lines that have suddenly appeared on your skin, crisscrossing your breasts and abdomen. These visible veins can be especially obvious if you’re thin and fair-skinned, but even those with darker complexions can make out what appears to be a vivid and complex road map (turn right at the areola, then head due south toward the belly button…). What you’re seeing is the expanded network of veins that’s carrying the increased blood supply needed to nourish your growing fetus. As your pregnancy progresses, you’ll also notice that the veins in your hands and feet seem larger and more prominent, too. During pregnancy, the average woman’s blood volume increases by a little under 50 percent and the veins have to keep up so they can go with the flow. So consider those blue lines on your body to be a pregnancy badge of honor: Wear them with pride and with the comforting knowledge that they’ll disappear for good once your baby’s born and you’re no longer breastfeeding (if you do).
Curing Constipation
Constipation is an all-too-common first trimester pregnancy symptom. What can you do about it? First, steer clear of foods that’ll clog up the works like refined (or white) breads, rice and pasta. Second, fixate on fiber: Whole grains (especially fiber-rich cereals) fresh fruit (think kiwis, a fine, furry friend to those who are constipated), dried fruit (beyond that geriatric favorite, prunes, try all your favorite fruits dried — apricots, peaches, pears, apples, blueberries, cherries…you name it!), raw or lightly cooked vegetables and nuts and seeds. Third, wash that fiber down — and through your system — with plenty of fluids, particularly water and juice (close your eyes and V8 tastes just like champagne! Well, sort of.). And finally, remember that getting moving can keep things moving — another good reason to put exercise on the agenda. If the situation doesn’t improve in a couple of days, swallow your pride (if you haven’t already) and call your practitioner, who may have a few special tricks up that white-coated sleeve. Don’t use any over-the-counter remedies without consulting your doctor first.
The article was originally published here.
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