Week Ten of Pregnancy

Your Baby and Changes…

By week ten of pregnancy, your baby has grown big enough to actually have a specific weight identified with him.  We are talking the size of an apple or orange, and an inch to one half inch in length.   He is growing tremendously is experiencing rapid growth stages week to week at this point.  It is at week ten where physicians start to refer to your baby as a fetus, rather than an embryo, and at this stage the risk of developmental complications is less, although still there.  As a Mommy you have just completed a significant step of developing your baby in pregnancy.  While it is still of crucial importance to avoid toxins in your body, your baby has developed more and you should be more comfortable with your pregnancy as your baby is less apt to experience any congenital malformations at this point. 

Toxins which you as a new Mommy should avoid include alcohol, second hand or first hand smoke, and any drug use outside the advice of your physician.  At this stage, your baby is still developing and relies heavily on the nutrients which you expose your body to daily.  Tissues are forming in the organs such as the kidney and liver, along with the outer features of your baby such as small amounts of hair on the head and even toenails and/or fingernails.  By the end of week ten, your baby’s movement will be noticeable, and he may even start kicking a bit.  It will be difficult at this stage to feel the kicks, but just knowing this is occurring is exciting to you as a Mommy.

Your Body and Changes…

Although at this point you might not be showing as much as you would think, you do have a little life inside you that is growing rapidly.  Now may be a good time to start taking pictures of your belly, as the change from this point on should be week to week in growth.  It would be a nice record to keep for a memory of this life creation.  You should have heard your baby’s heartbeat at your physician’s office by week ten, which sounds very similar to your own, other faster!  This is very exciting – yet get ready for more exciting times to occur!