10 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby is still growing and developing at 10 weeks pregnant. This week, you will likely find that your baby is about the size of a key lime but its size will grow considerably over the next few weeks. By the end of this week, your baby will no longer be considered to be an embryo; it will be a fetus and will be at a lower risk of developing any physical birth defects.

Your Baby’s Development

Your baby’s organs will have formed by pregnancy week 10 and will start to function. These organs will continue to develop over the next few months ready for life on the outside. The lungs will continue to develop and your baby will start practicing how to breathe by swallowing the amniotic fluid. Your baby will also digest and urinate the fluid to help the digestive system develop.

The yolk sac is likely to have shrunk completely as the placenta has developed completed. The placenta and umbilical cord will now do all of the work that the yolk sac was doing.

Your baby’s skin will develop a fuzz. This fuzz will help to protect your baby’s skin in the amniotic fluid and also regulate its temperature while in the womb. The fuzz will stay there until your baby is considered to be full term, at 37 weeks pregnant.

The hands and feet will no longer be webbed at 10 weeks pregnant. Nails will also start forming on the fingers and toes. Your baby will be moving around a lot now, especially bending its arms and legs for the first time; however, you will not feel the movements.

Changes in You

If this is your first pregnancy, it is unlikely that you will be showing yet – although you may desperately want to start showing now. If this is not your first pregnancy, or you are pregnant with multiple, then a pouch may have formed by pregnancy week 10. However, it is during the second trimester that the baby bump starts to form. Your partner is likely to notice any change first, especially from the side.

Symptoms at 10 Weeks Pregnant

By pregnancy week 10, it is likely that you have had enough of the common pregnancy symptoms. Morning sickness and fatigue are among the two common as the body changes so much. The good news is that you are just a few weeks away from the honeymoon trimester (the second trimester). Start counting down the days now! You may be lucky to find that some of the common symptoms start to ease off during this time, especially the morning sickness!

Dizziness is a common symptom at 10 weeks pregnant but is nothing to worry about – unless the dizziness is constant. Your blood pressure is likely to lower during pregnancy, which is a common reason for bouts of dizziness. It is likely that you will feel dizzy if you stand up to quickly or if you have been sitting for a long period of time. Moving around more but slowly and lying on your left side will help with the dizzy feelings.

Acne is common around pregnancy week 10 and you can blame that on your hormones. Hormones cause you to produce more oil in the skin, which can lead to acne and breakouts. However, this is not something to worry about and will likely go away at the end of pregnancy as your hormone levels go back to normal.

Some vision changes are likely when you are 10 weeks pregnant. You may not notice it at first as it may be gradual. You have more blood in your system, which leads to the corneas becoming thicker and curvier and this leads to blurred vision. You may find that your vision changes so much that you need new glasses – or glasses for the first time if you have never worn them before. It is also likely that your eyes will feel much drier now; if you wear contact lenses, you may find that these are uncomfortable and you need to switch to glasses during pregnancy. These changes should go back to normal after your baby is born, especially the dry eye.