10 weeks pregnant: everything you need to know | MadeForMums

“By the time you are 10 weeks pregnant you may only have known about it for six weeks,” Dr. Philippa Kaye, a London-based GP who specialises in paediatrics and gynaecology, says, because “you are considered four weeks pregnant on the day of your first missed period.”

“Although they are only the size of a small apricot or a fig, there has been lots of development in your baby,” Dr. Philippa says.

Whether you’re eagerly awaiting your 12-week scan, or still getting to grips with the fact there’s a human growing inside you, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about being 10 weeks pregnant.

Discover everything you need to know when you're 5 weeks pregnant, including common symptoms, baby development, and tips for a healthy start to your pregnancy.

Baby development at week 10

“Babies are born at different lengths and weights, but during the first trimester they all tend to grow at the same pace. This is why the pregnancy can be dated at the first ultrasound scan, which tends to be around 12 weeks,” Dr. Philippa says.

By 10 weeks, your baby is around three centimetres long and has officially progressed from an embryo into a foetus.

“Their heart and other organs continue to develop, and their heart rate is much quicker than yours — about 180bpm,” Dr. Philippa says.

“Proportionally their head still seems much larger than the body, but all the limbs will be present and will begin to make jerking movements. The face is developing, though the eyes are still half closed, and within the baby’s jaw the precursors to their milk teeth are beginning to appear,” Dr. Philippa says.

Your baby’s ears and ear canals are starting to grow, and they have tiny nostrils and an upper lip by week 10, too. Their half-closed eyes can also react to light.

What’s happening to your body at 10 weeks pregnant

While your baby is the size of an apricot, your womb is a bit bigger — about the same size as a big orange.

Your womb is still sitting within your pelvis, so although it might be harder to do up your jeans, you might not have a full-on baby bump yet. They tend to appear at around 12-16 weeks.

Some women do have bumps at 10 weeks, though, especially if they are carrying multiple pregnancies or if it’s not their first pregnancy.

“The hormones of pregnancy will be affecting not just your uterus but the rest of your body, too,” Dr. Philippa says. “For example, progesterone acts to help the muscles of your womb and pelvis relax so that the uterus can grow as needed. It also acts on the muscles of your intestines, meaning that you may become constipated or notice bloating.”

Progesterone can also mean you experience heartburn or burp and fart more as the muscles in your digestive tract also expand.

To help lessen these symptoms, the NHS recommends making a few small changes:

Try eating six small meals a day instead of three big ones
Monitor how much coffee, or rich, spicy, or fatty foods you eat — some women find that these things worsen their bloating and burping
Avoid eating late at night
Eat slowly and sip fluids
Try taking a short walk after meals

Pregnancy symptoms at 10 weeks

“Some women have symptoms at this stage and others don’t,” Dr. Philippa says, but it isn’t anything to worry about either way.

“Whether or not you have symptoms at 10 weeks pregnant does not give any predictions or information about the viability of the pregnancy, about the gender of the developing baby, or anything else,” she says.

Pregnancy symptoms that are common at 10 weeks include:

Feeling tired
Needing to wee more often
Breast tenderness or other changes
Morning sickness — “Morning sickness is quite misnamed as it doesn’t always happen in the morning, it can happen at any time. And it doesn’t have to lead to vomiting — it can be nausea, either with or without vomiting,” Dr. Philippa says.
Feeling bloated
Weight changes
Indigestion (also known as heartburn or acid reflux)
Stomach pain or cramps

“For some women the tiredness and fatigue of early pregnancy is already beginning to lift, and you may feel more energised,” Dr. Philippa says. “You might also notice changes to your vaginal discharge or that your hair becomes thicker or shinier.”

Tips for a healthy pregnancy

“The advice around which foods to avoid and the supplements to take remain the same throughout the first trimester,” Dr. Philippa says.

This means avoiding alcohol, raw meat and fish, soft and blue cheeses, liver and pâté, undercooked eggs or eggs that don’t have the British Lion stamp, and enoki mushrooms. Plus, pregnant women shouldn’t drink more than 200mg of caffeine a day, and should take folic acid supplements.

“Aside from foods and drink to avoid such as alcohol, it is also important to avoid recreational drugs, if you need help with this please seek medical advice,” she says.

“Please do keep exercising and moving your body, but avoid contact sports, exercising at high altitude, and scuba diving!”

What to expect next at 10 weeks

“By 10 weeks pregnant, ideally you will have either already had, or been booked in for antenatal care with a midwife, called the ‘booking appointment’,” Dr. Philippa says. If not, you should do this now, by telling your GP that you are pregnant, or self-referring at your local hospital

At the booking appointment, you will be asked about your medical history and lifestyle, have some tests (like blood tests, urine tests, and height and weight measurements), and discuss your options for pregnancy and the birth.

“You will also be offered a dating ultrasound scan between 10 and 14 weeks pregnant and offered tests for both your health and that of your baby,” Dr. Philippa says. “If you develop bleeding or pain please seek medical help.”

Tommy’s, a pregnancy and baby charity, advises that now is a good time to check if you’re eligible for programmes like Healthy Start in England and Wales and Best Start Foods in Scotland. These can provide eligible mums-to-be with help for buying healthy food and vitamin supplements.

Please note: this advice is not personalised or meant to replace individual advice given to you about your child by your doctor or medical team. As always, if you are concerned about your or your child’s health then please seek medical advice.

Read more: