10 weeks pregnant

What to expect this week

What's happening in week 10

You are now ten weeks into your pregnancy and things are really moving along!

Your baby at week 10

Your baby is continuing to develop into a real little person! The most critical stage of their development is now complete, and they are starting to enter the ‘foetal period’ where tissues and organs grow rapidly and begin to mature.

Their jawbones are beginning to form, and, amazingly, they contain their future milk teeth already, though they won’t break through the gums until your little one is around 6 months old. Your baby's little heart is now fully formed, and beating two to three times faster than yours. Around the 10 week stage your baby is also beginning to swallow fluid, produce digestive juices and kick their limbs - if you see your baby on an ultrasound scan at 10 weeks, they will be making jerky movements and bobbing about!

At 10 weeks your baby’s fingers and toes are no longer webbed, they can bend their arms at the wrist and their nails are starting to form. Meanwhile they have developed a peachy fuzzy hair on their skin, their spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from the spinal cord, and if you baby is a boy he will already be producing testosterone.

Size wise they're now around 3.8cm long and to cater for your growing baby’s size, your uterus has now enlarged to the size of a grapefruit – you may even be able to feel it above the middle of your pubic bone.

You at 10 weeks pregnant

By week 10 you might be starting to think about where you want to have your baby, and reading up on all your options – home birth, birthing centre, your local hospital. Do as much research as you can to enable you and your partner to make an informed decision.
You might find the enormity of what is happening beginning to hit you now – and this is entirely normal. Most mums-to-be experience a bit of anxiety or worry early in pregnancy. This could be fears about your growing baby, or concerns about how life is going to change. Everyone goes through it, but do speak to your midwife if things are playing on your mind.
If your morning sickness and exhaustion are wearing off a bit now, you might feel more like taking some gentle exercise – it's important to stay as fit an active as you can throughout pregnancy, both for you and your baby's well-being. Check out our exercise in pregnancy pages for some top tips and advice.

What to think about in week 10

You and your partner probably have so many plans and things you need to do before your baby is born - so now is the time to start making lists and working out your priorities! If you do need to think about major house renovations, or re-decorating, or even a big move, think carefully about the practicalities and the timescales involved - you won't want to be loading up a moving van on your due date, or bringing a new baby home into a house that's more building site than des res!
If you are planning to relocate, or are looking for a larger property locally, you now have another consideration for your wish list - good nursery, childcare and school provisions! Ask around for recommendations - and remember this kind of forward planning can never start too early!