10 Weeks Pregnant: Baby Size, Symptoms and What to Do

Your baby this week

The embryo stage is wrapping up, so your baby is now called a fetus. On an ultrasound you might catch small, jerky movements. Ears, the upper lip and nostrils are forming, and tooth buds sit in the jaw.

Week 10 marks the end of the embryonic period, so from now on your baby is called a fetus. The most delicate phase, when the major organs form, is largely complete, and growth and maturing take center stage. Your baby can swallow, the kidneys are starting to make urine and the vertebrae of the spine are taking shape. Your body is adapting fast too: blood volume rises by nearly half by the end of pregnancy, which can make you dizzy or speed up your heartbeat. Stand up slowly and keep drinking fluids. Blood pressure and urine checks become a fixture at every visit from here on, because they help catch high blood pressure and infections early.

By the numbers

Week 10 covers days 70 to 76 counted from the first day of your last period, which is 25% of a 40-week pregnancy. About 210 days remain until a 40-week due date. By date of conception, your baby is about 8 weeks old.

Pregnancy is dated from the first day of your last period, so conception happens around week 2. Your due date is 280 days (40 weeks) from that day, and an early ultrasound may adjust it.

Your body

Your blood volume is increasing, so you may feel lightheaded when you stand up quickly. Get up slowly and keep a water bottle handy.

Tests and to-dos this week

If you chose cell-free DNA screening, the blood draw can happen from this week, and results take about a week. The first-trimester screen (a blood test plus a nuchal translucency ultrasound) runs from 10 to 13 weeks.

• First prenatal visit · weeks 6–10 · visit

  Health history, physical exam and first-trimester labs. After that, visits are typically monthly until 28 weeks, every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, then weekly.

• First-trimester labs · weeks 6–13 · test

  Blood type and Rh factor, antibody screen, blood count, and infection screening including syphilis (ACOG recommends syphilis testing at the first visit, in the third trimester and at delivery).

• First-trimester screening (blood test + NT ultrasound) · weeks 10–13 · test

  Optional genetic screening, usually done together between 10 and 13 weeks.

Coming up: Quad screen (optional) (from week 15). Full prenatal visit schedule

Tips for the first trimester

• Take 400 micrograms of folic acid a day; your provider may advise a higher dose if neural tube defects run in your family.
• Avoid alcohol, smoking, raw or undercooked meat, fish and eggs, and unpasteurized dairy.
• For nausea, try small, frequent meals and sipping fluids; call your provider if you can't keep anything down.
• Check every medicine and supplement you take with your provider or pharmacist before continuing.

Last week and next week

Last week (9): Your baby now has a mouth and a tongue with the beginnings of taste buds.

Next week (11): Fingers and toes have separated, and tiny nails are starting to grow.

Frequently asked questions