Pregnancy & Baby 

Advertisement

Pregnancy week 10

A week by week guide to what’s happening to you and your baby

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOU

Feeling sick and exhausted, you may be wondering how you will ever make it through this pregnancy. In the next few weeks, you will probably feel much better.

Psychologically, the first trimester can be difficult for some women, especially those who have already experienced a loss. The first 13 to 14 weeks may seem to last forever. Many normal symptoms – such as mild cramping and the feeling that you are about to get your period - can be disconcerting. The second trimester is right around the corner.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

By the end of this week, your baby will have verifiable fingers and toes. The tadpole appearance diminishes as the tail completely disappears. Eyelids fuse and will stay shut until weeks 25 to 27. Both the external ear and upper lip are complete. The beginnings of external genitalia appear. The average size of your baby-to-be is 27 to 35mm crown-to-rump, or 1.06 to 1.38 inches and weighs in at a hefty four grams.

HEALTHY EATING

Your baby needs a great deal of calcium throughout the pregnancy. If you don't get enough, your baby will take it from your body, which may ultimately weaken your bones. To prevent these problems, double your calcium intake. A quart of milk per day or other calcium-rich foods will meet that goal. Other sources of calcium to help you meet the daily requirement include:

• 1 cup non-fat yoghurt: 452mg
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese: 390mg
• 1 cup broccoli: 135mg
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese: 114mg

You may have heard that spinach and Swiss chard are high in calcium, however, they contain oxalic acid, which can reduce the body's absorption of calcium. Eat them in moderation.

FACT OF THE WEEK

CVS, or chorionic villus sampling, is usually done between weeks ten and 13, and involves the removal of a small amount of chorionic villus tissue from the uterus. This procedure is performed much earlier in the pregnancy than amniocentesis, and results are obtained in a few days. Its diagnostic accuracy rate is 97.8 per cent, compared with an amniocentesis which is 99.4 per cent. It also carries a slightly higher risk of miscarriage - 0.8 per cent greater than amniocentesis. For women who have an elevated risk of passing on a genetic problem, such as Tay Sachs, or of carrying a Down Syndrome child, the test may be well worth the small risk. Your doctor or midwife will be happy to discuss the test with you.

To find out what to expect next week look at pregnancy week 11

For a list of all the pregnancy week by week articles click here

Delicious     Digg     reddit     Facebook     StumbleUpon

  Get the latest iVillage news on your desktop    Sign up for more iVillage RSS feeds

© iVillage Limited 2000-2008. All rights reserved. | © iVillage inc. 1995-2008. All rights reserved.
iVillage Ltd is a UK company registered in England & Wales (3837269) at 80-110 New Oxford Street, London WC1 1HB