Pregnancy week 10: the fragile chapter closes

The week the name changes

In the textbooks the baby's name changes this week — embryo to fetus. It isn't just vocabulary: it means the riskiest organ-building phase is complete.

With it changes a number too rarely said aloud — the miscarriage risk that was highest in the early weeks falls steeply once a heartbeat is seen and week ten arrives.

The 'don't tell before three months' custom is rooted in exactly that number. The threshold is near — this is the right week to plan who hears the news, when and how.

Your baby this week

The fetus is amla-sized — about three centimetres, four grams. The tail is fully gone; the body is straightening.

Nails are growing, soft bones are hardening, and tooth buds are seating themselves in the gums — the tooth that shows at six months old is founded today.

The abdominal organs are at their stations — the intestines, which had been developing partly in the umbilical cord for want of room, are returning into the belly. The kidneys have started making urine.

Changes in your body

Your blood volume is genuinely rising — by pregnancy's end it grows by nearly half. The heart runs a little faster and some women feel warmer. That is the work the tiredness pays for.

Bleeding gums at brushing are a common complaint of these weeks — increased blood flow. The cure isn't skipping brushing; it's a soft brush and gentleness.

Occasional pulls low in the belly — on turning, sneezing or standing quickly — are the round ligaments stretching. Momentary and one-sided is normal; persistent and worsening is not.

What to do this week

If the NT scan is booked, arrange the double-marker blood test for the same day — the two are read together.

Start thinking about when to tell the workplace — especially if the job involves fumes, chemicals, heavy lifting, long standing or nights. The Maternity Benefit Act gives 26 weeks' paid leave in the organised sector — and honesty requires saying: informal work doesn't get that protection; there the planning is the family's own.

In flu season, ask about the flu vaccine — considered safe in pregnancy, and flu itself is harder on pregnant women.

Weigh yourself once before the next visit. Total pregnancy gain depends on the starting build — commonly 10-12 kilos — and most of it comes in the second and third trimesters. Gaining nothing in the first, or losing to nausea, is normal.

Week 10 at a glance

The week's essentials in one place. Your doctor may adjust these for your situation.

When to see a doctor at once

A momentary one-sided pull is normal — but pain that persists, worsens, or arrives with bleeding goes to the doctor the same day.

Fever above 100.4°F in pregnancy is a reason to be seen in itself — 'it's just viral' patience doesn't apply here. And the urinary trio — burning, frequency, fever — same-day, as ever.

This article is general information only and no substitute for personal medical advice. The person who can advise you knowing your health, your medicines and your previous pregnancies is your obstetrician, or the doctor at your nearest health centre.

Work out your due date

Enter the first day of your last period and your cycle length — your estimated due date, this week's count and the anomaly scan window all appear right here.

It is only an estimate — most babies aren't born on the exact date. A first-trimester scan dates a pregnancy more accurately; in the end, your doctor's date is the one that counts.

Frequently asked questions