Week 10 of Your Pregnancy (2024)

At 10 weeks pregnant, you’re getting close to the end of your first trimester. You may be wondering when those pesky early pregnancy symptoms will start to fade or getting ready to share your big news with the world. Meanwhile, your baby is growing and hitting a big milestone at the end of this week.

Your Baby's Development at 10 Weeks

At week 10, a baby is about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches long (3.5–4 centimeters).

Development

This week marks your baby's final week as an embryo. Some of the amazing events happening inside that little life this week include:

• All the baby's major body organs have started to form.
• Baby's nose, mouth, and eyes are taking shape.
• Tooth buds and caps are becoming recognizable.
• Fingers and toes lose their web look and get longer.
• Eyelids continue to grow and are closing.
• The outer ears are forming and moving into place on the head.

Explore a few of your baby's week 10 milestones in this interactive experience.

Your Common Symptoms This Week

Your early pregnancy symptoms are likely to hang around for a few more weeks. So, you may still be dealing with:

• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Constipation
• Frequent urination

On top of that, sleep issues such as weird and vivid dreams may also make an appearance.

Sleep Issues

You’re probably still in the thick of first-trimester fatigue. As your body makes more blood and increases the blood flow through your body, your blood vessels dilate or expand. The wider blood vessels can lower your blood pressure.

Between low blood pressure and pregnancy hormones (especially progesterone), it's no wonder you're sleepy during the day. If you're napping or sleeping in the day, you may find that you're more awake at night. Having to get up to pee frequently also contributes to nighttime sleeping difficulties.

Weird Dreams

When sleep does come, you may experience vivid and strange dreams. Pregnancy is a time filled with emotions, and dreams are linked to emotions and how the brain processes them.

Plus, dreams tend to be more vivid during a stage of sleep called rapid eye movement (REM). When you wake up during or after REM sleep to, say, use the bathroom, in the middle night, you are more likely to remember the weird or scary, vivid dreams.

Headaches

Headaches can pop up from time to time, whether you're pregnant or not. But, pregnancy brings a few additional headache triggers such as hormone changes, lack of sleep, hunger, or the sudden end of your daily coffee habit.

Occasional headaches are usually not a concern. However, if you have a headache that doesn't go away, you're getting headaches more often than normal, or your headaches are more severe than usual, you should call your doctor. Sometimes, a headache can be a sign of a problem that needs to be checked out.

Self-Care Tips

Eating healthy (or at least trying to through nausea), getting enough fluids, and engaging in a little physical activity each day can help combat some of the pregnancy symptoms you may be experiencing. You may also want to work on your sleep routine this week and find out ways to deal with occasional headaches without using medication.

Dealing With Sleep Issues

If sleep difficulties are taking their toll, take an active step in improving your sleep patterns. Start by considering your daily habits andestablishing a consistent, healthy, and soothing evening routine:

• Get some exercise during the day; daily physical activity can help you sleep better at night.
• Eat dinner a minimum of two hours before bedtime to help nix any meal-related indigestion and heartburn that might be keeping you awake.
• Enjoy a decaffeinated beverage, but limit night-time fluids to prevent having to wake up to pee. (Don't forget to drink enough during the day!)
• Take a warm shower before bed to help you relax and prepare for sleep.
• Turn off your TV, computer, tablet, or smartphone two hours before you go to bed. Exposure to these electronics suppresses the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps prepare the body for rest. When you delay that signal, you make it harder to fall asleep.
• If you can't fall asleep, get up and find something to do until you feel tired.
• Try to go to sleep and get up at the same time each day.

Dealing With Headaches

You can typically treat an occasional headache on your own. In the past, you may have used medication, however, now that you're expecting, try these alternative treatments first:

• Rest in a dark, quiet room.
• Relax with meditation or other relaxation techniques.
• Eat.
• Apply warm or cold compresses to your head or neck.
• Take a break from the computer or smartphone screen.
• Talk to your doctor about safe medication and other treatment options.
• Let your doctor know if the headaches get worse or come more often.

Advice for Partners

It’s important to be open with your partner when it comes to your feelings about sharing your pregnancy news. Couples don’t always agree on when to tell—and who gets to know. Be sure to communicate openly with your partner about your feelings and listen to your partner's thoughts and concerns.

At Your Doctor’s Office

You, your partner, and your healthcare provider will talk about fetal genetic testing. These tests take two forms: screening tests and diagnostic tests.

Screening tests are often offered to those under age 35, while diagnostic tests are suggested for people who are older, though that’s not a hard-and-fast rule. Two tests may be offered to you this week.

Cell-Free DNA Testing

The cell-free DNA testing (cfDNA) is a noninvasive prenatal test. A cfDNA test is sometimes suggested to people who meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Age 35 or older
• Previous child with a genetic disorder (or chromosomal abnormalities in a prior pregnancy)
• Abnormal fetal ultrasound

For this test, your provider will order a simple blood test that can detect fetal DNA present in your system. The test screens for the most common trisomies (trisomy 13, trisomy 18, and trisomy 21), but not neural tube defects. Be aware that the results of this test also reveals the baby’s sex, so be sure to tell your practitioner if you’d rather wait to find that out.

Because this is a screening test, however, all abnormal results should be confirmed with a diagnostic test. Talk to your healthcare provider to see if the test is the right choice for you. Insurance covers this test for people considered high-risk, but some plans will cover low-risk individuals as well.

Chorionic Villus Sampling

At the same time, between week 10 and week 12, your healthcare provider may offer you chorionic villus sampling (CVS). Unlike cfDNA, this is a diagnostic test. Itmay be suggested to people who meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Age 35 or older
• Previous child with a genetic disorder (or chromosomal abnormalities in a prior pregnancy)
• Concerning earlier screening test results
• Family history of genetic disorders (either partner)

For this test, the doctor removes cells from the chorionic villi, the finger-like structures in the lining of the uterus. The cells are part of the placenta and contain the same genetic makeup as the baby. The doctors test the cells for chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome, Tay-Sachs disease, and fragile X syndrome.

There are two variations of the test:

• Transcervical CVS: Yourhealthcare provider uses ultrasound to guide a thin tube from the vagin* into the cervix. Once there, the doctor gently removes a small sample of the chorionic villi with suction.
• Transabdominal CVS: Instead of through the cervix, the doctor removes the cells with a needle inserted through the abdominal wall.

While some find CVS to be painless, others experience period-like cramping during the procedure. Results are generally available as soon as a few hours or up to a couple of days.

Recommended Products

Sleep is essential throughout life. But, it is especially important during pregnancy when sleep issues are common. A body pillow or a pregnancy pillow may help you get into a more comfortable position for sleep as your body grows and changes.

Pregnancy Pillows

Pregnancy pillows are designed to support specific areas of an expecting mom's body, such as the back, belly, and knees. They come in different styles like C-shaped, U-shaped, and wedge-shaped, so you can pick the type that works best for your comfort.

Body Pillows

Pregnancy shaped pillows and straight body pillows fit into this broader category. A pregnancy body pillow tends to wrap around the entire body, while a typical body pillow is long and straight. They both provide comfort and support to help you get a better night's sleep.

Special Considerations

This week you may be nervous about prenatal testing or thinking about telling your family and friends that you're expecting.

Care After Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)

After this procedure, you may have some mild cramps and spotting. The doctor will give you instructions such as:

• Rest
• Avoid strenuous physical activities
• Do not engage in sexual intercourse until the doctor tells you it's OK

There is a small risk of infection, limb deformities, or miscarriage after CVS. You will be monitored for a bit after, but once you get home, you should notify the doctor if you experience:

• Continued cramping or pain
• Bleeding
• Leaking fluid from the vagin* or abdomen
• Fever

When to Tell Others About Your Pregnancy

Have you announced your pregnancy yet? The truth is, there’s no perfecttime—there's only a time that feels right to you.In the past, healthcare professionals used to recommend expectant parents not spread the news until completing their first trimester, when miscarriage risk dramatically decreases. But times are changing—and so are people’s takes on this.

Remember, though, therearesomeless-than-ideal momentsto share the news, and sometimes you may get a response that you don't expect.

A Word From Verywell

You're probably still dealing with some early pregnancy symptoms this week. But, since morning sickness typically peaks during week 9, you may start to notice it begin to fade as the days go on. Of course, while symptoms such as nausea made fade, other symptoms (such as sleep issues) may appear or get worse.

At the end of this week, your little one sheds the title of embryo and graduates to the next level of development. As you start week 11, your baby is officially a fetus.