There is so much taking place with your baby this week, any Mommy-to-Be is sure to be excited. From changes with that your baby is doing in your belly to changes with how your baby look and even to changes with how you’re feeling, there is a lot to be thinking about during pregnancy week ten. Let’s take a look at what’s happening with your baby, what’s happening with you and what you should be focusing on during pregnancy week ten.
What’s Happening with Your Baby
This is another big week for your baby, Mom! By pregnancy week ten most babies will be a little more than an inch long from the crown of their head to their rump and it will weigh less than ¼ ounce. To put it in perspective, your baby is now about the size of a kumquat. Your little one is now entering the fetal period having made it through what is considered the most critical part of its development. There is still a lot of development to be done though but this is really the time when things start moving a bit more quickly.
Every week we talk about how your baby would look if you would open an imaginary window and see into your belly. Last week, you would’ve seen that the tail you’d been seeing on your baby had disappeared entirely. This week, you’ll notice the webbing between your baby’s fingers and toes has mostly vanished as well. Your baby would also begin looking almost fuzzy with dainty peach fuzz spouting up all over it. That’s not all you’d see though. If you were able to look closely at your baby’s fingers and toes, you’d be able to see the fingernails and toenails starting to emerge at the tips. Pretty exciting stuff taking place!
Still looking through that imaginary window, you would be able to see that your baby’s skin is still translucent which means the outline of its tiny spine will be clearly visible. Your baby’s head is still quite large. In fact, if you were to measure, your baby’s head would be just about equal to half the length of its body. High on your baby’s head and toward the front (around the forehead area), you’ll see a sort of bulge. This bulge is where your baby’s brain is developing.
There’s a lot more happening that just physical things. Baby is going to start kicking now with its arms, legs and wrists now being able to bend. Your baby would sort of look like it had its tiny hands folded over its heart. Some babies at this stage in their development will have long feet capable of touching in front of their bodies. The ability to bend their legs is what gives them their new found ability to kick although there’s a pretty good chance you’re not really going to be able to feel it kicking just yet.
Last week we talked about how most of your baby’s vital organs are now in place but the development of those organs is continuing this week as well. Your baby’s liver is now producing red blood cells. This task was previously carried out by the yolk sac but by pregnancy week 10, that sac has started disappearing. Your baby’s spine is also continuing to develop. By this point, the spinal nerves are starting to spread out from the spinal cord. Your baby has also started swallowing fluid. This may sound like a bad thing but it isn’t. It’s exactly what your baby should be doing.
How You’re Feeling
For many women, something absolutely miraculous happens around their tenth week of pregnancy. They are able to clearly hear their baby’s heartbeat for the first time. It’s important to remember though that not all babies develop the same way so some women may have this experience sooner or later than others. This is an incredible moment in a soon-to-be mother’s pregnancy and it’s going to be a moment that brings about a lot of emotions. Some mothers say they don’t really feel like a pregnancy is real until the first time they hear that heartbeat. That can be both exciting and overwhelming. Talk about your feelings with the people close to you. Share the experience and share your concerns. You may be feeling like you’re not ready but that is perfectly normal. No one can ever be completely ready for something as life changing as the birth of a child and feeling unprepared is really just part of the pregnancy process for many women. Talking helps. Find someone supportive that you can go to when you’re feeling especially overwhelmed and let yourself vent. You’ll feel better for it in the end.
The tenth week of pregnancy also brings around the need to start thinking about maternity clothes. We’ll talk a bit more about maternity clothes in the section below, but for now let’s just talk about how you’re actually feeling. While you’re still probably not going to be thinking about taking baby bump pictures, you are probably going to be noticing pants that were getting a little snug last week have stopped fitting entirely this week. Some of this is normal pregnancy weight gain, some of it is bloating but much of it is to do with the fact that your uterus has grown significantly. You may not be ready for your maternity clothes just yet but if you don’t own anything with an elastic waistband or anything that used to be a little too big, you’re going to have to consider some new clothes.
What You Should Be Focusing On
By pregnancy week ten, many women are going to be making the transition into maternity wear and that’s really one of the things you should be focusing on this week. While some women may not yet need maternity wear the time isn’t far off. Because pregnancy can be emotionally, physically and financially taxing, make this process a little easier on yourself by checking out online auctions. Stick to local auction sites so you don’t have to wait for shipping and keep your expectations relatively low. You may not be able to get the exact items you’re looking for but you should be able to find some great deals. Thrift stores are another great option or any other stores that sell used clothing. If the only stores in your area require a lengthy commute, phone ahead to make sure the story carries maternity clothing and ask someone close to you for a ride. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to help you out.
Department stores tend to be a bit more pricy when it comes to maternity wear so check out fliers or the store’s website to see if there are any sales or coupons you can use. If you have a bigger budget, it doesn’t hurt to splurge on maternity wear. You can always sell it when you no longer need it or save it in case you or someone you know needs it again one day. Just make sure you budget carefully. You don’t want to leave yourself short for other things you may need. That will only stress you out and the last thing you need in your life is more stress. If you just don’t have the money for new maternity clothes, stick to thrift stores or online auctions. You can also ask family members or friends who have children if they have any of maternity clothing they would be willing to let you borrow.
