Hey there, pregnant mamas and dadas-to-be! You’re officially a quarter of the way through your pregnancy! I’m not going to lie, this week was rough for me. Being pregnant at an advanced maternal age (I know, how sexy does that sound?) comes with added risks for me and my baby. So I’ve been feeling anxious. I’m worried about the results from my CVS prenatal test (which I’ll undergo in three weeks), and about what people will say when they learn that I’m pregnant. I don’t believe in living life based on what others think, but still, my situation feels uncomfortable. This anxiety has dampened some of the excitement I felt over being pregnant earlier on.

Looking back 18 years (wow), when expecting my first baby, other questions plagued me: how will I breastfeed, how will I pump, what clothes do I need for my baby?, what essential gear do I need for my baby?, how will I get my baby to sleep? Having gone through pregnancy five (well, six) times now, I’m here to quell your fears. My goal is to walk you through each aspect of pregnancy step-by-step, so that you take care of yourself and stay healthy, and — armed with all the information you need — you make the decisions that make sense for you. With that said, let’s dive into Week 10.

10 Weeks Pregnant: Recurring Symptoms

10 Weeks Pregnant: Common Symptoms

Back Pain During Pregnancy

Oh baby, my back! In order to compensate for your growing belly, which has altered your center of gravity, your spine and back have had to compensate. During pregnancy, your lower back curves inward to help counterbalance the weight from your belly. This can cause a nagging back pain. Keeping your abdominals strong helps your back, but this is tricky to do during pregnancy since you want to avoid crunching your abs. To alleviate pregnancy back pain, try stretching, yoga (especially child’s pose), and bending down and touching your toes during hot showers, allowing the water to massage and soothe your back. Maintaining good posture also helps.

Dizziness During Pregnancy

This pregnancy symptom causes me to harken back to childhood visits to amusement parks, during which I frantically avoided the worst ride of all time: the spinning teacups. Progesterone causes your blood vessels to widen and relax in order to allow proper blood flow to your baby. Wider, more relaxed blood vessels make it more difficult for blood to reach your brain. Dizziness during pregnancy arises from this phenomenon. In some cases, this dizziness can manifest itself even more severely as vertigo. If you feel dizzy, sit right down. If you’re out, lower yourself to the ground and place your head between your knees until your sense of balance returns. 

Round Ligament Pain During Pregnancy

As your baby grows, pressure is placed on ligaments that attach the uterus to your abdomen. When you move suddenly, stand up, or sit down, this tension in your stretched ligaments may cause you to experience sharp pain. To reduce pain, I’ve tried a heating pad, gentle stretches, and prenatal yoga. Moving more slowly when getting up or sitting down has also helped. Try also sitting up from the side rather than popping straight up.

Leg Veins During Pregnancy

Thankfully, I have not suffered from morning sickness during this pregnancy (nor did I during my prior pregnancies). But leg veins? That’s another story! I have roadmaps criss-crossing over my legs, just as I did in prior pregnancies. You won’t be at all vein for noticing the blue trails populating your legs. Because of increased blood production in your body, your veins and arteries expand, causing these unwelcome veins. I had terrible leg veins (mostly spider veins but also a few varicose veins) during each of my prior pregnancies and thankfully, they turned out to be largely treatable. I found a great center in New York City and actually ended up becoming close friends with the doctor who treated my veins, along with his wife and son! Compression stockings help relieve the pressure although they get very hot in the summer. I can’t wait to get these veins treated via sclerotherapy after I give birth to my baby.

Stages of Fetal Development: Baby Growth & Size at 10 Weeks

At week 10, your baby weighs .14 ounces and is 1.22 inches long, about the size of a kumquat. Remember when your baby’s brain was adding 100 cells every minute? That’s nothing compared to your baby’s growing neural network. At this stage, new connections are being made as over 250,000 neurons are created every minute. My mind is blown! These neurons connect your baby’s brain to every part of their body, allowing for more nuanced and complex movements. Note that complex is a relative term, and don’t expect your baby to be a swimming butterfly in the amniotic fluid. At this stage, your baby’s brain comprises approximately half of its body weight! 

Your baby’s teeth continue to develop. Typically, baby teeth don’t begin appearing until six months after your baby is born. Right now, teeth are growing underneath your baby’s gums.

By week 10, your baby is beginning to grow fingernails, hair, and the outer parts of their ears. In addition, the development of internal reproductive organs is in full swing.

My Pregnant Belly Progression

Check out my 10 weeks pregnant bump! I do think I’m showing more this week. My jeans feel tight to the point of discomfort. It’s now uncomfortable for me to be on my stomach so during my vinyasa yoga classes I’m careful to hoist myself up from the ground as I flow through the upward dog portion of the yoga sequence. Remember that there’s a huge range of baby bump sizes at every stage and unless your doctor says differently, your bump is just the right size.

How Can I Prevent Pregnancy Stretch Marks?

If you’re like me, you’ll do absolutely anything to prevent stretch marks on your back, belly, butt, and breasts from making their grand appearance. A whopping 90% of women will observe stretch marks during pregnancy, so seek comfort in knowing that you’re not alone. Remember, stretch marks don’t take away from your beauty and worth. If anything, they bear witness to the miracles your body is producing! Now, there are steps you can take to reduce your chances of getting stretch marks. However, the strongest determinant, genetics, is out of your control.

A lot of women have asked me, “do stretch marks ever really go away?” Following pregnancy, stretch marks will fade, but they won’t ever go away entirely. To prevent stretch marks, lubricate your skin three times a day with a great moisturizer and try mixing in shea butter, cocoa butter, argan oil, vitamin E and aloe vera. On top of topical creams, here are some steps you can take to be proactive regarding stretch marks before and during your pregnancy!

Your Pregnancy at 10 Weeks: Prenatal Appointments

The following prenatal tests are available during Week 10 of your pregnancy:

Chorionic villus sampling (CVS)

The CVS diagnostic test for birth defects and genetic diseases can be taken between weeks 10 and 14. The CVS involves the extraction of chorionic villi, tiny structures along the placenta that contain trace amounts of fetal cells from your baby. The villi sample is collected either through a needle inserted through the abdomen or through the vagina and cervix. If you are considered CVS, talk with your doctor about the timing of the procedure, its results and associated risks.

My doctor has advised that I get the CVS due to my advanced maternal age. The test will be done when I’m 13 weeks pregnant, but I’m already feeling nervous about it. I had a CVS done 17 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child, so I know a bit about what to expect. It’s a pretty uncomfortable procedure, and I’m not looking forward to it. But I’m hoping that having the results will provide me with some relief from my worries surrounding having a baby at an older age.

Cell-Free DNA screening (cfDNA)

Week by Week Pregnancy Food Guide: Healthy Foods for You & Baby

Eating healthy during pregnancy requires a lot more than just taking a prenatal vitamin every day. Making healthy choices with the foods you ingest can help you and your baby have a healthy, safe pregnancy. 

Check out Week 4 and Week 5 or all the information on what foods to eat (and not eat) while pregnant and check back in each week for a healthy pregnancy recipe.

How Many Months Is 10 Weeks?

Doctors typically don’t measure your pregnancy based on months because months have a different numbers of days and weeks. However, at 10 weeks you are around midway through your 3rd month of pregnancy. For reference, at 12 weeks, you will be 3 months pregnant.

Week 10 Pregnancy Checklist

Resources

• What to Expect & What to Expect When You’re Expecting – 5th Edition (2016)
• The Bump
• Baby List
• Parents.com
• Healthline.com
• WebMD
• The Mama Natural Week to Week Guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth (2017)
• Mayo Clinic’s Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy – Second Edition (2018)
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists