By the end of this pregnancy week 10, your baby will graduate from being an embryo into becoming a fetus. The tadpole look will be gone completely with the partly disappearing tail. The head is still huge, half the length of the whole fetus-to-be. It is 1.06" - 1.38" long, which is the size of a small plum.
The organs are developing at a fast rate during this pregnancy week 10. It is at the stage where all systems go! All the joints, arms and legs are fully formed, and as the muscles are also fully functioning, your little one can move the arms and legs, and if you could give your baby an object, your little one will probably grab hold of it. Your baby has got external ears and the upper lip has also formed. Your baby's heart is beating at a rate of 160 to 170 per minute. In fact at your next appointment with the doctor, you can ask to listen to your little one's heart beat. Even the genitalia is forming to show your baby's gender, and secreting hormones.
Your baby has also started breathing, but not breathing air, but breathing in the amniotic fluid. He or she is also urinating into the amniotic fluid, which means the kidney is fully functioning. All the other organs such as the brain, intestines and liver are all functioning. Hair is also growing on the skin plus little nails are growing on the fingers and toes.
In the next few months your baby has reached fetal level and will be growing rapidly. By this pregnancy week 10, all the organs are formed, and so, there is very little risk of congenital defects, which a pregnant woman can be most prone to, in the first nine weeks. Yet you must still be careful that your little one is not exposed to pollutants or strong chemicals, even cigarette smoke.
People still may not be able to see your pregnancy, but in the next few weeks you will put on weight, and you will not be able to hide the fact that you are pregnant. Your morning sickness is decreasing and you will have some big relief in another few weeks. You will have still other symptoms from week nine. As your blood volume has increased, your veins will look more prominent on the legs, tummy and the breasts. This goes away soon after delivery.
In addition your emotions may make you moody. Some women get depressed and need a lot of support from the partner and family. Just take comfort in the fact that these feelings are not going to last, and are like passing clouds, and are due to the hormones. And it is okay to cry if you've to; as it'll release emotions that you may have been holding for a long time.
Between pregnancy week nine and 11, tests to rule out any genetic abnormalities, can be carried out. It is a risky test and is only carried out for a pregnant woman who is above 35 years of age, or for someone who has a history of genetic hereditary diseases.
