pregnancy | week by week

A quarter

Your Baby's Size =

Week 10: From Embryo to Fetus

Amazing changes for your (very) little one.

After weeks of life as an embryo, by the end of the ninth week of your pregnancy, your baby becomes a fetus. Here are some of the other changes your baby is going through during your 10th week of pregnancy:

• By the 10th week of pregnancy, your baby probably measures more than 1 inch, or roughly the length of a quarter.
• At the end of the first trimester, your baby will grow to be about 3 inches -- about the length of a kiwi fruit. This measurement doesn’t even take arms and legs into account. That’s because in the first trimester, your baby is measured from the top of the head to the bottom of the rump.
• By the beginning of the 10th week of pregnancy, all of your baby’s vital organs have formed.
• Your baby’s embryonic tail, located at the bottom of her spinal cord, has disappeared.
• Bones continue to develop. On an ultrasound, your baby’s bones appear white.
• At your 10th week of pregnancy, your baby’s ears get close to their final form.
• The baby’s teeth buds emerge, and her eyelids develop further.
• If you’re having a male baby, his testes start producing the hormone testosterone around the 10th week of your pregnancy.
• Tiny fingers and toes are fully separated. (No more webbing!)
• Plus, your baby’s brain growth really takes off. Every minute, 250,000 new neurons (or first brain cells) are produced.

Know Your Food Groups

Variety is the key to a healthy pregnancy diet.

By choosing good foods from all of the food groups, you’re nourishing your baby with a broad range of nutrients.

For a 2,000-calorie diet, the USDA recommends the following servings of the major food groups:

• 6 ounces of breads and grains. A serving is approximately one slice of bread, or 1/2 cup of rice or pasta.
• 5 1/2 ounces of protein (meat and beans) -- or one serving that’s about the size of a deck of cards.
• 3 cups of dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.).
• 2 cups of fruit (fresh, frozen or canned).
• 2 1/2 cups of vegetables (fresh, frozen or canned).