Baby’s Development
Congratulations, you are now the proud mother of a fetus! From zygote to blasocyst to embryo, your baby has undergone massive changes in the last ten weeks. Having passed safely through these growth spurts, your little one is well on the way to baby status.
You can also allow yourself to relax a little this week. Most physical malformations occur by the end of the tenth week and if this time has passed uneventfully, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The most critical part of your little one’s physical development is over. The foundation has been laid and all your fetus needs to do now is concentrate on growing, growing and still more growing….
Internally, your baby’s liver, brain, intestines and kidney are now fully operational. This is pretty amazing, seeing all these crucial organs are contained in a little body no bigger than a shrimp and weighing less than 2/10th of an ounce!
Your Body and Emotions
If you have been pregnant before, you may be starting to show this week. Of course, this early along, it’s barely noticeable. However, you may be able to detect a slight ‘pouching’ in your abdomen.
If this is your first child, any tummy that you see is probably the result of water retention or bowel disruption. Because their bodies have already experienced pregnancy before, women who are on their second pregnancy (or more) tend to show much earlier. ‘First timers’ have to go through hip and rib cage widening and the gradual separation of the abdominal muscles much slower than their experienced sisters. Don’t be discouraged, you’ll show soon enough!
Bloating and bowel troubles can leave you feeling very uncomfortable. Believe it or not, the best way to combat water retention is drinking more water. Cut down on the salt you put in or on your food and be sure that you’re drinking enough water throughout the day. If your body is dehydrated, especially if you are suffering morning sickness, it will hang on to what water it has for longer. Flushing your system with fresh spring water will relieve some of your bloating and help you feel better in the process.
Whereas you had to diligently avoid medication during the pregnancy until this point, after ten weeks it’s considered safe to take Tylenol for any pregnancy related headaches you may be experience. Use them sparingly however! Your little one is still developing his nervous system and organs and you don’t want to interfere by sending a load of foreign chemicals her way. Only take them if you really need them and remember to keep avoiding all other ‘unsafe’ medications.
Dad’s Tips
If you have a cat or cats, there is nothing that makes you want to see them for scientific experiments more than changing the litter box. In most households, it sits in the basement or bathroom getting gradually dirtier until someone bucks up enough to empty it. Crouched over it, plastic spatula in hand as you sift through giant globs of cat pee or worse, you may seriously start to wonder about the point of owning these animals. These thoughts are going to be going through your head more often for the next nine months.
Toxoplasma gondii is a bacterium that thrives happily in the intestines of your fuzzy little buddies. These bacteria are excreted when your cats do their business and handling or being near their poop when a woman is pregnant is very dangerous. Adults who have this bacterium in their system will only experience mild flu symptoms, but unborn babies can suffer terribly. If your partner is infected, your baby can suffer irreversible damage to its eyes and brain. The only way to prevent this is by you or a family member regularly cleaning the box and disinfecting it.
She may gloat about this. Be brave….
