Your Pregnancy Week by Week: 10 Weeks

The following information -- and much more -- can also be found in the free weekly email Lamaze Pregnancy Week by Week. Sign up now to receive helpful information for your stage of pregnancy. Subscribers will be given the opportunity to complete a Lamaze Parent Satisfaction Survey after their pregnancy and receive a Lamaze Toys coupon. We want to hear about your birth experience and the impact that childbirth education may have had so that we can continue to make sure parents have the information they need for the safest, healthiest birth possible.

You're in week 10 of your pregnancy!

You have a choice before you. You can participate in the awesome responsibility of decision making for you and your baby's care during pregnancy, labor and birth, or allow routines and standards to determine your care. It's easy to assume that 'what is' must be 'what's best.' There must be a good reason why so many doctors require routine ultrasounds during pregnancy...why so many labors are induced...why women with a previous cesarean surgery think they must have another cesarean. It's for the safety of the baby, right? Not necessarily. This week, you'll explore the basics of shared decision making, and discover how you can apply it to the choices you're presented with during pregnancy and childbirth..

What's New with Baby

By the tenth week of your pregnancy, your baby has developed nearly all of her body structures. Her eyelids have formed and are beginning to fuse. They won't reopen until 25-27 weeks into your pregnancy. Her facial features, such as her ears and lips, are really beginning to take on their final shape. She is now about the same length as a grape and weighs a mere 4 grams (that's less than the weight of a nickel!).

What's New with You

Many women schedule their first prenatal appointment for around this time in their pregnancy. Your first visit will be longer than later prenatal appointments, and may even be spread out into two visits. Whether you choose a midwife, a doctor or a group of providers who work together, your prenatal care should be more than just medical tests and a long list of dos and don'ts. Good prenatal care helps you stay confident and healthy throughout your pregnancy and prepares you for the safe, healthy birth of your baby.

Words of Wisdom from Another Mom

'In my first pregnancy, I was one of those women who just decided to go with the program. I didn't feel in control of my choices, and I trusted that my doctor had my best interests in mind when he offered to induce me a week before my due date just to make sure the baby didn't get 'too big.' I realize now that I had many choices that I didn't even know about then. This time around, I changed to a different doctor and I am going to be asking a lot more questions! I'd rather seem pushy than put up with another bad birth experience.'

'My midwives offered full information on my testing options and have fully respected my choices to pursue these tests or not. They let me decide what was best for me. They didn't make me feel like I had to make a certain decision just because that was the standard. Because I understood my options and could make the decision myself, I felt confident in my abilities as a mother and parent.'

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