Week 10: From embryo to baby

A small but lovely milestone this week: your baby is now officially called a fetus, with all the major organs formed and beginning to work — kidneys filtering, the liver making blood cells, even tooth buds forming for all twenty baby teeth.

You might notice your skin changing — some people get that pregnancy “glow”, others a crop of pimples — and a faint dark line, the linea nigra, may start to appear down your belly. Nausea may finally be easing, though for plenty of people it hangs on a little longer.

There’s one time-sensitive thing to tick off. If you’d like the first-trimester screening, book your nuchal translucency (NT) scan now: it has to be done in a specific window, between 11 weeks 3 days and 13 weeks 6 days, and in Australia it’s covered by Medicare.

It’s a strange in-between time: you may not look obviously pregnant yet, but you can feel thoroughly pregnant — tired, queasy, emotional and bloated. Hang in there; for many people the second-trimester lift is just around the corner. And if you’re deciding about screening, the NT scan combines with a blood test for the combined first trimester screening, while NIPT is a separate, more sensitive blood test from around 10 weeks — both optional, and your GP or midwife can talk you through which suits you.

It’s also worth a quiet thought about your support network for the months ahead — who you can lean on, practically and emotionally, through pregnancy and beyond. Pregnancy is far easier shared, whether that’s a partner, family, friends, or your midwife and GP. And if money or work worries are on your mind, it’s not too early to start looking into your parental leave and the support available to Australian families, so it’s one less thing weighing on you later.

It can also be a good moment to think about telling your employer, when you’re ready. Australian workplace law protects you from discrimination because of pregnancy, and giving notice early can make it easier to sort out any adjustments you need.