10 W

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Fetal development - 10 weeks pregnant

Written for BabyCenter Australia
Approved by the BabyCenter Australia Medical Advisory Board

The fetus is only about three centimetres long from crown to rump and weighs less than four grams. Even so, it's busily swallowing and kicking. Each day more minute details start to appear, such as fingernails and peach-fuzzy hair.

The vital organs -- the liver, kidneys, intestines, brain, and lungs -- are fully formed and functional, while the head is almost half the length of the entire body. The forehead temporarily bulges and sits high on the head, but later will change into a more human-like feature.

If you could take a look at your baby this week, you'd be able to see the clear outline of his spine. Spinal nerves stretch out from the spinal cord.

Your uterus is now the size of a grapefruit. With the help of a doppler, a hand-held soundwave stethoscope, you can hear the fetus's rapid heartbeat -- one expectant mother likened it to the sound of tiny horses galloping.