You are 10 weeks and 4 days

Your baby's limbs are more developed, so he can move, and his hands and fingers show clearly on a scan.

206 days until your due date

Your baby looks more human as his neck lengthens and his head becomes separate from his body, although the head is still about half his total length. On ultrasound, his length is measured from the top of his head (crown) to his bottom (rump), called the CRL (crown-rump length). His head is measured too: the biparietal diameter (BPD) is the distance between the parietal bones on either side of the head.

Now that the neck is more developed and all the limb joints have formed, your baby can make several movements, and the completed diaphragm allows breathing movements. In the gut, the duodenum opens up along its length, and the small bowel starts to rotate, getting ready to move back into the abdomen.

In the mouth, the hard palate has formed. The relatively large tongue makes it easier for your baby to move amniotic fluid through his nostrils rather than his mouth with each breath.

Focus on

Twins: Double the trouble

Growing two or more babies has physical effects, but there's an upside: because your size and hormones cause the symptoms, they're often worse when the babies are doing well.

In the first three months, your heart works harder to pump extra fluid around your body, which can make you more tired.
Morning sickness can be more severe because of higher pregnancy hormone levels.

Mention severe symptoms, but remember they aren't serious. You may be seen earlier if you suspect twins and will have more appointments and scans, and you may be asked to limit things like travel and exercise later on.

Time to think about

Nuchal fold screening

At around 11 weeks, you may be offered nuchal translucency screening, which assesses the risk of Down syndrome by measuring the fold of skin at the back of the baby's neck to see whether extra fluid has collected there.

The scan alone is about 80 percent accurate. Combined with a blood test (PAPP-A), it's 85–90 percent accurate, and measuring the nasal bone raises this to 95 percent.
If the result shows a high risk, you'll be offered a diagnostic test.

Explainer

Hands over the face

At this stage, the baby's hands often cover its face.

This is general information based on NHS guidance, not medical advice, and every pregnancy is different. Talk to your midwife or GP about anything that worries you. If your baby's movements slow down or change, or you have bleeding, severe pain or leaking fluid, call your maternity unit straight away. In an emergency, call 999.

Twins: Double the trouble

Nuchal fold screening

Hands over the face

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