10 Weeks

Today we got to go see Dr. Cone again and first they tried to hear the baby's heart beat with a little machine from the outside of my stomach. They couldn't get the sound, so they went ahead and did another sonogram. This time we have a much better picture! The dotted line is one the doctor draws to measure the baby. From the crown on the head to the rump, that is how age is calculated. In this picture we are 10 weeks and 1 day, which is right on track!!

You can now distinctly see the big head and the body with tiny little legs and arms forming!! There was one view that we didn't get a still shot of where we saw the baby from the front and saw both legs and arms and it was moving!! Apparently they move a lot since they have a lot of room, I just can't feel it yet.

So we still have strong heart beat and everything looks on track. So we went public today sharing the news with co-workers and those friends who didn't know. Although Dr. Cone says all is good, and we are on track, with a lower percentage of miscarriage, he said that we still have to monitor my condition with the unterus shape. Until the baby gets big enough to take up my whole uterus, there is risk of heavy bleading from one side which could cause complications for the baby. Although he doubts anything serious will happen, he is still very mindful of this aspect of my pregnancy and we need a few more weeks before he can give the all clear and say that we are totally out of the woods.

Now for baby development specifics - from the experts:
Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.