Week 10 of pregnancy

You are now going on 10 Weeks Pregnant!

<>WHAT WILL BE HAPPENING WITH YOU
This is an excellent time to schedule a dental appointment. Proper cleaning -- along with an adequate intake of calcium, protein and vitamins B, C and D -- will help keep your teeth and gums healthy.

Moms-to-be should pay special attention to their oral health. The American Academy of Periodontology advises that pregnant women with periodontal disease may be up to seven times more likely to deliver a preterm low birth weight baby. Furthermore, when the disease affects at least 30 percent of the mouth, the risk is even greater.

Hormonal changes occur during pregnancy that can affect the gums. The gums may become swollen and inflamed in response to bacteria along the gum line. This is called "pregnancy gingivitis." It usually appears during the third to ninth month of pregnancy.

I actually have my regular check-up this week. So I guess this is good to hear.

<>WHAT WILL BE HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY
By the end of this week, your baby will have verifiable fingers and toes. The tadpole appearance diminishes as the tail completely disappears. Eyelids fuse and will stay shut until weeks 25 to 27. Both the external ear and upper lip are complete, and the beginnings of external genitalia appear. The average size of your baby-to-be is 27 to 35 millimeters, crown to rump, or 1.06 to 1.38 inches. Your little one weighs in at a hefty four grams! At the end of the eighth week of gestation your little one is no longer an embryo; from now on he or she is referred to as a fetus.

Awwww, its got wittle fingers and toes now! Sometimes I wish I could have an ultrasound every week to be able to see all these changes.

<>EATING FOR TWO
Your baby needs a great deal of calcium throughout the pregnancy. If you don't get enough, your baby will take it from your body, which may ultimately weaken your bones and teeth. To prevent these problems, plan on doubling your calcium intake. A quart of milk per day or other calcium-rich foods will meet that goal.

A quart of milk a day? Holy cow that's a lot of milk!

<>FACT OF THE WEEK
What exactly is the CVS test and should you consider it? CVS, or chronic villus sampling, is usually done between weeks 10 and 13, and involves the removal of a small amount of chronic villus tissue from the implantation site. This procedure is performed much earlier in the pregnancy than amniocentesis, and results are obtained in a few days. Its diagnostic accuracy rate is 97.8 percent, as compared to an amniocentesis, which is 99.4 percent. It also carries a slightly higher risk of miscarriage -- .8 percent greater than amniocentesis. For women who have an elevated risk of passing along a genetic problem, such as Tay-Sachs, or of carrying a Down's syndrome child, the test may be well worth the small risk. If you are considering this test, choose a center or hospital with a strong safety record and wait until after the tenth week of pregnancy.