10 weeks pregnant: the booking appointment and heartburn
10 weeks pregnant is a stage at which, the NHS says, the baby is around 30 mm long from head to bottom, about the size of a small apricot, and going through another growth spurt (NHS, 2026). This page sets out what the NHS, NICE and ACOG say about week 10, including the booking appointment.
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Medically reviewed by Dr Mary Davidson, Reproductive endocrinologist, checked on
Seek help now if you have any of these symptoms
Bleeding and cramping are common in early pregnancy and often do not mean miscarriage. The symptoms below, however, need to be assessed straight away.
- Soaking two or more sanitary pads per hour, or passing large clots
- Severe lower abdominal pain, especially on one side
- Pain at the tip of the shoulder
- Dizziness, fainting, or collapse
- Signs of shock — pale, clammy, rapid heartbeat, breathlessness
- Pain on opening bowels, or bladder or bowel changes
- Feeling very unwell, or feverish
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How the sources describe development around 10 weeks
- Size and shape, NHS
- The NHS week 10 page in its week-by-week guide (NHS, 2026) gives the baby as around 30 mm long from head to bottom and compares it to a small apricot. It says the head is still too big for the body but the face is more recognisably in proportion, the eyes are half closed but can react to light, the ears are starting to form, and the mouth has an upper lip and the nose two nostrils.
- Movement and heart, NHS
- The NHS says the baby makes jerky movements that can be seen on a scan, the jaw bone contains tiny versions of the milk teeth, and the heart is beating extremely quickly at 180 beats a minute, about 3 times your own heart rate (NHS, 2026). Its week 28 page gives around 170 beats a minute for weeks 9 and 10, so the NHS pages give two figures for this stretch.
- Development, ACOG
- ACOG’s list for weeks 9 to 12 includes the liver beginning development, the kidneys beginning to make urine, the pancreas starting to make insulin, and fingernails forming (ACOG, How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy, 2024). It does not date these to a single week.
Weeks are counted from the first day of the last menstrual period, so about two weeks of the count come before conception (ACOG, How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy, 2024). This page covers 10 weeks 0 days to 10 weeks 6 days.
A normal pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period, so at 10 weeks about 30 weeks remain to the estimated due date (ACOG, How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy, 2024). Your own due date depends on your last period or a scan, not on the week alone.
The booking appointment
The NHS page on antenatal appointments says the first midwife appointment, sometimes called the booking appointment, usually takes place at 8 to 12 weeks and takes around an hour. The midwife asks about the date of your last period, any pregnancies you have had before, health conditions, mental health, things like exercise, alcohol and smoking, your job and home situation, and your ethnic background. The midwife checks your blood pressure, tests your urine, offers a blood test to check your blood group, and gives you your maternity notes (NHS, "Antenatal (pregnancy) care and appointments", 2026).
NICE guideline NG201 says the booking appointment should take place by 10 weeks 0 days, and within 2 weeks where possible if contact with maternity services is made after 9 weeks 0 days (NICE, 2021). In the US, ACOG says that starting prenatal care before 10 weeks after your last period is ideal (ACOG, Prenatal Care, 2025).
Your body at 10 weeks, as the NHS describes it
The NHS says your womb is around the size of a large orange, and that you may be struggling to do up your jeans. It says bloating, burping and passing wind are due to hormones: progesterone relaxes the muscles of the womb so it can expand, and the muscles of the digestive tract also become looser, which can lead to heartburn. The NHS asks anyone worried about a symptom to talk to their midwife or doctor (NHS, "Week 10 of pregnancy", 2026).
Work out which week you are in
The Pregnancy week calculator takes your last period, conception date, scan or IVF transfer and shows how many weeks and days pregnant you are today.
Sources
- NHS Best Start in Life. Week 10 of pregnancy (week-by-week guide to pregnancy). nhs.uk, 2026.
- NHS. Antenatal (pregnancy) care and appointments. nhs.uk, 2026.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Antenatal care (NG201). NICE, 2021.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy (FAQ156). ACOG, 2024.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Prenatal Care (FAQ199). ACOG, 2025.
Frequently asked questions
What happens at the first midwife appointment?
The NHS says the midwife asks about you and your health, checks your blood pressure, tests your urine, offers a blood test to check your blood group and gives you your maternity notes, in an appointment that takes around an hour (NHS, 2026).
How fast is the baby’s heart at 10 weeks?
The NHS says 180 beats a minute on its week 10 page, about 3 times your own heart rate, and gives around 170 on its week 28 page for weeks 9 and 10 (NHS, 2026). This page cannot say whether a particular reading is expected. Ask the person doing your scan.