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Day 70 of 280 · 10 weeks

Six small meals

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 6 sources · Plain-text version

Ten weeks. Progesterone has loosened your digestion, and the bloating shows it. The NHS's fix is six smaller meals, no late eating, and slowing down. Plan tomorrow's six today.

Size this week
about the size of a small apricot
Length this week
around 30 mm from head to bottom
A woman in a loose linen shirt at a kitchen island writing a meal plan on a sheet of paper, small bowls of fruit, crackers and yogurt lined up in front of her, bright daylight.

Ten weeks today. The baby is a size up from last week, and your digestion has slowed to a crawl. Both are the hormones. Today is about working with the second one.

Your baby

A single small apricot on a plain pale wooden table, soft window light.

Around 30mm from head to bottom, about the size of a small apricot (NHS). The baby is making small, jerky movements now, which can be seen on a scan (NHS), though you won't feel them for a while yet; the NHS says movements usually aren't felt for several weeks (NHS).

Your body

Progesterone relaxes the muscles of the womb so it can stretch, and it loosens the muscles of your digestive system at the same time, which is why you get bloating, burping, wind and heartburn (NHS). The NHS's advice for the bloating: six smaller meals a day instead of three big ones, avoid eating late at night, and eat and drink slowly (NHS).

Small and often helps the nausea too. MedlinePlus says to avoid large meals and instead have a snack as often as every 1 to 2 hours during the day, and to drink between meals rather than with them (MedlinePlus). For the heartburn: small meals, go easy on spicy and greasy food, and don't lie flat straight after eating (MedlinePlus).

Try today

  1. The six-meal day

    Time: 10 minutes tonight

    1. Write tomorrow's six slots on a sheet: early, mid-morning, lunch, mid-afternoon, dinner, early evening.

    2. Fill each slot with something small: more than a bite, less than a meal. The NHS's word is "smaller" (NHS).

    3. Keep the last slot early. Late-night eating is on the NHS's list of things to avoid (NHS).

    4. Pin it to the fridge and shop for the gaps tonight.

    5. Tomorrow night, tick the slots you actually ate. Four out of six is a good first day.

    Make it work:

    The slow part matters as much as the small part. Put the fork down between mouthfuls; the NHS says to eat and drink slowly (NHS).

Watch for

  • Normal

    bloating, burping and wind (NHS).

    Go to the ER

    for severe belly pain that doesn't go away (CDC).

  • Normal

    heartburn after a meal (NHS).

    Call 911

    or go to an emergency room right away for severe chest pain or shortness of breath that does not go away (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    constipation, meaning fewer than three bowel movements a week with hard, dry stools; drink eight to 10 glasses of water a day (OWH).

    Call your provider

    before using a laxative, and ask whether a stool softener is right for you (MedlinePlus).

For you

For scale: your womb is around the size of a large orange this week, while the baby is more like an apricot (NHS). Nothing shows from the outside yet. Quite a lot is going on inside.

If you're the partner: six small meals is a lot of small meals to make. Take three of them. A bowl of something at 10 and 3 is a bigger help than a big dinner she can't finish.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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