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Day 71 of 280 · 10 weeks + 1 day

A walk after eating

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 7 sources · Plain-text version

Ten weeks and a day. The NHS's other fix for bloating is a short walk after meals. Ten minutes after dinner also starts your 150 minutes a week. Shoes on before the dishes.

Size this week
about the size of a small apricot
Length this week
around 30 mm from head to bottom
A woman in leggings and a light jacket walking slowly along a tree-lined street at dusk beside her partner, both with hands in pockets, street lamps just coming on.

Ten weeks and a day. Yesterday was what to eat; today is what to do after. The NHS's advice is a short walk, and it turns out to count for more than the bloating.

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 NHS's description this week: "The head is still too big for the body, but the face is more recognisably in proportion" (NHS). The facial features, ears and nostrils are forming (NHS).

Your body

Progesterone has loosened your digestive muscles, and the NHS's list for easing the bloating ends with short walks after meals; it also notes that coffee and rich, spicy or fatty foods can trigger symptoms (NHS).

The walk does double duty. The NHS asks for 150 minutes of exercise a week in pregnancy (NHS), and CDC's version is the same: work up to or keep at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, a week, and it can be split into smaller daily chunks (CDC). The NHS says to start with about 10 minutes a day (NHS). Activity is healthy and safe for most pregnant women; ask your provider about any restrictions that apply to you (CDC).

Try today

  1. The after-meal stroll

    Time: 10 minutes, after dinner

    1. Shoes on before the dishes. The dishes will wait; the light won't.

    2. Walk out for five minutes and back for five, slowly. This is a stroll, not a workout; MedlinePlus says to wait at least 2 hours after eating before exercising (MedlinePlus).

    3. When you get in, note how the bloating feels compared with before you left.

    4. Write "10" on the calendar. That is a day's worth on the NHS's starting plan (NHS), and ten minutes toward the week's 150 (CDC).

    Make it work:

    Dark or raining, walk the hallway or the stairs for ten minutes instead. The point is the habit, not the scenery.

Watch for

  • Normal

    headaches, which the NHS lists among this week's common signs (NHS).

    Call your provider

    for a headache that persists despite medication and fluids, or comes with blurred vision or dizziness (CDC).

  • Normal

    peeing more often, including on the walk back (NICHD).

    Call your provider

    for pain when urinating or a change in the odor or color of your urine, which may signal a bladder infection (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    food cravings or aversions (NHS).

    Call your provider

    if you lose more than 2 pounds (1 kilogram) in a week (MedlinePlus).

For you

A walk is the easiest thing two people can do together without planning it. CDC's 150 minutes can be split any way you like (CDC), so the after-dinner ten is as good as any.

If you're the partner: this is the one habit you can keep with her every day until the birth, and it costs nothing. Don't make it a conversation about the pregnancy unless she starts one. Just walk.

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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