# Day 71: A walk after eating > 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. - Series: Your third month of pregnancy, day by day (https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-3), day 71 of 280, 10 weeks + 1 day - Your baby this week: about the size of a small apricot; around 30 mm from head to bottom - Canonical URL: https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-3/day-71 - Last reviewed: 2026-10-22 - Publisher: Chorevia (https://chorevia.com) - Cite as: Chorevia. "Day 71: A walk after eating." Last reviewed October 22, 2026. https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-3/day-71 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. 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 Around 30mm from head to bottom, about the size of a small apricot ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/1st-trimester/week-10/)). The NHS's description this week: "The head is still too big for the body, but the face is more recognisably in proportion" ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/1st-trimester/week-10/)). The facial features, ears and nostrils are forming ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/1st-trimester/week-10/)). ## 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](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/1st-trimester/week-10/)). The walk does double duty. The NHS asks for 150 minutes of exercise a week in pregnancy ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/1st-trimester/week-10/)), 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](https://www.cdc.gov/maternal-infant-health/pregnancy-weight/index.html)). The NHS says to start with about 10 minutes a day ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/1st-trimester/week-11/)). Activity is healthy and safe for most pregnant women; ask your provider about any restrictions that apply to you ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/maternal-infant-health/pregnancy-weight/index.html)). ## Try today ### 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](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000583.htm)). 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](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/1st-trimester/week-11/)), and ten minutes toward the week's 150 ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/maternal-infant-health/pregnancy-weight/index.html)). **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](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/1st-trimester/week-10/)). **Call your provider** for a headache that persists despite medication and fluids, or comes with blurred vision or dizziness ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html)). - **Normal:** peeing more often, including on the walk back ([NICHD](https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/pregnancy/conditioninfo/signs)). **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](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000583.htm)). - **Normal:** food cravings or aversions ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/1st-trimester/week-10/)). **Call your provider** if you lose more than 2 pounds (1 kilogram) in a week ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000604.htm)). ## 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](https://www.cdc.gov/maternal-infant-health/pregnancy-weight/index.html)), 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 - NHS. "Week 10." Week-by-week guide to pregnancy, Best Start in Life. https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/1st-trimester/week-10/ - NHS. "Week 11." Week-by-week guide to pregnancy, Best Start in Life. https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/1st-trimester/week-11/ - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Weight Gain During Pregnancy." Maternal and Infant Health. https://www.cdc.gov/maternal-infant-health/pregnancy-weight/index.html - MedlinePlus. "Common symptoms during pregnancy." National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000583.htm - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Urgent Maternal Warning Signs and Symptoms." HEAR HER campaign, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html - National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. "What are some common signs of pregnancy?" National Institutes of Health. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/pregnancy/conditioninfo/signs - MedlinePlus. "Morning sickness." National Library of Medicine, 2024. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000604.htm