11th Week of Pregnancy: Pregnancy Week By Week

Are you feeling better? In the last weeks of the first trimester, many pregnant women get some much needed relief from their morning sickness and fatigue. If you’re still feeling nauseous, don’t worry. It won’t be too long before you start to feel better. Hormonal levels tend to level off in the second trimester of pregnancy, so look forward to that!

By pregnancy week 11, you probably look a little pregnant. While you may not be showing a lot, especially if this is your first baby, the people around you might start to notice your growing belly. If you’ve been pregnant before, you will start showing much earlier due to your relaxed abdominal muscles. You will also show earlier if you are carrying twins or multiples.

Baby’s Development

At week eleven of your pregnancy, the baby is completely formed and will continue to grow and develop until the day the baby is born. The baby’s head becomes a major part of the baby; in fact the baby’s head is about half the length of the body. The fingers and toes are separated completely and the baby’s bones are starting to harden. If you look at the sonogram, you will see that the skin is still transparent.

The baby is continuing to grow but you won’t be able to feel the baby kick until the sixth or seventh month. The baby measures in around 2-1/2” and weighs about a half an ounce. In this stage, the baby will be able to swallow and urinary system is working as well. This may sound strange but the baby urinates amniotic fluid and the fluids are constantly being replaced. All of the organs are now fully formed.

In the coming weeks, these organs will start working normally. They will grow in size and will gain more function as time goes on. In the next three weeks, the baby will double in size. The blood vessels in the placenta will start to increase and this will give the baby more nutrients and oxygen that they will need for continued growth.

Week 11 Pregnancy Symptoms

Frequent Urination

Blame that pregnancy hormone hCG (which increases blood flow to the pelvic area and kidneys) for making you feel the need to pee nearly all the time. But don’t be tempted to cut back on your fluid intake since you (and your baby-to-be) need to stay hydrated instead, cut back on caffeinated drinks (they just increase your need to pee).

Breast tenderness and changes: Your growing breasts may be a turn-on for your partner, but your achy boobs are a turnoff for you. Warn your partner about your extra-sensitive breasts so that he knows why you may not be up for lovemaking or even heavy-duty hugging.

Nausea And Vomiting

Still feeling “morning sickness” morning, noon, and night? Don’t despair since the odds are good you have only a week or two left of queasiness most moms-to-be get over their nausea by weeks 12 to 14.

Excessive Saliva

While experts aren’t entirely sure what causes this symptom, the most likely explanation is those darned pregnancy hormones. Keep your mouth as dry and minty-fresh as possible by brushing your teeth more often.

Food Cravings And Aversions

Are you still gagging at the smell of what used to be your favorite food or jonesing for meat even though you were practically a vegetarian? The good news is that these freaky food preferences may lessen by your fourth month.

Bloating

How can your belly feel so inflated when your fetus is still only about two inches long? The progesterone in your system has caused your gastrointestinal tract to relax, which slows digestion and leaves you feeling bloated.

Occasional Faintness or Dizziness

Your body isn’t producing enough blood to fill your expanding circulatory system, which can lead to dizziness and fainting. Stave off light-headedness by keeping your blood sugar stable with regular, small meals throughout the day and by keeping a stash of healthy snacks nearby at all times.

Weight Gain in Early Pregnancy

How much weight should you gain during your pregnancy? This all depends on how much you weighed before you were pregnant. If you were underweight before you became pregnant you will need to gain more than if you were overweight. Underweight moms should aim for gaining 28-40 lbs, normal weight moms should gain 25-35 lbs, and overweight moms should try to gain 15-25 lbs during pregnancy.

How much should you gain during the first trimester? You don’t need to gain a lot of weight during your first trimester. Most women gain 3-5 lbs during the first trimester. If you are overweight you will want to try not to gain more than 1-2 lbs during the first trimester. You should not, however, diet during your pregnancy.

What if I have gained a lot of weight in the first trimester?  This happens to a lot of newly pregnant moms, especially moms that were thin going into things. If you have gained more weight than you planned to, try not to worry. During the second trimester you should be gaining one to two pounds per week. Work on a menu plan with a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as plenty of water. You only need to be eating an extra 200 to 300 calories during your pregnancy. If you have been overeating or caving into cravings for sweets, you can try substituting some of the sweets for healthier snacks like fruit smoothies or skim milk.

Changes In Your Body

Hip, hip hooray! By about pregnancy week 11 you will finally start showing just a bit, though you still won’t be showing a lot (especially if this is your first baby). You are rapidly approaching the end of your first trimester.

During each of my pregnancies by about 11 weeks pregnant, I always started relaxing a bit more, knowing my risk of miscarriage drops significantly in the next two weeks. My morning sickness would always also completely disappear by about 11 weeks pregnancy.

By about this time your uterus is just thinking about popping up above your pubic bone. Once this happens you will start showing a bit more. You are probably feeling quite pregnant at this point even if you don’t look huge to the outside world. Many women start noticing physical changes including rapidly growing hair and nails. This varies from woman to woman however. I always noticed that my hair didn’t start growing much faster than normal until about my third trimester. My nails however, always grow quite rapidly regardless of what stage of pregnancy I was in.

Don’t count on thick locks just because you are pregnant however, While most women have thicker hair than normal, some will experience other changes. I know a woman for example whose hair turned curly during pregnancy. It seems strange, but under the influence of pregnancy hormones, nothing is impossible.

Tips/Advice

At the eleventh week of pregnancy, you are at the end of the first trimester. Gone are the bouts with morning sickness and you will start to feel better both mentally and physically. You will have a brand new outlook on your pregnancy. You will start to embrace the pregnancy and really start to enjoy it. Take it one day at a time and before you know it, it will be time for the baby to be born.