Week 11

Right now in the 11^th week, your baby is smaller than your little finger at around 4cm long and weighs around 7 grams. She’ll fit in the palm of your hand, but has proper fingers and toes, a tongue with taste buds and facial features.

What Your Baby Is Doing At Eleven Weeks.

At 11^th week, your baby has grown to the size of a lime and has waved goodbye to her webbed hands and feet. She now has distinct human characteristics such as nasal passages and visible nipples. Hair follicles form on the crown and the rest of the body this week and nail bed are starting to develop.

At the moment, her head still accounts for around half of her length, but over the next few weeks her torso will grow. Her skin is still see-through and whilst her lungs are not fully formed yet, her heart is beating about twice the speed of yours.

Whilst she’ll be kicking and stretching like a prizewinning boxer, you won’t feel any movement for another month or two.

What Your Body Is Doing When Your Baby Is 11 Weeks Old

Hopefully, the morning sickness you are experiencing will start to die down and you’ll be getting your appetite back. Whist the saying goes ‘eating for two’, don’t go overboard. Stick to nutritious and healthy meals and avoid too much junk.

You might find your jeans are feeling a little tighter this week. Of course, this is to be expected now you’re pregnant, but being bloated is a common symptom thanks to those wonderful pregnancy hormones! Progesterone will slow down digestion to allow more time for nutrients to be passed on to your baby, but as your uterus grows, it will squash the stomach and intestines, meaning unfortunately this bloated feeling is here to stay. Help minimise discomfort by eating little and often rather than sticking to three big meals. 

Another unexpected side effect of those pregnancy hormones is snoring. If you’ve woken yourself (or your partner) up during the night, blame the hormones – they can make the inside of your nose swell.

Common Symptoms To Look Out For:

•        Fatigue: A perfectly normal symptom, especially during your first trimester, if you’re finding yourself permanently exhausted, rest assured those energy levels should pick up once the placenta is formed in the next few weeks. Remember you’re growing a baby! Keep those blood sugar levels up by snacking on complex carbs and protein (think cheese and crackers or nuts and dried fruit), try some gentle exercise if you can and most of all, listen to your body.

•        Frequent Toilet Trips: Another one you can blame on those pregnancy hormones – hCG increases the blood flow to your pelvic area and kidneys, making you feel like you need to wee all the time. Don’t cut back on fluids – your body and your baby needs them.

•        Achey Boobs: They might be the biggest they’ve ever been, but they’ll probably be achy and painful right now. Remember to tell your partner how sensitive they are, and try sleeping in a maternity bra or a sports bra to see if it helps.

•        Faintness Or Dizziness: A common side effect of all the extra blood your body is pumping round, remember to sit or lie down whenever you feel faint – either lie down and elevate your feet about your head, or sit down with your head between your legs and breathe deeply.

What You Should Be Doing This Week

Even though you don’t need to start attending antenatal classes until your third trimester, popular courses (especially the ones run by the NCT) can get booked up quickly, so get yourself on the list now. Find out all you need to know about antenatal classes and choosing the right one for you, here.