Week by week pregnancy guide: Week 11 of your pregnancy

Your baby's facial features are more prominent this week and chances are that even you would see a relief from your pregnancy symptoms. Read more about the developments happening this week.

By now, your morning sickness, nausea and excessive fatigue have reduced to a great extent, if not gone completely. Soon, you will finish your first trimester and you would feel more energetic and relaxed in your pregnancy.

Changes that happen to your body

By the eleventh week, even if you don't make an official announcement about your pregnancy many would be able to guess the secret. You have gained a few kilos at least, despite the regular bouts of vomiting and nausea, and your belly will be protruding out a bit more than the previous week. But remember it's more due to the wind inside because of the increase of progesterone hormone and not due to the baby's growing size. Fatigue will still keep bugging you to some extent even now.

Apart from the growth and development of your baby the placental growth is in full swing with more blood vessels being added to it. This is an important phase of placental development which will help your baby to get oxygen, nutrients and other vital substances from the mother's blood stream. Probably during the start of your second trimester when the placenta would be fully developed your energy levels would start to soar and adjust to the hormonal changes of pregnancy.

Other common worries like frequent urination because of the bulging uterus pressing the bladder, constipation, back ache, tender breasts, heartburns, food aversions can still keep you company. Remember though you will gain back some energy and relief from some of the symptoms of early pregnancy with time, most of them will stay till the end of your labour. Know about your first trimester to-do list which you should abide by.

Development of your baby

The head of your fetus makes about half the size of the body now and the facial features appear more prominent and distinct this week. Hair follicles, finger nails, distinct fingers and toes start to appear beginning of week 11. There is a lot of development happening in the face and mouth area. The palate of the mouth begins to form and so does the tongue. The ears start to take shape and are now present on either side of the head; also the nostrils are more clearly visible.

The genital organs take shape now. Ovaries are formed in the female fetus and the testicles in the male. It is the stage at which the sex of the child can be determined. However, if you are in India, remember that it is illegal.

At this time of development your baby might be super active in the womb, but it's not time yet to feel those movements. Some mothers tend to mistake the gas inside the stomach for baby movements at this time.

Floating in the amniotic fluid your baby has also started to swallow it. This practice will help your little one survive once out of the womb during breastfeeding. All the other vital organs that are now functioning and continue to grow and develop and so does the skeletal system of the baby. Each day the bones grow stronger and bigger.

What you should be doing

• First try and reduce stress as it can harm you and your baby more than you can imagine.

• Not only tobacco and alcohol, cut down on your intake of tea, coffee and other aerated drinks. These are not the best beverages to be sipped on during pregnancy Also know about the eight drinks that should be avoided during pregnancy.

• Eat a healthy balanced meal and make sure that you have at least three to five portions of fruits each day. This will ensure that you are getting all your vitamins, minerals and other vital nutrients from natural food sources and in a healthy manner. Also read tips to deal with heartburn during pregnancy.

• Avoid having raw eggs, meat or fish as these foods can give rise to allergies or other complications in the fetus. Here are 7 foods to avoid during pregnancy.

• Ask your gym instructor to alter your exercises according to your needs. At no point should you put pressure on your abdomen while exercising. If you are a novice go slow with your pace and start with simple walks. Read about the 9 pregnancy dos and don'ts you should follow while exercising.

• To combat constipation increase the intake of fibre in your diet and drink at least eight glasses of water consciously. Know about the other healthy drinks you should often sip during your pregnancy.

• Counter pregnancy induced fatigue by giving your body adequate rest and ample sleep.

If you wish to know what happened to your body while you reached week 11 of your pregnancy, then read:

• The first four weeks of your pregnancy
• Week by week pregnancy guide: week 5 of your pregnancy
• Week by week pregnancy guide: week 6 of your pregnancy
• Week by week pregnancy guide: week 7 of your pregnancy
• Week by week pregnancy guide: week 8 of your pregnancy
• Week by week pregnancy guide: week 9 of your pregnancy
• Week by week pregnancy guide: week 10 of your pregnancy

<Previous WeekNext Week>

You may also like to read:

• Common mistakes woman make during pregnancy
• 7 common pregnancy complaints and how to dodge them
• How to plan for a birth without violence
• How to write a good birth plan

For more articles on pregnancy, visit our pregnancy section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.