11 Weeks Pregnant

11 Weeks Pregnant

Revathi V Gopal
By Revathi V Gopal
You have stepped into the eleventh week of pregnancy, and it is approximately three months. As of now, you are approaching the second trimester, and you would be feeling much better. It is because, during this time, your pregnancy symptoms would recede.
During the eleventh week of pregnancy, you are reaching closer to the day you would meet with your bundle of joy. If you haven't had your first ultrasound, your doctor would recommend it anytime soon. Hence, be prepared to meet your little one and listen to your baby's heartbeats.
Here, we will look into the different things that happen during the eleventh week of pregnancy. We will also have a look at some tips that can help you through the eleventh week.

What Happens During the Eleventh Week of Pregnancy?

Similar to the previous weeks, there are a lot of hormonal and bodily changes happening to you. When it comes to morning sickness and other pregnancy symptoms, they will start to decrease during the eleventh month of pregnancy. It is a crucial stage for your little one's development as well. Hence, creating an awareness of the things happening during this time of pregnancy can be highly beneficial for you. Here are some of the noticeable changes in your hormones, body and your little one.

Hormonal Changes

Since the HCG hormone is increasing, you would feel like urinating frequently. It is because the blood flow to the pelvic area and the kidney is more than before. Breast pain is another condition you might have while pregnant. It happens because there is an increase in colostrum production. Here, your breasts would get tender as they become larger.

Other than that, the rise in HCG would pave the way for the increase in estrogen and progesterone. These hormones would result in nausea and vomiting. Bloating and gas are other gastrointestinal conditions that occur due to the rise in progesterone. Your body might be struggling to produce the required amount of blood needed for filling your circulatory system. Because of this, you would feel faintness and dizziness.

During these months, the placenta would be forming, which is due to the rise in the HCG hormone. Other than these conditions, you would also be facing:

  • There would be the development of acne due to hormonal changes.
  • You might feel pain around your bump.
  • Your sense of smell would be higher during these weeks.
  • You would have a white milky vaginal discharge during these days.
  • Some of you might develop dark skin on the face or brown patches. These changes on the skin are known as chloasma or pregnancy masks.
  • You might have slight changes in your pigmentations. However, they would recede after giving birth to your little one.

These are some of the changes that you can have during your pregnancy. Remember that they are normal, but if you have difficulties, you can speak with your doctor.

Bodily Changes

In the eleventh week of pregnancy, your baby bump would start to appear. Even then, it would be slightly visible. Here, the muscles and the ligaments would be stretching as well. Due to these bodily changes, you might feel pain around your stomach.

During this time, your body would be pumping more blood than before, as it is essential for your womb. By this time of pregnancy, the placenta would have taken over and started providing nourishments to your little one. The placenta would also have taken the role of removing waste from your baby's body.

At this time, you would notice changes in your hair growth. Other than that, your toenails and fingernails would also grow. These are some of the noticeable bodily changes you would have during the eleventh week of pregnancy.

Fetal Development

When you have reached the eleventh week of pregnancy, your baby would be two inches long. Your baby would have started to gain a human appearance. Even though your baby's head is larger than the body, other facial features would become more refined. The jawline of your baby would also become visible during this time. Apart from these developments, your baby's hair follicles would start sprouting, and there would be growth in fingernails and toenails.

Previously, your baby's skin wasn't thick, but in the eleventh week, it would become thicker, which is a good sign. The nipples would start forming, and the sex organs would be developing. For boys, during this time of pregnancy, the formation of testosterone takes place. When it comes to girls, it is the time when the eggs would develop. The internal organs would also be transforming during the eleventh week of pregnancy. As earlier, your child's heart would be beating rhythmically. Here, the heartbeats would be 120 to 160 beats per minute.

It is the time when you can have an ultrasound and come to know your little one closer. During this time, your doctor would also conduct different tests for your baby. It will help in finding out if there are any serious developmental disorders. One of the most common conditions is Down Syndrome. However, you don't have to worry a lot as everything will be fine.

Tips to Help You Through the Eleventh Week

While you are in the eleventh week, it is a crucial time for you and your baby. Hence, you have to take all the necessary precautions and measures to ensure that your baby will be healthy and happy. Here are some tips that can help you during this time of pregnancy.

Maintaining a Healthy Diet

During this time of pregnancy, you have to ensure that you have healthy food items. Ensure that you continue to have 400 mg of folic acid daily and also include Vitamin D supplements in your diet. Other than that, you have to drink at least eight-ounce glasses of water regularly. You have to include fruits and vegetables in your diet plan. You can also speak with your dietician to get a personalized meal plan as well.

In general, you have to focus on the intake of calcium. You can do this by having dairy items, nuts, seeds, almonds, pulses, and soy products. Here, you have to ensure that you obtain Vitamin C essentials as it helps in producing collagen. It is beneficial in increasing the strength of your bones, muscles, cartilages, blood vessels, etc.

Vitamin C intake would also help your child in improving its ability to repair damaged tissues. These are some changes that you can bring to your diet, which can help you and your baby during pregnancy.

Being Physical Active

During this time of pregnancy, it is best to exercise for 150 minutes every week. However, it depends upon your health condition, and you can speak with your doctor before deciding on your workouts. You can practice prenatal yoga as it is an excellent exercise during pregnancy. It can make you feel relaxed and also help you prepare yourself for childbirth.

You can do prenatal yoga once every week for around two months. It would help in lowering the risk of postpartum blues or psychological concerns and also help in reducing the chances of premature birth. Other than prenatal yoga, you can also try out brisk walking, swimming, jogging. Kegel exercises and water aerobics are the other two options that can enhance your health while you are pregnant.

Improving Mental Health

Similar to taking care of your physical health, you have to focus on mental wellness as well. Regardless of the stage of your pregnancy, you have to ensure that you are working on your psychological well being. During this time, you would be having a mix of feelings, and you could be worried about different things associated with pregnancy. Hence, you have to take good care of yourself by eating healthy meals, exercising regularly, and sleeping well.

When you have concerns, you can speak with your loved ones or to your doctor. They would help you in reducing these concerns. If you have anxiety or depression, it is best to talk to your therapist or counsellor. Since pregnancy can be challenging for some of you, there is nothing wrong with seeking the support you require. You have to speak with your medical practitioner from time to time and keep them posted about your health conditions. It applies to your mental and physical health as well.

Other tips for the eleventh week of pregnancy

Here are a few other tips that you can include while you are eleven weeks pregnant.

  • You have to take good care of your teeth and keep them flossed.
  • Along with eating healthy, you have to take ample rest and stay active as well.
  • It would be best to wear maternity clothes as they can keep you comfortable.
  • If you have pain in your baby bump, it would be helpful to rub coconut oil. It would help in reducing the ache you might have
  • During this time, it is best to reduce the consumption of caffeine.

By including these tips, you can improve your health and overall wellbeing during the eleventh week of your pregnancy.

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