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Week 11 of Pregnancy: Week by Week Pregnancy Calendar

Your baby is now the size of a fig, measuring between an inch and a half (1.5) and two (2) inches in length from crown to rump. You are in your third month of pregnancy.

Your Baby

Ultrasound of 11 Week Fetus
Ultrasound of 11 Week Fetus

During week 11 of pregnancy, your baby is busy growing. The hands and feet are now distinctly human with tiny nails growing on the fingers and toes. By the end of the week, your baby will be able to open and close his or her hands into tiny fists. Hair follicles continue to develop all over your baby’s body, and the tiny tooth buds that will eventually become your baby’s pearly whites continue to form under the gums. Your baby’s face is also looking more and more human. The ears are nearly fully developed, the nasal passages continue to open into nostrils, and a tongue and the palate are forming inside the mouth. Your baby continues to swallow amniotic fluid.

Your baby’s diaphragm has begun to form, meaning that you may start noticing hiccups inside your abdomen from now on. The intestines, which currently curl outside of the abdomen inside the umbilical cord, continue to develop. If your baby is a girl, her ovaries will be developed by the end of the week. The external genitalia continue to form, but week 11 of pregnancy is too soon to visually determine the sex of your baby. If you do consent to an ultrasound, you may see your baby moving his or her legs around, kicking and stretching and swimming inside the womb. You may also be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat with a fetal Doppler.

Your Body

For the majority of women, morning sickness begins to ease up during week 11 of pregnancy. You may find yourself feeling hungrier than usual, but do not overindulge yourself too much. Eating a healthy diet is essential for a healthy pregnancy. Although you want to gain some weight while pregnant, gaining too much can have negative consequences on you and your baby. During week 11 of pregnancy, you may begin to show. Although your baby is still quite small, your uterus now fills your entire pelvis. You may notice that your hair and nails are growing more quickly than usual. Your hair may also look fuller because you will stop losing hair during your pregnancy; unfortunately, however, that lack of hair loss will catch up to you after the birth of your baby. Other symptoms during week 11 of pregnancy include fatigue, frequent urination, breast tenderness and changes, food cravings and aversions, bloating, and constipation.

Depending on your risk factors, you may be offered a prenatal test known as chorionic villus sampling (CVS) during week 11 of pregnancy. The advantage of CVS over other prenatal tests is that CVS is usually performed between week 11 and week 12 of pregnancy but may be performed as late as week 13. CVS is used to detect nearly all chromosomal disorders and several hundred genetic disorders. CVS involved removing cells from tiny fingerlike projections on the placenta called the chorionic villi. Like many other prenatal procedures, CVS does come with risks including the risk of miscarriage.

Figs
Baby Is the Size of a Fig
During Week 11 of Pregnancy

Learn about your baby during week 10 of pregnancy or week 12 of pregnancy.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is not meant to replace the professional medical advice of your health care provider.

References

11 weeks pregnant: http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy-week-by-week/11-weeks-pregnant_70672
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS): http://www.babycenter.com/0_chorionic-villus-sampling-cvs_328.bc
Curtis, Glade B. & Judith Schuler. 2011. Your pregnancy week by week. 7th edn. Philadelphia: Running Press.
Pregnancy week 11: http://www.maternityandbabyshoppingmart.com/pregnancy_week_11.html
Stone, Joanne & Keith Eddleman, eds. 2003. The pregnancy bible: Your complete guide to pregnancy and early parenthood. Willowdale, Ontario: Firefly Books.
Your pregnancy: 11 weeks: http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-11-weeks_1100.bc
Your pregnancy week by week: Weeks 9-12: http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/your-pregnancy-week-by-week-weeks-9-12

Image Credits

Ultrasound of 11 Week Fetus: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RyuJin_in_the_womb_%28heart_beating%29.ogg
Figs: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ficus_carica0.jpg

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