Image of a Week 11 Ultrasound: http://motherhow.com/11-weeks-pregnant/

This Week’s Ultrasound

Baby is now roughly two inches long and is relatively the size of a Brussel sprout. The fetus can stretch, move its own head, such its thumb, and sigh, all of which can potentially be viewed during this week’s ultrasound. At 11 weeks, the outer genitalia haven’t developed enough to find out the gender of the baby. Blood tests can be conducted to provide gender information. The first signs of the baby bump appear this week.  

What is Developing at 11 Weeks?

The reason that the ultrasound can’t pick up on the gender of the baby is because the internal sex organs are just being produced. In boys these are the testes and in girls it’s the ovaries. The nose has produced open nasal passages aka nostrils. The tongue and the hard palate in the mouth have finished their development. The hard palate is in the roof of the mouth. The nipples will have formed on their chests and hair follicles are developing all over the body, but specifically the head. At 11 weeks, the fetus is half head half body. This means that their heads are roughly half the size of their total fetal length. Don’t worry though, babies always grow into their heads.  

Mommy Tips

Women find that during this week their stomachs start to protrude, or get larger. Usually during the eleventh week, it looks more like you had too many doughnuts. Bloating is a big deal during this week. The hormone progesterone is produced throughout the pregnancy to maintain healthy fetal development; however, it comes with many side effects. Progesterone helps to relax the mother’s body, which means that all systems are relaxed including the digestive system. The excess progesterone can cause gas, bloating, and heartburn. Anxiety and depression are common issues with expectant mothers. This can be combatted by joining classes designed specifically for pregnant mothers and their partners. This can include things like yoga or simply walking with a group. The exercise is good for mom and baby and can help to combat the symptoms of depression. It is important to maintain hygiene. During pregnancy, the immune system is weakened. Pregnant women are more susceptible to the common cold and other viruses. Every time the pregnant mother gets a cold, it becomes likelier that the baby will eventually develop asthma or other respiratory illnesses. Craving salty peanuts? It’s completely fine. Nuts are high in protein and are a staple snack food. Many doctors will encourage pregnant women to eat a variety of different types of nuts to keep blood sugar levels elevated. Research has shown that pregnant mothers that ate nuts throughout their pregnancy were less likely to have a child with a nut allergy. The 11^th week should see the morning sickness easing up and the appetite increasing. However, sometimes morning sickness continues throughout the pregnancy. In each case, healthy babies are produced. If the mother is having issues with nausea, they should try sipping ginger tea. Ginger is known as an anti-nausea treatment.