10 Weeks, 2 Days - The 11th Week

It's that time of week again, I've decided to add a section to my normal format for what I'm feeling. Here we go.

My Symptoms/Feelings
I've had a pretty good week. Not as much nausea and it seems like the fatigue let up a bit. Most of the time it makes me happy, but other times nerves creep in a little. I'm really glad I have an appointment this week that should help calm the nerves and have me relax again. I also think I've gotten rid of the constipation problem. Maybe eating the cereal daily helps? Today was bad. Last night I went to bed with a headache that was still there when I woke up. I took Tylenol twice, but oh how I miss the Imitrex. It made me really nauseous too, but it let up a bit around 1:00 p.m. My chest seems more sensitive this week and I think it may have had a growth spurt. I went bra shopping on Saturday and seem to be in between a C and D cup. I also feel like my belly's "popped" a bit. I had someone notice at work on Friday that I seem to be getting close to "showing." I'm really going to try to hold off at least one more week before I switch clothes though. I plan on doing pictures and measurements again on Thursday or Friday. That's about it. Here's the rest of what's going on.

The Baby
By this week, the crown-to-rump length of your baby is 1.75 to 2.4 inches. Fetal weight is about .3 ounces (8g). Your baby is about the size of a large lime. Fetal growth is rapid now. The crown-to-rump length of your baby doubles in the next 3 weeks. The head is almost half of the baby's entire length. As the head extends, the chin rises from the chest, and the neck develops and lengthens. Fingernails appear. External genitalia are beginning to show distinguishing features. Development of teh fetus into a male or female is complete in another 3 weeks.

Your fig-sized baby is now fully formed — measuring 1 1/2 inches long and weighing in at a quarter of an ounce. His skin is still transparent, allowing many of his blood vessels to show through. Some of his bones are beginning to harden, and tiny toothbuds are starting to appear under his gums. His fingers and toes have separated, and he may soon be able to open and close his fists. He's already busy kicking and stretching, and his tiny movements are so fluid they look like water ballet. These movements will increase as his body grows and becomes more developed and functional. As his diaphragm develops, your tiny tenant may also start to get the hiccups. Because he's still so small, though, you won't feel any of his workouts or intrauterine gulps until sometime between weeks 16 and 20.

It’s the size of a softball in there! Can you feel it? The little guy (or gal) is about 2.5 inches long, and weighs about 14 grams. All major organs have been formed. After the end of this week, the risk of congenital abnormalities goes down. That doesn’t mean drinking and smoking are okay!

If you have seen pictures of babies at this stage you will notice that the head is about 1/2 of the body size. This will change as the baby grows. The iris will begin to develop this week and finger nails appear! Your baby weighs about 7 grams.

The Mom
While big changes are occurring in your baby, changes are probably happening more slowly in you. You are almost at the end of your first trimester; your uterus has been growing along with the fetus inside it. It is almost big enough to fill your pelvis and may be felt in your lower abdomen, above teh middle of your pubic bone. You won't be able to feel your baby moving yet. If you think you feel your baby move at this time, you either have gas or are farther along in your pregnancy than you thought. Some women notice changes in their hair, fingernails or toenails during pregnancy. This doesn't happen to everyone, but if it happens to you, don't worry about it. Some fortunate women notice an increase in hair and nail growth during pregnancy. Others find they lose some hair during this time.

Don't worry if nausea has made it impossible for you to eat a wide variety of healthy foods or if you haven't put on much weight yet (most women gain between two and five pounds during the first trimester). Your appetite will likely return soon and you'll start to gain about a pound a week.

Feeling extra flushed? Light-complexioned women may actually become quite pink during pregnancy. That’s because of the added volume of blood in your body. And speaking of blood, watch your iron count. Are you taking your prenatal vitamins?

Weight gain is a concern of a lot of women during pregnancy. By this stage of pregnancy most women have gained very little weight. Generally we say that you will gain about 1-2 lbs. a month in the first trimester. Some women will actually lose weight and be perfectly fine, particularly if they were ill. Some will gain no weight whatsoever. While yet others will gain 10+ pounds. The key is a healthy diet. However, your focus should be on nutrition rather than weight. Despite folk lore, you are not eating for two, but you should make everything you eat count. You will only need about 300-500 calories extra a day while you are pregnant. Avoid junk foods, and try to ensure that you are getting a variety of fruits and vegetables and protein. One word about protein, even in pregnancy it does not have to come from meat. There are a lot of successful vegetarian pregnancies.