By week 11 of pregnancy, your baby has developed distinct human characteristics, including fingers and toes!
Some moms-to-be find that their morning sickness starts to ease up as they approach the end of the first trimester, though it's also common to still be experiencing nausea, food aversions and bloating around this time. If you're 11 weeks pregnant, you're in month 3 of your pregnancy. Only 6 months left to go! Still have questions? Here's some more information on how weeks, months and trimesters are broken down in pregnancy. Slightly more than 1½ inches long now and weighing about a quarter of an ounce, your baby has been pretty busy growing this week. Hair follicles are forming not just on the crown, but on the rest of the body. And those tiny hands and feet have individual fingers and toes — meaning goodbye to those frog-like webbed hands and feet. Meanwhile, fingernail and toenail beds begin to develop this week; in the next few weeks, the nails themselves will start to grow, so don't forget to add a baby nail clipper to your to-buy list. While you can't tell what baby's sex will be yet, ovaries are developing if it's a girl. And by week 11 of pregnancy, baby has other distinct human characteristics: hands and feet in front of his body, ears nearly in their final shape, open nasal passages on the tip of his tiny nose, a tongue and palate in the mouth, and visible nipples. Your baby's body is straightening and his torso is lengthening — sounds like a yoga pose, doesn't it? Other poses your baby can assume now: stretches, somersaults and forward rolls. You might be feeling a bit hungrier these days — and that's good. It’s a sign your morning sickness is easing and your appetite is gearing up to help you nourish your body … and your baby. But don't go overboard just because you're eating for two. Try to gain weight efficiently by choosing the most nutritious foods during pregnancy and minimizing the junk. At 11 weeks pregnant, your lower abdomen is probably just starting to protrude a bit too — though people may not guess that you're expecting yet. Even if it your tummy is still flat as a board — all women start to show at different times and, as you'll find out, all show differently — you're probably finding your jeans aren't buttoning without a struggle. Blame the pregnancy hormone progesterone for that tight squeeze. Though progesterone does a bang-up job in maintaining a healthy pregnancy, some of the less than flattering by-products of all the good it does are bloating, burping and passing gas. That's because progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue in your body — including the gastrointestinal tract — slowing down digestion to allow more time for the nutrients from food to be absorbed into the bloodstream and passed to your baby. But what's good for baby isn't always good for Mom. The uncomfortable fullness you feel in your abdomen, especially after eating, will only get worse for some women. As your uterus grows, it'll crowd the stomach and intestines, putting more pressure on the digestive tract and causing you to feel even more bloated. Here's some consolation: Your baby won't feel your pain. In fact, your baby is oblivious to all your intestinal distress — and may even be soothed by the gurgling of your gastric symphony. Minimize bloating and gas by grazing instead of gorging and steering clear of notorious gas producers, such as beans, fried foods, soda and sweets. Pregnancy fatigue is par for the course when you're pregnant, especially in the first and third trimesters. After all, your body is growing another human being in the form of your little baby, which is a heck of a lot of work around the clock! In the meantime, fight fatigue by eating energy-boosting snacks like nuts, dried fruit, cheese and crackers and other healthy foods that can give you a kick. You should also indulge in cat naps whenever possible, take breaks when you're wiped out, and engage in pregnancy-safe exercises like walking, which can help combat the sleepies. It’s good to gain weight gradually throughout your 40 weeks of pregnancy — but that doesn’t mean you’ll gain weight evenly. Try our pregnancy weight gain calculator if you want to keep track on your own (but try not to stress or obsess!). In your first trimester, you may not gain more than 2 to 5 pounds, and if you're suffering from morning sickness, you might not gain at all. During the second and third trimesters, you may put on an average of about 1 pound each week until you reach month 8, or about 20 to 28 pounds. The weekly gains will vary, though they tend to average about a pound apiece. In month 9, your baby's weight gain will continue with gusto, while yours will likely only total about two to three pounds (but everyone is different). And you might even lose a little in the days before delivery. When you’re expecting, your immune system runs at a lower speed than usual — which is actually a good thing, since it keeps your growing baby protected and stops your body from fighting the fetus off as a foreign entity. The downside: Your body can't ward off colds as well as it normally does, making you more vulnerable to the stuffy nose, cough and sore throat that accompany them. So don’t forget to wash your hands regularly and well. If soap and water aren't available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. You may have to wait until after you deliver your million-dollar baby to debut a new million-dollar smile. While there are no proven risks to tooth whitening, it's a procedure that definitely falls into the better-safe-than-sorry category and is best avoided while you’re pregnant. Be sure to keep your teeth clean and well flossed, though, since gingivitis (which manifests as inflamed gums) is common in pregnant women. In between tooth-brushing sessions, chew sugarless gum, which can help reduce plaque build-up. Another tip for keeping your teeth in tip-top shape? Snack on nuts or cheese, which contain calcium and other nutrients. And don’t forget to keep up your regular six-month dental checkups while you’re pregnant. Your super-sensitive gums will thank you for the attention, plus you'll increase your chances of having a healthier pregnancy. Believe it or not, poor dental care has been linked to premature birth. And isn't having a healthy mouth more important than having whiter pearly whites? Does it seem like you’ve been sucking on pennies? Many women experience a metallic taste in their mouths during their first trimester of pregnancy, which is mainly caused by fluctuating estrogen levels. The sensation should get better — or disappear altogether — during your second trimester, but in the meantime, try drinking citrus juices or eating foods marinated in vinegar (if your stomach can handle it). Both can help break up that taste of metal. Dry skin? Taking too many baths during pregnancy can strip your skin of some of its moisture. It’s definitely okay to indulge in a relaxing soak in the tub here and there when you’re expecting, as long as the water isn’t too hot and the bath isn’t too long. But for your regularly scheduled wash-ups, stick to shorter showers — good training for actual motherhood — in warm, not hot, water, and use a mild cleanser. For very dry skin, try a moisturizer or put a warm-mist humidifier in your room. What's the deal with your sex drive? Hormones hit every woman differently, turning up the heat for some and throwing ice water on others. Pregnancy symptoms can also stand between you and a good time — after all, it's hard to feel sexy when you're busy gagging on dinner. Rest assured, whatever's normal for you is normal. Remember that many women who've lost that lovin' feeling in the first trimester get it back in the second, in spades … so don't be surprised if a very warm front moves into the bedroom soon. The nuchal translucency (NT) screening is a specialized ultrasound performed between 11 and 13 weeks of pregnancy that screens for chromosomal conditions like Down syndrome, trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 by measuring the level of fluid at the base of the fetus' neck. Because the NT screening only looks at the statistical likelihood of a chromosomal disorder and can't tell you anything definitive about your baby, it is usually done in conjunction with the quad screen or noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) to provide more comprehensive results.Your Baby at Week 11
At a Glance
11 weeks pregnant is how many months?
How big is my baby at 11 weeks?
Baby's got fingers, toes and other new features
Baby's position is changing
Your Body at Week 11
Tummy grumbling?
Bloating and burping
Reducing fatigue during pregnancy
Pregnancy Symptoms Week 11
Tips for You This Week
Reviewed September 3, 2024 From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You're Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.
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