11-weeks pregnant: baby development and diet tips
If you could look inside, you’d see thin little hairs developing on your baby’s eyebrows and above their lip. Read more about this week.
Baby development
From crown to coccyx, your baby is now an impressive 6 cm. long, around the size of a decent sized tomato. And it’s another busy week inside you. Nerve cells continue to multiply even if, for now, there’s no connection between them in the brain yet. However, in their spinal cord, neural circuits are starting to be put in place in and around their muscles. That means your baby will soon have reflex movements inside you.
Your body
You may be starting to find that your clothes are fitting differently or more snuggly now. On average, a mother-to-be weighs about 0.5 to 2.0 kg more towards the end of the first trimester. Interestingly, the baby takes up the smallest proportion of the weight increase. At around 10 grams, they are still a real lightweight. Most of the weight will be thanks to your expanded uterus, placenta and the amniotic fluid.
Nutrition
Interestingly, your ability to absorb calcium during pregnancy is increased which in turn helps support baby’s needs. To ensure that you and your baby are getting adequate calcium, choose foods rich in calcium like milk and dairy products, most green, leafy vegetables, and even sesame seeds. Think 4 servings of foods rich in calcium to cover your needs. Your prenatal multivitamin will often also contain calcium. Speak to your doctor if you have questions about the amount of calcium in your diet.
Tips
You might be hoping your baby inherits your eye colour or hair type, but what about your allergies? If you have eczema, “hayfever”, or asthma, ask your doctor about how you might reduce your baby’s risk of developing allergies.
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