Week 11

Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

In the 11th week of pregnancy, the baby performs a veritable water ballet in your stomach. It moves a lot and spontaneously in its amniotic sac. For you, too, water becomes an issue that is reflected in both thirst and an increased urge to urinate. Here you can read interesting facts about the 11th week of pregnancy: Development of your weight and abdominal circumference, why your child has ears but still can't hear them and whether exercise is a good idea now.

11 weeks of gestation: This is how your baby is developing

Your child is now getting a thick "coat": In 11 weeks of gestation, the previously translucent skin of the fetus becomes thicker and more complex. The first hairs form as delicate fluff, and the nails on the fingers and toes also begin to grow. The external genital organs are slowly becoming visible in the 11th week of pregnancy. In around three weeks, your gynecologist can give you an initial tip as to whether you are going to be the mother of a boy or a girl.

The baby moves a lot. These early gymnastics exercises are important training for nerves and muscles. Every movement expands the wealth of experience and helps to stimulate and structure the brain. But even if you are already talking quietly to your unborn child: The fetus (11th week) does not yet react to external stimuli because it is still completely surrounded by amniotic fluid.

11th week of pregnancy ultrasound: That can be seen

The baby (11 weeks of gestation) is now 34 to 41 millimeters tall. It has clearly recognizable eyes, ears and lips - a real face. The heart has moved into its place in the chest. The little dwarf sometimes shows his joy of movement with ultrasound.

11th week of pregnancy: That will change for you

In addition to the baby, something else grows in the 11th week of pregnancy: It's not really the stomach, but primarily your uterus. It will multiply its volume a hundredfold over the course of the entire pregnancy! This increase is noticeable by the fact that your uterus is increasingly pressing on the urinary bladder. This is why you have to go to the toilet more often in the 11th week of pregnancy.

In addition, expectant mothers are often more thirsty than usual in the 11th week of pregnancy because the blood volume increases. Side effects of this are that feet and hands are better supplied with blood in the 11th week of pregnancy and are therefore warmer. In addition, heart palpitations and a slight feeling of dizziness may occur. As a result, many women run out of breath faster when they are 11 weeks pregnant.

By now you should have gained about one to three pounds. However, if you have been or are sick a lot, you may have lost weight. What the scales show is very individual in this phase.

11th week of pregnancy: This is important now

Even if you run out of breath quickly, exercise will do you good. Walking for half an hour a day will get your circulation going. If you have already been active in the past, you do not have to do without training in the 11th week of pregnancy or after. When properly dosed and carried out, exercise has a positive effect on your well-being and that of your child - right up until the end of the pregnancy.

Exercise can also prevent gestational diabetes, prevent excessive weight gain, and improve lung volume that later becomes scarce. Regular physical activity also strengthens the pelvic floor, tendons and ligaments, counteracts postural and back damage and makes you less susceptible to diseases and circulatory problems. Optimal sports are quiet, gentle activities like

swim
Aqua jogging / aqua fitness
Tai chi
yoga
gymnastics
quiet cycling

But strength training or running are still possible as long as you adapt your training (preferably with the help of a trainer) and you control the load accordingly (e.g. by measuring your heart rate).

You should avoid extreme sports. A marathon is not a sensible “pregnancy exercise”. The same applies to high-risk sports such as climbing, skiing or horse riding, as well as ball sports.

additional Information

Would you like to know more about your options for movement during pregnancy? Then read the article Exercise in Pregnancy.

Midwife tip

While you are already fully in "Mommy Mode" in the 11th week of pregnancy, pregnancy is still very theoretical for your partner. Perhaps it will remain a paradox for him until the end. This is not uncommon, as men who are “passively involved” find it much more difficult to get used to the topic and possibly also to show understanding, also for the hormone-related problems that you have to struggle with in the 11th week of pregnancy. Do not be overly strict or disappointed: many do not become a father until the moment of birth. But then all the more committed.