11 weeks pregnant
The 11th week of gestation, or if you prefer 3 months, is the period when the doctor will request the first morphological ultrasound and when you will be able to see your baby in more detail, even though he is still very small, and hear the heart very strongly. knocking.
Despite all the anxiety generated at that moment, try to relax and enjoy while the images are shown on the screen of the office where the exam is being performed. It is really amazing to notice every detail!
If you have not had a fetal sex test, you may be able to find out the sex of the baby. If it is a boy, doctors come to see it, but there is a 20% error rate, depending on the baby’s position. It is from the 16th week that this can be confirmed and some are only really seen between the 22nd and 27th weeks.
Despite everyone’s expectation of whether it is a boy or a girl, the importance of this ultrasound is to check the baby’s anatomy, possible chromosomal problems, genetic diseases and to do the nuchal translucency test.
Do you want to know a little more about how you should see your baby, what symptoms you should have and how your body is in this phase? Keep reading.
Baby development
Your baby is fully formed, now he just needs to grow up. At 11 weeks, he is 6 cm, measured from head to butt, and weighs between 8 to 10 g, compared to a cherry tomato or a small fig. A small doll, isn’t it?
The body that had a curvilinear shape, or in C, is now more erect, with only the legs still bent. The head is larger in size than the rest of the body, but the face already has defined features.
If the ultrasound is colored you will see eyes and ears. He does not see or hear yet, as the optic nerve is developing. Nor do you hear, because the inner ear connections are not complete. But soon you can start talking and singing to him from the belly.
He moves a lot and can be seen by ultrasound, which is an incredible sensation. As there is a lot of space between the uterine wall and the belly, you will still not be able to feel all this movement.
What happens to mom
The uterus is growing and is already the size of a bay orange. The belly starts to grow and become more rounded and the breasts are more swollen due to prolactin, the hormone responsible for the production of breast milk.
The good news is that nausea is likely to be easing and should stop in the coming weeks. The increase in blood volume, however, should be the cause of headaches and a feeling of heat. Hair and nails grow faster for the same reason.
Symptoms like constipation, an increased urge to urinate and changes in mood should be troubling in the coming weeks.
Care that should be taken at this stage
During all the weeks it is very important to worry about having a healthy diet and hydrating yourself a lot. Fiber foods such as oats, plums and papayas reduce the discomfort of constipation.
Intake of folic acid and iron is essential. If your pregnancy was discovered during this period, the doctor will prescribe supplements rich with these compounds. Try to eat foods with vitamin C that bring benefits to your health and that of your baby.
If there is no medical restriction, physical exercises help maintain weight, improve circulation, give more energy and will be strong allies at the time of delivery.
Body moisturizers and sunscreen are mandatory among a pregnant woman’s cosmetic products. There are specific products.
Nucal Translucency Exam
This complicated name exam is quite significant during prenatal care and it is important that it be done between the 11th and 14th weeks of pregnancy. Estimates the risk of congenital heart disease, malformed fetuses, among other diseases.
By measuring the amount of amniotic fluid in the baby’s neck, the doctor assesses possible probabilities of chromosomal changes, for example, if the baby has Down Syndrome.
During the ultrasound, the doctor measures the size and the amount of liquid that is in the region behind the neck, based on values below 2.5 mm as normal and equal to or above that, there is a greater risk, requiring new tests, as amniocentesis.