11 Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms and What to Expect

By Brian Price

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Your Growing Fetus at 11 Weeks

Baby now weighs in a hefty 0.25 ounce and is about 1.6” which would be about as tall as a Lego minifigure.

Little her or him, is busily growing hair follicles and nail beds and the hands and feet will now have defined fingers and toes instead of being webbed.
Your fetus is rounding the corner here, just about out of the first trimester. Congrats!

Pregnancy Superfood for Week 11

Figs

An ancient powerhouse of nutrition and taste – Figs! A symbol of peace and prosperity figs are, apparently one of the first plants ever cultivated by agricultural societies, these purple fruit gems have a mineral profile similar to human breast milk.

Logically these will be a nutritious and useful food from pregnancy right through breastfeeding. Figs are also higher in both soluble and insoluble fiber than any common fruit which can be very helpful with constipation that often accompanies pregnancy. A high amount of magnesium is also useful for this problem. They also contain a proteolytic enzyme which aids digestion, reduces inflammation and improves the immune system.

Minerals in Figs

Figs contain more minerals than any other fruit or vegetable in most common gardens. With the increased blood volume of pregnancy comes the risk of anemia as building baby taps mom’s iron stores in order to make more red blood cells for the embryo. The high content of iron in figs make them an ideal addition to your diet. Figs are also rich in potassium which aids in maintaining good blood pressure and may help avoid preeclampsia due to hypertension.

Vitamin K: helps insure proper blood clotting and is exactly the right vitamin to work with these minerals to benefit bone growth. Figs are extremely rich in the calcium so necessary in building baby’s new bones and teeth and providing strength to mom’s own skeleton. An abundant amount of Vitamin B6 in figs may help reduce morning sickness and mood swings. With a high zinc content it’s no wonder figs have been found to have antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Zinc: also appears to stimulate the immune system. For thousands of years figs have been used to treat respiratory, digestive, endocrine, reproductive illnesses. Historically, figs have been used to treat diseases like anemia, cancer, skin diseases, leprosy UTIs, paralysis and dozens more.

Tips of How to Prepare:

No matter how you eat them figs are a healthy sweet treat but all the vitamin and mineral values are surprisingly increased when the figs are properly dried. Some values more than double so dried figs appear to be a much better source of antioxidants than fresh. They are also more easily stored since fresh figs are highly perishable and begin to go off before the week is out. Dried figs can be stashed away in a purse or backpack for quick and easy snacking. There is enough calcium in 8 dried figs to provide a quarter of the recommended daily requirement or about 1,000 mg.

Like watermelon and grapes, figs are an alkaline fruit which helps to alkalinize the body which is the healthier state as opposed to an acidic environment. This aids in diminishing food cravings for less healthy alternatives. The Omega 3 fatty acids contained in the fruit are necessary to fetal development but, what’s even more impressive is that they may prevent preterm labor and premature delivery.

What Else is Great about Figs

Figs also contain a chemical called psoralens which can be used to treat skin pigmentation. This may be useful if ingesting figs can prevent melasma, the discoloration known as the “mask of pregnancy.” Figs have been used to treat acne which may be a problem for you right now due to hormonal disruptions. Figs may also help reduce freckles so if those little fairy kisses on your face have been bugging you forever this might be a good time to try a natural freckle remover.

Fig leaves can be made into teas and extracts which have also been shown to be a useful source of antioxidants, reducing cholesterol and acting as an anti-inflammatory as well. They are used to treat certain types of skin cancers and even used in skin creams.People using creams made of extracts from fig leaf and fruits showed improvement in the length and depth of wrinkles. The antioxidative properties and anti-collagenase activities of figs are apparently responsible. This one small fruit provides an incredible number of health benefits. The best part is that they are a tasty treat with a natural sweetness.

LEMONY RICE PUDDING WITH FIGS AND SABA

Serves 10

1 c. uncooked long-grain rice
1 tbsp powdered sugar
7 c milk
3/4 c sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1 vanilla bean
1 pt. fresh figs (cut into quarters)

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in rice and powdered sugar, cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. In saucepan; stir milk into rice then add sugar, lemon zest, salt and vanilla bean. Boil on medium-high then reduce to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally until think (45 min). Remove vanilla bean. Put pudding in glass bowl to cool for 1 hour. Cover and chill 8 hours. Serve with figs and a drizzle of saba (grape juice sweetener).

Top Tip for Week Eleven

This is a good time to have an ultrasound if you have not already. Drink plenty of water and you’ll get a clearer picture of baby floating freely in the womb.

Big Efforts from your Co-Creator

Do some advance research on birthing classes so you can have an informed discussion on the matter with your mate. A word of warning, some men begin to feel pregnancy symptoms of their own. They could certainly feel real but try not to forget who will actually be giving birth to a child.

Inspirational Message of the Week

“A mother does not become pregnant in order to provide employment to medical people. Giving birth is an ecstatic jubilant adventure not available to males. It is a woman’s crowning creative experience of a lifetime.”
–John Stevenson

This Art of Allowing

This week might be the first of many exhausting days. Allow yourself to just go with it and take some time right now to enjoy a book you’ve been meaning to curl up with.
If that makes you feel guilt, remind yourself that after baby is born there will be many interruptions that will make this difficult.
Now is the time to indulge. The new aches and pains in your back and legs will give way to renewed strength and energy soon enough so relax and find out just how comfortable it is to sit on those colorful couch cushions you found.

Pregnancy Symptoms of Week Eleven

Right about now the pregnancy hormones are going off the rails. Morning sickness may be peaking and you are having very strong feelings about almost everything but you have no idea why! Worse still you don’t really have the energy to do anything about it. But there’s also some great news… you’re nearly at the end of the first trimester and the second should be a lot more fun!

Bigger breasts: Get a new bra with wide, comfortable shoulder straps and a lot of stretch. Believe it or not, your breasts will grow even bigger than this. Nursing bras are made work with changing bust sizes so you may want to try one now.

Fatigue: So tired you don’t want to move. That’s okay, it’s just that baby needs a lot of energy all for himself right now. In just a few weeks you’ll share a power surge with baby and get back on track. Concentrate on finding the nutrients you need and take excellent care of your own body.

Muscle Cramps: Usually the legs because they’re doing most of the work but other muscles can be twinging, too. Baby is going through our magnesium reserves Stretching and short walks can be helpful and the fresh air might give you a little zip if you’re missing caffeine.

Gas: Just one more unpleasant thing you will forget soon enough. Fiber can bring relief to some but others find it only makes things worse. You will have to experiment a bit to see what you can tolerate and what is off the menu. A good rule of thumb would be to avoid fried foods, beans and cruciferous vegetables and anything likely to make it worse. Peppermint tea can sometimes help.

Nausea: If you’re unfortunate enough to find your stomach turning this isn’t a great time for you but it’s a temporary thing. You’ll feel much more yourself as time goes on. Keep saltines on hand.

Vaginal Discharge: There may be an increase in discharge now and it’s normal for this to last throughout your pregnancy.

Mood Swings: Aside from the physical changes the hormones that make babies a possibility can also cause an emotional roller coaster ride. Breathing techniques can help you buy a minute before you fly into a rage and raise your mood when you’re in despair. The ecstasy you felt at noon can disappear before dinner and you find yourself weeping over TV commercials.

Your Body will Change and It’s Necessary

You may suddenly discover a dark line down the middle of your stomach. This is the Linea Nigra, a harmless indication of hormonal changes taking place. It will probably be there until after you have finished breastfeeding and the hormones return to normal levels.

Our Recommended Remedy for Week

Ginger tea and chews can settle nausea and its anti-inflammatory properties can ease the aches and pains you are starting to experience. Unless you have heartburn you might enjoy the combination of ginger and lemon.

The smell of lemons alone can help stave off morning sickness so they’re nice to have around either way. Also useful in natural cleaning products. If your stomach does not object you can try adding apple cider vinegar to the ginger and lemon.

Our Best Advice to Soothe The Uncomfortable

Rolling a tennis ball under your arch can bring relief to aching calf muscles and give the ankles a good stretch. If you apply a little pressure while rolling the ball with your foot it will reward you with a kind of self massage. Careful not to put all your weight on it and slip.

Creating Memories for Your Soon to Be

If you don’t already have a collection of historical family photos ask your parents and relatives if they have any hidden away and see if you can get prints. If these are in short supply you can check the online family trees and heritage sites and see if there are more there.

A visual representation of your and your partner’s lineage could make an interesting collage around baby’s first photos. Experts say that a newborn resembles its male parent more than anyone else, nature’s insurance that baby will be recognizable to a father. There will be plenty of traits in the generations past that you will be able to see in your child.

Preparation for Motherhood

Is it time to think about how and to whom you’d like to announce your pregnancy. Will you do it in person or start with the inner circle and let them spread the news? You could send out cards or have a clever web announcement designed for Facebook friends.
If you have a weak knee or an old shoulder problem from youthful sports or an accident now is a very good time to visit a massage therapist, chiropractor or acupuncturist. It may be a minor irritant right now but you want to avoid future soreness or even injury.
This will help you prepare your body to carry a loving armful of baby and the ever-present diaper bag. There are therapies and exercises that can strengthen your body before you really put it to the test. Baby lifting should build muscle not stress it.
Get a pedicure and have your toenails painted just for fun. They will soon go into hiding beyond the bump and you’ll want to remember their happy faces.