11 weeks left of pregnancy

Sleep position in pregnancy Q&A

Tommy's PregnancyHub

In the third trimester of pregnancy going to sleep on your side has been shown to help prevent stillbirth.

In the third trimester our advice is to go sleep on your side because research has shown that this is safer for baby. This includes night sleep and day time naps.

Can I sleep on my back during pregnancy?

Research has shown that in the third trimester (after 28 weeks of pregnancy) going to sleep on your back increases your risk of stillbirth. As the link has now been shown in four separate research trials, our advice is to go to sleep on your side in the third trimester because it is safer for your baby. The advice relates to any episode of sleep, including:

going to sleep at night
returning to sleep after any night wakenings
day time naps.

We don’t want you to become anxious about this. If your pregnancy is uncomplicated your risk of stillbirth is low (1 in 200 babies are stillborn). Going to sleep on your side will make it even lower.

How reliable is the research?

The research linking going to sleep on your back to stillbirth is very reliable. Four case control research studies (in which information from women who have had a stillbirth is compared with information from women who have not) have been carried out into maternal sleep position and stillbirth and all have shown that there is a link.

What if I wake up on my back during the night?

The research has been focused on position going to sleep, not position during the night. If you wake up on your back, just settle back to sleep on your side.

We cannot control our position when we are asleep and a large bump is likely to be uncomfortable enough to prevent you from being on your back for long during the night. We also know that the position we go to sleep in is the position we spend the longest amount of time in during the night.

What could cause the increased risk of stillbirth?

Sleep position in the third trimester is important because if you are on your back the combined weight of baby and womb puts pressure on other organs in your body.

Researchers do not know for certain what exactly is causing the increased risk of stillbirth, but we already know the following, which could play a part :

When sleeping/lying on your back the baby and womb put pressure on the main blood vessels that supply the uterus and this can restrict blood flow/oxygen to the baby.
Further recent studies have shown that when a woman lies on her back in late pregnancy (compared to lying on side) the baby is less active and has changes in heart-rate patterns. This is thought to be due to lower oxygen levels in the baby when the mother lies on her back.

Does it make a difference which side I sleep on in pregnancy?

There are many websites that tell you that the left side is best to sleep on during pregnancy. This is for the following reasons:

One of the smaller research studies, from Auckland, New Zealand, showed that women who sleep on their left side on the last night of pregnancy halved their risk of stillbirth compared to those who slept on their right. However, the same finding has not been seen in any other trial (there have been three other published research studies since then).
Sleeping on your left has been shown to help your kidneys to get rid of waste products and fluids from your body.

Therefore, while sleeping on your left side has not conclusively been shown to reduce your risk against sleeping on your right, there are reasons that you might choose to do so.

Tips for sleeping on your side in pregnancy

Put pillows behind you to prevent falling on your back. It won’t prevent you being on your back for certain but is likely to make it more uncomfortable.
If you have long hair, try tying it in a low bun, which may make it uncomfortable to sleep on your back for any length of time.
If you wake up for any reason during the night, check your position and go back to sleep on your side.
If you are likely to nap during the day pay the same attention to sleep position during the day as you would during the night.

If you're finding sleeping on your side difficult because of SPD/PGP, try these tips.

In the early days of pregnancy it is fine to sleep on your stomach. Your bump will not start showing until the second trimester and sleeping on your stomach is unlikely to be uncomfortable. In the third trimester, you will have a large bump and it is very unlikely that you would choose this position. However, if you do wake up on your stomach, don’t worry, just roll onto your side.

Heazell AEP, Li M, Budd J, Thompson JMD, Stacey T, Cronin RS, Martin B, Roberts D, Mitchell EA, McCowan LME. Association between maternal sleep practices and late stillbirth – findings from a stillbirth case-control study. BJOG2017; https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.14967.

Stacey T1, Thompson JM, Mitchell EA, Ekeroma AJ, Zuccollo JM, McCowan LM.
Association between maternal sleep practices and risk of late stillbirth: a case-control study. BMJ. 2011 Jun 14;342:d3403. doi: 10. 1136/bmj.d3403.

Gordon A1, Raynes-Greenow C, Bond D, Morris J, Rawlinson W, Jeffery H. Sleep position, fetal growth restriction, and late-pregnancy stillbirth: the Sydney stillbirth study. Obstet Gynecol. 2015 Feb;125(2):347-55. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000000627.

Lesley ME, McCowan LME, Thompson JMD, Cronin RS et al (2017) Going to sleep in the supine position is a modifiable risk factor for late pregnancy stillbirth; Findings from the New Zealand multicentre stillbirth case-control study. PLOS One https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0179396

Jeffreys RM, Stepanchak W, Lopez B, Hardis J, Clapp JF, 3rd. Uterine blood flow during supine rest and exercise after 28 weeks of gestation. BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology. 2006 Nov;113(11):1239-47

Khatib N, Weiner Z, Beloosesky R, Vitner D, Thaler I. The effect of maternal supine position on umbilical and cerebral blood flow indices. European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology. 2014 Apr;175:112-4.

Stone PR, Burgess W, McIntyre JP, Gunn AJ, Lear CA, Bennet L, et al. Effect of maternal position on fetal behavioural state and heart rate variability in healthy late gestation pregnancy. The Journal of Physiology. 2017 Feb 15;595(4):1213-21.

Murray I, Hassall J. 2014. Change and adaptation in pregnancy. In: Marshall J, Raynor M. eds. Myles Textbook for Midwives. 16th ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 143-177

29 weeks pregnant: baby's development, common symptoms and sleeping on your side

Tommy's PregnancyHub

Your baby is about 33cm from head to bottom and about the size of a butternut squash.

Your baby’s development this week

The soft lanugo hair that used to cover your baby is starting to reduce around this week. Soon there will be just a few patches over the back and shoulders.

Your baby is still covered in vernix, which is a white sticky substance that acts as a natural moisturiser in the womb. This may still be there after your baby is born and can protect against infection in the first few days.

Your pregnancy symptoms in week 29

Pregnancy heartburn

Your baby and womb have grown to the point that they are pushing into your stomach, which can give you heartburn. This is when the stomach acids that are normally used in the stomach to digest food are pushed upwards out of the stomach and into your throat.

Try to eat little and often, cut out caffeine and avoid fatty and spicy foods, which can make heartburn worse.

If this doesn’t work, your midwife or doctor will be able to prescribe you something, which is suitable in pregnancy.

Here’s our guide to 10 common pregnancy complaints (and how to avoid them).

Varicose veins

Varicose veins are veins that have become swollen. The most common place to get them is in the legs. They may be blue or dark purple, and are often lumpy, bulging or twisted in appearance. They can be uncomfortable but aren’t harmful.

Varicose veins are rarely a serious condition and they do not usually require treatment. But speak to a GP if they are causing any pain, discomfort or irritation.

Some people get varicose veins in and around their vagina. This should not affect how you give birth but tell your doctor or midwife if you have them.

Belly button

Your belly button might start sticking out a bit now. It will go back in after your baby is born.

Symptoms to be aware of

Tell your midwife or doctor if you have any symptoms that you're worried about. Do not worry if you've talked about it before and don't be concerned about whether you're wasting anyone's time. This is your pregnancy and it's important to trust your own instincts if you feel something isn't right.

Signs of premature labour

If you have any of the following symptoms, call the hospital or midwife straight away, because you could be in premature labour:

regular contractions or tightenings
period-type pains or pressure in your vaginal area
a "show" – which is when the plug of mucus that has sealed the cervix during pregnancy comes away and out of the vagina
a gush or trickle of fluid from your vagina – this could be your waters breaking
backache that's unusual for you.

Review dates

Reviewed: 11 July 2022 | Next review: 11 July 2025

11 weeks pregnant after conception

Mom and baby at 11 weeks

You are already close to the 2nd trimester, the most calm and pleasant period of pregnancy. 11 obstetric week of pregnancy is an important period. This week, the risks of miscarriage and the development of congenital malformations are significantly reduced, because the main organs of the fetus: the heart, liver, intestines, brain and lungs are already formed. The embryo at the 11th week of pregnancy begins to actively grow.

The proportions of the fetus are getting closer and closer to human proportions - this week its body will double in size, and the head, which is no longer so tightly pressed to the chest, will be half this length. The legs are extended and catch up with the growth of the arms. The baby has already formed a four-chamber heart, which beats at a speed of 140-160 beats per minute. From this time on, the fetal heart rate can be accurately measured with an ultrasound probe.

The baby's muscles are actively developing, he is mastering more and more new movements. Now he can suck, swallow, yawn and even hiccup.

The volume of blood in the body of a pregnant woman continues to increase - because of this, you may be haunted by a feeling of heat and stuffiness, thirsty. Listen to your body - drink plenty of fluids, wear loose clothing, ventilate the room more often.

From weeks 11 to 14 you will have your first screening. This study is aimed at identifying malformations of the neural tube, Down's syndrome and other gross developmental disorders. The study consists of an ultrasound and a mother's blood test for the level of the hCG hormone and the PAPP-A protein. On ultrasound, the doctor examines the baby's physique, the correspondence of its size to the gestational age, checks blood flow and heart function, and also measures the neck crease. The size of the neck fold is one of the parameters that determine the degree of risk of Down syndrome. Screening is absolutely not dangerous for the unborn child and mother. If the results of the screening reveal high risks of developing pathologies, the doctor will refer you for additional examinations.

When using any materials from the site nutriclub.ru, a link to the site is required.

Select week of pregnancy

A week 1-4
A week 5
A week 6
A week 7
A week eight
A week 9
A week ten
A week eleven
A week 12
A week 13
A week fourteen
A week fifteen
A week 16
A week 17
A week eighteen
A week 19
A week twenty
A week 21
A week 22
A week 23
A week 24
A week 25
A week 26
A week 27
A week 28
A week 29
A week thirty
A week 31
A week 32
A week 33
A week 34
A week 35
A week 36
A week 37
A week 38
A week 39
A week 40

Nutriclub - healthy nutrition and child development
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Calendar
Week 11

11th week of pregnancy what happens to the fetus

Contents

Obstetricians count the eleventh week from the beginning of the last menstruation. But if we consider the embryonic period, then it will be 9 weeks. During this period, the active development of the fetus occurs and the first signs of differences between boys and girls appear. The 11th week of pregnancy is a series of important changes in the physiology of the baby. Mom also changes both psychologically and physically - she becomes more calm, self-confident. Her early toxicosis almost always disappears, but the expenditure of internal resources for the growth of the child can still cause some weakness.

Development and changes of the fetus

The body of a tiny man is almost formed, even a unique pattern on the fingers has appeared. Its length reaches about 5 cm, it weighs about 8 g, that is, the size of the fetus can be compared with the mother's thumb.

Interesting! The baby is not yet very proportional - he has a large head, thin and long limbs.

It is at the 11th week that the embryo develops into a fetus. There are many changes in development:

The final stage of eye formation: the iris acquires a color (which may change later), eyebrows and cilia are already visible.
Widely spaced eyes stand out strongly against a small face. They are covered for centuries, will not open soon.
The baby can turn his head, his brain is developing. The pituitary gland begins to produce hormones.
Since the brain is responsible for the ability to move, the baby, touching the wall of the uterus, can push off from it with a leg. He changes his position, though not very quickly and often. There are grasping movements with fingers.
Also, with the development of the brain, the sense of smell appears, the child is able to distinguish smells.
The activity of the heart is being formed - it is reduced on average at a rate of 140 beats / min. Four chambers have already been formed, and the heart is able to supply blood to other organs.
The production of red blood cells - erythrocytes begins.
Active processes are also taking place in the digestive and excretory systems: the first attempts at intestinal peristalsis, the kidneys excrete urine into the amniotic fluid, the liver increases in volume and performs its function of hematopoiesis.
The respiratory and vascular system is being formed, oxygen is supplied to the organs.
The skeletal system is in its infancy, still in the form of cartilage, but the base for milk teeth is already appearing in the gums.
There are as yet no outward signs of sex difference, but ovaries are formed in girls, and testicles in the abdominal cavity in boys.
The diaphragm separates the abdominal and thoracic cavities. The baby even occasionally hiccups, but very weakly, so the mother does not feel it yet.

The child's skin is transparent and thin, the vascular network is visible through it. On the 11th week, the vocal cords are formed, but the first cry is still very far away...

Mother's well-being and changes in her body

disappear. Sudden mood swings leave the woman, she becomes calmer, more peaceful.

The mammary glands increase in volume, but their sharp sensitivity and pain decrease. The nipples increase in circumference and often change their color to a darker one. Since the woman's body is preparing for breastfeeding with all its potential, a couple of drops of a clear liquid may appear from the nipples, which in no case should be squeezed out.

A woman at this time decides to reconsider her wardrobe, because she is already uncomfortable in her usual tight jeans and tight skirts because of her enlarged uterus. In addition, problems with constipation (constipation) also contribute to an increase in the abdomen. Hemorrhoids are formed due to constipation. But the uterus does not press so hard on the bladder, so the number of daily urination is reduced.

Important! At the 11th week of pregnancy, abdominal pain is a common occurrence associated with uterine tone, but the pain should be moderate and short-term. Vaginal discharge may also be present, but small, clear, and odorless. Otherwise, consultation and assistance of a gynecologist is a necessary measure.

Nutrition and lifestyle of the future mother

Pregnancy at the 11th week is often accompanied by heartburn. This is due to the fact that the growing fetus compresses the internal organs. Dairy dishes, boiled vegetables and baked fruits will help get rid of discomfort.

Excess weight harms not only the expectant mother, but also the baby. The diet should include foods with a certain content of proteins, carbohydrates, fats. It is better to calculate the calorie content of food according to the table so as not to gain excess kilograms.