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11 weeks pregnant and time had been travelling really slowly. I think it may be down to the really nasty nausea that I had somehow picked up in the last week. So, I resorted to buying ginger ale (which Iβve never drunk before, but tasted really nice) and having a collection of ginger biscuits by my bedside, so I could pop some in my mouth as soon as I woke up. But the morning sickness was relentless. I’d wake up in the morning with a sick feeling in my stomach like I was about to throw up, but I wouldn’t actually throw up. I honestly didn’t know what was worse β feeling nauseous and not throwing up or actually throwing up! Perhaps I should have been thankful that I wasn’t spewing everywhere and I felt I owed that to the ginger biscuits which were the only things I could eat.
A couple of my friends had told me that they knew of people who had suffered morning sickness for the entire nine months. What a way to make me feel better! I couldn’t bear to think about having this kind of morning sickness for that long, so I erred on the side of positivity and hoped that my nausea faded in nine weeks and not in nine months. The ginger biscuits were also a handy tool when I took the tube in the mornings and braved the million different βscentsβ of other people. Once I sat next to a guy who had the worst body odour (heightened by the fact that I had a supersonic sense of smell) so I shoved a whole packet of ginger biscuits into my mouth before I even got to work to stop myself from throwing up. If I didnβt I probably would have heaved for the first time during my pregnancyβ¦
I also found Peppermint tea to be quite soothing on the stomach after every meal, so I bought a couple of packets, and lots of bottled water, as I couldn’t drink anything else. I steered clear of fizzy drinks because they gave me a stitch-like pain in my back and made me feel very bloated.
I had also been subjected to tons of advice from other women like:
βDonβt drink and eat at the same time!β
βDonβt each too much food because itβll give you bad indigestion!β
The opinions were hard. But I tried to pick up the good advice and forget about the rest. And, I did find it easier to just smile and say, βThatβs great advice, thanksβ rather than try and follow everything, otherwise, it became a bit too overwhelming for me. Oh and one other thing. I WANTED COFFEE!!! Work had this awesome coffee machine that made amazing coffees and the aroma was so enticing. BUT, I refused to give in. I had requested some decaffeinated coffee pods, so at least I could satisfy the craving a little. I knew giving up coffee was going to be difficult, so I just needed to get through this pregnancy. Plus, I constantly told myself that coffee would affect the baby, so it helped me to stop. I did conveniently forget that caffeine was also in hot chocolate drinks, chocolate and some nuts, so it looked as if I had a sizeable caffeine intake anyway. I hoped I hadn’t taken too much to affect the babyβs heart rate, though! Weβll seeβ¦
Another positive was that I wasn’t crazy tired anymore. I wasn’t sleeping fifteen hours a day, and I could feel my energy slowly coming back. I could get up in the morning without feeling too dead and I could even brave the tube in the mornings. But I still felt like I was on some kind of sleep-inducing drug. I may have not been sleeping all day and night, but Iβm sure that if I was allowed to, it wouldnβt be so hard to doβ¦
A fun fact β The baby is about the size of a large lime or apricot (4cm head to bottom) and weighs around 7g
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Table of Contents
The science part
Your baby at 11 weeks
- Your baby is starting to look like a real baby now!
- Your baby’s heart is beating twice as fast as yours and you may be able to hear it with a Doppler ultrasound at your pre-natal visit
- The blood vessels in the placenta are growing to support your baby throughout the pregnancy
- Your baby has a sense of smell now
- Your baby’s sex organs are developing now
- Your baby is practising breathing by swallowing and peeing out amniotic fluid
- Your baby’s vocal cords are developing
- Your baby’s arms and legs are developing
- Your baby’s intestines are making their way into the abdomen
- Your baby’s kidneys are functioning now, helping them to filter their blood to keep them healthy
Your pregnancy signs and symptoms
- Hopefully nausea has started to subside, however, changes in hormones may
meen that you will experience constipation and heartburn - Your mood swings are probably all over the place thanks to elevated hormone levels
- You might be started to spot the first signs of a linea nigra, which is the line that goes down your belly
- Stock up on your fruits and vegetables
- Make sure you get your daily recommended intake of vitamin D to make sure your baby’s bones are developing as strong as they could be
Your next steps
- Make sure you’re getting plenty of calcium to ensure your baby’s bones are growing big and strong
- Make sure you’re also getting in plenty of carbs to provide you with that much-needed energy. Some great foods are whole-wheat bread and almonds, which are high in iron
- Gentle walking is great exercise and relaxing too.
- Look into maternity clothes – there are tons of fashionable clothes out there, you won’t even know they’re for pregnancy!
- Have you started to think about sharing the news now?
- Keep your caffeine intake and stress levels down so you don’t add any undue stress to the baby
- No more heavy carrying! Your muscles will be more prone to strain as they are loosening to make way for the growing baby.
*Illustrations by Charlotte Watkins. ο»Ώ
If you have any questions about her work, please contact Charlotte via her website, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn*
Are you pregnant? Grab your free pregnancy pack now – details inside!
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