You're almost at the end of your first trimester, and you'll hopefully be starting to feel a little better after the past few weeks of nausea, tenderness and all manner of aches and pains. If you haven't yet had your first ultrasound, you can expect this any time now, as dating the pregnancy is most accurate between weeks 10 and 13.
Baby: What's Happening?
Your baby is now around 4 cm long, or about 1.5 inches, although some babies can measure up to 2 inches by 11 weeks. Don't worry if you've got a big baby at this stage though, it's not an indicator that you're baby will be in the record books! Some grow quickly, some more slowly, but they all tend to average out by the end of the 40 weeks.
Your baby's bones are starting to harden now, although the skull will remain soft until well after the birth. This is very good news for you, especially if you're planning a natural vaginal birth! Although your body expects a lot of you, pushing that 7lb+ baby through "there", it does at least keep your baby's biggest feature, the head, soft enough that it can be squashed through the birth canal, and through your vagina, hopefully without causing too much damage.
With the sex organs now developing well, your baby boy will be producing testosterone, and your baby girl will already be carrying all the eggs she'll ever have, that's between one and two million! Although by the time she hits puberty, that number will have reduced to between 300,000 and 400,000.
Your baby is dancing away all the time in your uterus, although you're unlikely to feel it yet because he or she is still so tiny. The movements vary between quick jumps, and very slow and carefully thought out gestures. This will be the same after the birth, too. You may even notice that your baby sticks to the same movement pattern as in the womb.
You: What's Happening?
You may notice your nausea reducing, your boobs feeling less like they're going to explode at any minute, and that you have a little more energy and feel much less tired. This should continue to improve over the next couple of weeks.
Around now, you may start to notice some dark patches on your skin, usually on your face or around your hairline. The extra hormones in your system can cause a bit of change in pigmentation, but it should go back to normal once you've had your baby.
Another place this happens commonly is between your navel and your pubis, and you may see a dark line appearing, connecting the two. Not all women get this, but don't worry if you do, it's normal. It's called linea nigra and happens because your stomach muscles separate slightly, giving your baby more room to grow.
To other people, you still won't look pregnant, but you'll probably start to notice some differences. Your abdomen may start rounding out a bit, and you'll soon have that tell tale baby bump.
Handy Hints
If you're starting to feel a bit uncomfortable in your usual clothes, now might be a good time to start looking into maternity clothes. Unlike years ago, maternity clothes aren't frumpy, plain or boring, and you won't need to go to specialist stores. Many of your normal clothes stores will have a maternity range, and even celebrities are designing elasticated jeans these days.
If you're not ready to make the leap into maternity pants, you can purchase bump bands which provide a bit of support and material underneath your jeans, so you can get away without buttoning the tops if you wish, or there are extenders, meaning you can still do up your pants while giving your baby a bit of room to grow.
If you're noticing a massive change in your belly region, you're probably a bit bloated and gassy. Perhaps even a bit constipated. It's normal during pregnancy. To reduce some of the bloating, try and lay off the fizzy drinks. Not only can banning the pop reduce tummy gas, it's also good to limit the amount of caffeine you're taking in. Caffeine may be related to low birth rates, although more research is needed into the full effects.