Week 11

Your baby measures about 2 inches from crown to rump and weighs roughly a third of an ounce.

That's small. Fig-sized. But here's the thing: they'll double in length over the next three weeks.

The big milestone this week is those hands. Your baby can now open and close their fists. Fingers and toes are fully formed, pointing forward instead of inward, with nails growing in. All 20 baby tooth buds are already tucked beneath the gums, waiting for their debut around six months after birth.

Bones are hardening throughout the body, replacing the softer cartilage that formed the original skeleton. The spine is becoming more defined. Meanwhile, your baby's skin is still completely see-through. Blood vessels and developing organs are visible right underneath.

The intestines, which had been looping into the umbilical cord because the belly was too small to hold them, are migrating back into the abdominal cavity. External genitalia are developing, but it's too early to spot on ultrasound. Nerve receptors in the skin can now sense light touch for the first time. Sensory development is officially underway.

And the fun part? Your baby is an acrobat. Stretching, flipping, hiccupping, sucking their thumb. Research shows they don't stay still for more than about 13 minutes. You won't feel any of it for weeks yet, but the show is well underway.

Here's the shift you've been waiting for. Nausea peaks around weeks 9 to 11 for most pregnant people, and week 11 is often when it starts to ease. It doesn't vanish overnight. Some people deal with nausea well into the second trimester. But the worst is usually behind you now, and food might actually sound appealing again.

That's a big deal after weeks of survival eating.

Your energy is coming back too. The deep exhaustion of the first trimester comes largely from building the placenta, which is nearly complete. A lot of people describe the second trimester as feeling like themselves again. That transition often starts right about now.

Your lower abdomen may feel firmer. Your uterus is about the size of a large orange. Some people notice a tiny bump around this time, especially with a second or later pregnancy. Others won't show for weeks.

Both totally normal.

The nuchal translucency scan is performed between 10 weeks 4 days and 13 weeks 6 days. This ultrasound, paired with blood work, screens for chromosomal conditions. ACOG's January 2026 practice advisory confirms that cell-free DNA screening is the most sensitive option available and recommends offering it to all pregnant patients regardless of age or risk level. For the vast majority, results come back reassuring.

If your NIPT blood work was drawn around week 10, results may arrive any day. The test detects fetal DNA fragments in your blood with about 99% sensitivity for common aneuploidies and fetal sex. It's a screening test, not a diagnostic one, so talk to your provider about what results mean and what follow-up looks like.

One more thing to put on your radar: start researching pediatricians. Popular practices fill up fast. Crossing this off before the third trimester means one less thing competing for your attention later.