11-12 Weeks Pregnant – Symptoms, Body Changes, Bump Update – Pregnancy Diary
When I reached weeks 11-12 of being pregnant, I started feeling a big relief.
Getting to 12 weeks of pregnancy feels like a big milestone. After that, the chances of a miscarriage are tremendously smaller. And I almost couldn’t believe it when I went to my 12 week checkup and it was confirmed that yes, I was still very much pregnant.
Even my doctor must have been a little surprised, given the difficult start of my pregnancy. Especially since she kept on telling me early on it’s not looking good, my hormones are too low.
So getting to those 12 weeks felt like the biggest reward and relief.
Now, I don’t think there is any point in pregnancy where I ever feel truly relaxed and relieved. I am however trying to always stay optimistic.
Just given the difficult start and the difficulties that appeared later on in my first pregnancy, I am always holding my breath during each checkup. But this time, it all went as it was supposed to.
12 Week Checkup – Small Ultrasound & NIPT Blood Test
At 11-12 weeks pregnant, it was time for my second regular prenatal checkup.
My OBGYN suggested doing another small ultrasound to check if everything was okay. And to check on my subchorionic hematoma as well.
Everything looked good, and I felt the biggest relief and immensely grateful.
At 12 weeks of pregnancy, or between 11-13 weeks, my OBGYN also offered to do a blood draw for the NIPT screening and test for the gender.
This test was covered by my insurance, so I happily agreed to it.
In this test, they look for genetic abnormalities in the DNA, that could indicate if the baby has down syndrome.
During my first pregnancy in Germany, this test is not covered by insurance, and we opted not to take it. This time, we decided to do it, as it was covered. Plus, it would tell us the gender of the baby much earlier than an ultrasound.
Taking our first trip while pregnant
At 12 weeks pregnant, we also went on our first trip while being pregnant.
My husband’s friends went to LA and the Universal Studios in Hollywood for a long weekend, so we decided to tag along for a little getaway (with our daughter, of course).
Earlier in the first trimester, I would not have felt like traveling much. The nausea, not knowing what to eat, and being worried about this pregnancy lasting was not a good feeling.
But after the 12 week checkup went okay, I was super optimistic that everything would work out okay that I was excited to travel again. And it helped that the nausea was not as strong anymore, too.
The trip went surprisingly well. I was worried I would be too tired to stay out all day long.
But it was actually a nice change of pace from our routine and it was nice to get out of our rut.
I did end up being incredibly tired at the end of the night. But I just stayed in the hotel room with our daughter once she went down for the night by 7:30/8:00pm, and happily went to bed as well. This also gave my husband the opportunity to hang out with his friends alone and enjoy the night out.
Symptoms
Nausea
After the nausea initially started leveling off around week 10, it came right back and even worse than before in week 11.
While I still never really got sick, I just could not stop feeling nauseated – before and after food.
Once again, eating saltine crackers in between, and drinking water helped quite a bit to keep the nausea in check.
Thankfully, it was just a short week of nausea, and by week 12 it was pretty much gone for the most part. And that meant, I could start enjoying food again and not worry about constantly having crackers in the house to ease any nausea.
Fatigue
The pregnancy fatigue – feeling tired all day – is probably the most pronounced symptom for me this pregnancy. At 11-12 weeks pregnant, I still have to nap almost every day. And going out in the afternoon or doing anything productive past 10:30am seems impossible at this moment.
It is exhausting to grow a baby, and I have just accepted it, even though it is difficult to find the time to rest with a toddler at home. But I just try to nap when she takes her afternoon nap and go to bed early.
Moodiness
The moodiness is something that really surprised me this pregnancy.
One moment, I am feeling incredibly happy and grateful. The next moment, all I want to do is complain to my husband about anything, or sit in the car and cry.
My husband is super understanding, especially after I explained that I don’t mean to be this moody and that it is definitely caused by the pregnancy hormones.
Sometimes, when I burst out into tears while just standing in the kitchen, we both start laughing just because I can’t help it.
It definitely helps to communicate about what’s going on. He needs to know that I am not actually sad or mad about anything.
And I need to find a way to cope with my ranging hormones and feelings or just accept them as a part of this pregnancy journey.
Body Changes & Bump Update
At 11-12 weeks pregnant, my baby bump is still nowhere to be found.
It really surprised me that even at the end of the first trimester, you couldn’t even see a small bump. Especially since this is my second pregnancy.
But I could definitely feel my fully getting fuller, especially at night. I still fit into my loose fitting jeans and did not need to switch to my maternity leggings just yet.
Weight Gain
The weight gain had definitely started to pick up.
In my first pregnancy, I gained about 3-5 pounds in the first trimester, then most of the weight in the second trimester, and to my surprise not much at all in the third trimester.
This time around I seem to be on a similar track so far. But I am curious to see if this pregnancy will follow the same pattern entirely or if it will be completely different.