11 WEEKS PREGNANT

Your Pregnancy: Week 11
Pregnancy is about indulging and abstaining, all at once. You'll be saying both, "Oooh, another scoop of ice cream? Sure, make it two!" and "No wine. Just water for me, thanks." You have 29 weeks of this all-or-nothing living to go, so focus on the perks (whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a cherry, anyone?) and think how great all the stuff you can't do now will be when you can do it later.

Wondering what's up with your body, your baby and your life this week? Read on ...

What You're Thinking:

"I am not crazy for crying like a little girl during the cheerleading championship on ESPN. Those girls work hard!"

Your Body
Finally the excuse "Not tonight honey, I have a headache" is legit! Thanks to all the new and extreme hormones surging through your body, many women experience increased headaches while pregnant. And since you're limited in which pain relievers you can take while pregnant, getting rid of a nasty headache may be especially difficult.

While acetaminophen (like Tylenol) is considered safe during pregnancy, other pain relievers like ibuprofen should be avoided. If you want to avoid taking any medication, there are a few alternative headache remedies, like cold compresses and exercise, that can help.

Unfortunately, women who have a tendency to get migraines tend to get more of them during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor if you're having trouble coping.

Your Baby
All of your baby's vital organs are now formed and functioning, so the risk of defects decreases this week as your baby becomes less susceptible to outside influences. Phew! Other exciting developments include:

Baby's ears are assuming their proper place this week and the fingernail and toenail beds are beginning to form. Your little "pumpkin head" really lives up to his nickname as his head is nearly as big as the rest of his body.

While testes or ovaries are completely formed now, don't start decorating the nursery. You won't be able to see your baby's gender for a few more weeks yet.

Your baby is really on the move now. In an ultrasound you might be able to see your little acrobat flailing his or her arms and legs and doing somersaults worthy of Cirque du Soleil. You still won't be able to feel any movement, so if you feel something "kick" in there, it's probably gas.

In the next nine weeks, your baby will increase 30 times in weight and almost triple in length. You might feel like you're increasing 30 times in weight at this point, too, but we can assure you're not—because, honey, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Your baby now weighs a third of an ounce, about the same as two small, Starbucks-sized packets of sugar, is about 2 inches long, the length of one of those sugar packets. Isn't that sweet?

Your Life
When your future son or daughter brings home the love of his or her life, you'll be so glad you bought a digital camcorder to record every embarrassing thing he or she ever did.

Plan before you plunk down your money. It's a big buy, and you'll want this one to last for years. Scan online reviews of cameras you're considering, to see what others think.

Once you make a purchase, try out the new goods by recording a great day spent in the city or a mini-vacation that you and your partner are going to take.

Got lots of new videos to share? Post them in your LifeBook, where you can document your pregnancy (and soon, baby's life!) for your family and friends.