You are 11 weeks and 4 days

At around 12 weeks, your doctor may be able to hear your baby's heartbeat with a handheld monitor.

199 days until your due date

Your baby's heart now beats about 140 times a minute, at least twice as fast as yours. The heart and its internal electrical system are structurally complete, but the nerves supplying it from outside are still immature. These nerves affect its rhythm and will gradually slow the heart rate as pregnancy goes on.

The heart is tiny, so to pump enough blood it can't increase the amount it pushes out with each beat, as we can. Instead, it beats more times a minute.

The abdomen is now big enough to hold the intestines, which were bulging outside the body. Having started to rotate outside, the bowel completes its final rotation inside the abdomen, where it then stays fixed, and it widens as the loops become hollow.

Focus on

Twins: Feeding two?

If you're carrying twins, you've probably gained about 11 lb (5 kg) by now. Early weight gain is usually good, especially for you, since this is a vital time for your babies' organs to form. As a rough guide:

Twins: 35–45 lb (16–20 kg) in total, ideally 24 lb (11 kg) by week 24, then a gradual increase until the birth.
Triplets: 50–60 lb (23–27 kg) in total, ideally 35 lb (16 kg) by week 24, then a gradual increase.
Quads: 65–80 lb (31–36 kg) in total, ideally 50 lb of it by week 24.

Good to know

Smoking: The facts

If you've cut down rather than quit, read on. Many people inhale more deeply when smoking less, so they take in more toxins. Here's how smoking affects your baby:

Carbon monoxide, nicotine, and other substances you inhale pass into your blood and cross the placenta.
Nicotine makes your baby's heart beat faster as she struggles for oxygen, which can affect her growth.
Smoking raises the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight, and exposure to tobacco chemicals makes your baby more likely to have conditions like asthma and chest infections after birth, sometimes needing a hospital stay.
The risk of crib death (SIDS) is higher if you or your partner smokes, so your partner should stop too.
If you live with a smoker, you breathe in thousands of toxic, cancer-causing chemicals from the burning cigarette and exhaled smoke.
Several studies confirm that passive smoking can harm the baby's health and raise the risk of miscarriage and premature birth.

This is general information based on NHS guidance, not medical advice, and every pregnancy is different. Talk to your midwife or GP about anything that worries you. If your baby's movements slow down or change, or you have bleeding, severe pain or leaking fluid, call your maternity unit straight away. In an emergency, call 999.

Twins: Feeding two?

Smoking: The facts

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