15 Weeks Pregnant (Fetal Age 13 Weeks)

Your baby is now big as an apple and can sense light

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15 weeks pregnant, most women can no longer wear their regular trousers. Time to buy maternity clothes if you haven't already! Even strangers can probably see that you are pregnant now.

Your baby is growing rapidly and has actually doubled in weight since last week!

How is your own weight gain developing? Find average weekly weight gain during pregnancy here.

Your Baby

At 15 weeks pregnant, your baby is now the length of and apple at approximately 4 inches long and weighing 2.5 ounces.

Although everything has been in place for some time, there are still many changes that go on behind the scenes.

If you were to peek inside, the blood vessels are now visible through the transparent skin.

The baby continues to grow lanugo, and continues to grow it until around week 26 of your pregnancy. Even eyebrows and scalp hair is starting to become visible and the hair follicles start to produce pigmentation. That does not necessarily mean that a baby born with dark hair will remain dark or light hair will stay that way. For many babies, the hair color changes during the first year and can be entirely different from those first few months.

Bones continue to harden and the marrow of the skeletal system develops more each day that goes by. Now the baby's legs have caught up to the rest of the body and are now longer than the arms.

Swallowing amniotic fluid helps prepare the nose and upper respiratory tract as the primitive air sacs in the lungs still develop.

Your baby-to-be can now sense light even though the eyes are still fused shut. If you were to shine a flashlight on your belly, your baby is likely to move or turn away from it.

Thumb sucking may be noticed if you were to have an ultrasound now and if you are lucky, the gender of your new baby may be visible. With our third child I actually got a UL picture to take home of my son's gender already when 13 weeks pregnant, but that is quite unusual.

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16 weeks pregnant

Mom's Body

Image by Mylissa

During this second trimester, your uterus is continuing to enlarge as it begins to move above your hipbones now. You may be able to feel it yourself about 3 or 4 inches below your navel if you lie down flat on your back and relax.

Your medical practitioner will continuously measure this "fundal height", which is the distance from the top of your uterus to your pubic bone, to ensure that your baby is growing at a normal rate.

15 weeks pregnant, you may notice that you are about 5 pounds heavier now than before, and well on your way to gaining the weight you need to help your baby grow and thrive. For the average weight gain during pregnancy week by week, click here.

You probably need at least one new pair of trousers now or very soon.

Other changes in your body can occur periodically or well throughout the pregnancy depending on your own body and hormones. Stuffed up noses or even nosebleeds can be just some of those irritating side effects of the increasing blood flow to your mucus membranes.

Another could be headaches, but be sure to discuss any persistent symptoms with your medical caregiver as they may be a sign of something else that needs to be addressed.

Changes in your own hair and skin are common during pregnancy, especially the 2nd trimester. Some women find that their hair grows remarkably faster, and even thicker than ever before, while others find that their hair is more limp, thinner or can be dry or oily depending on your skin. Do not be alarmed. Your body is just dealing with all the necessary preparations for your new baby and you have the side effects to prove it.

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