ABOUT | CONTACT | BABY BLOG |

17 Weeks Pregnant (Fetal Age 15 Weeks)

Your baby fits the palm of your hand and can hear your voice

EasyBabyLife Home » Pregnant Week By Week » 2nd Trimester »17 Weeks Pregnant

16 weeks pregnant

18 weeks pregnant

17 weeks pregnant, your baby is twice as heavy as two weeks ago. Now he or she is focusing on gaining fat to be able to keep warm outside the womb.

It is very possible that mom now becomes even more hungry than before as a response to your baby's focus on storing fat. Remember to eat healthy even if you eat a lot, to provide the best possible basis for your baby's future health.

Your Baby

Your little one at this stage has grown quite a bit larger weighing somewhere around four to five ounces and is approximately five inches in length.

If you were to hold your child in this stage, he/she would rest comfortably in the palm of your hand.

At this time period of the pregnancy the fetus experiences many changes.

The cranium begins to develop bone, replacing the previous cartilage.

The little heart is pumping more than twenty-five ounces of blood through the body per day.

By now your child has noticed the joints and the ability to move them - he/she will begin to move them even frequently than before.

The umbilical cord has become stronger.

The sweat glands have begun their development and your child has the ability to hear now.

This is a great opportunity to begin the bond with your child. Because he/she can hear sounds now some experts say that playing a calming music helps.

Talking to your child will strengthen the bond along with rubbing your tummy in slow circular motions. Even though your child is still pretty small, your touch can be felt.

All of these actions can assist in not only bonding with your child but keeping him/her calm.

If you want to get serious with caring for your baby's mental wellbeing and development already, check out the Baby Plus Prenatal Education System (Link opens in new window to Amazon, where you can read reviews of the system.)

This program provides audio lessons for your baby-to-be. You simply strap on the apparel; very easy to use and quite an interesting opportunity to try out, even though it is of course impossible to say if your baby's rapid development after birth has been improved by using Baby Plus.

Mom's Body

Image by Mylissa

17 weeks pregnant, you are experiencing big changes as well. Your uterus is no longer attempting to cradle a ball but rather an egg-shaped object. Your organs will shift aside as necessary to make room.

You may be starting to show a little bit, especially if this is not your first pregnancy.

As your uterus has positioned itself below your belly button, you may be developing a tiny pooch. You may even feel a little off balance. As your belly grows larger gravity will begin to have an effect on you.

When riding or driving wear your seat belt, but wear it comfortably. Be sure to keep the lap portion of the belt below your tummy; wear it across your hips.

You should be gaining weight at a steady pace. If you are curious on what your weigh gain comprises of, read all about it here.

Your body is discharging pretty frequently now. It appears as a white milky substance. This is normal and your body's way of keeping your vagina clean to avoid infections. The odorless substance is all part of the change.

If it does possess an odor, it could be a yeast infection and should be discussed with your doctor immediately.

You might want to reassess your life. Stressful situations for work and/or personal reasons should be avoided. Studies have shown that stress can cause difficulties during pregnancy, premature birth, difficulties during labor etc.

Of course, some stress just cannot be avoided. In this case take the opportunity to listen to some calming music with your little one and relax as soon as you can.

Back

17 Weeks Pregnant Video

If seeing means believing for you; watch this video explaining the 17th week of pregnancy in pictures and words.

Back

Stuff To Buy This Week

Here are a few things you can get to support your pregnancy journey this week:

A Child Is Born If you haven't yet; get a copy of this amazing book about the development of your baby.
"Prenatal Yoga" With Shiva Rea.
Baby Plus Prenatal Education System

16 weeks pregnant

18 weeks pregnant

Diary of a Daughter

What's it really like being 17 weeks pregnant...? Here's a true diary from a 17 weeks pregnant mom-to-be. (Me..!)

Diary Of A Daughter

Now I can feel tiny kicks every day, especially in the evening. I've heard that babies start gathering fat at this point in time. I hope so, because I'm so hungry again and I don't want to be the one gathering all the baby fat... :-)

The above was my diary. What's it like for you to be 17 weeks pregnant? Share your thoughts and feelings by leaving a comment below.