One exciting fact when you are 17 weeks pregnant is that your baby is becoming more active within the amniotic sac. You may not be able to feel any movement (yet!), but you may notice some tiny flips and rolls in the coming weeks. Here are the other growth development and progress when you are 17 weeks pregnant.
How Big is My Baby?
That precious little one is the size of a pear! At this stage, your baby is 13cm longer and 150g in weight, which means he could still fit in the palm of your hand.
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Baby’s Development
He is growing rapidly now! When you are 17 weeks pregnant, the umbilical cord will be stronger as in a way of providing more nutrition to the growing, delicate foetus.
There is also a layer of fat forming under his skin, known as the adipose layer. This is a crucial part of the metabolic system that helps the foetus gain weight and fills out its features. So, no more translucent baby during this stage!
Your baby’s rubbery cartilage is now turning to bone and putting some meats on their bones. His heart is now regulated by the brain, which means it is not beating so randomly any more. But, it will (still) beating about twice as fast as yours.
His practice of sucking his thumb is getting stronger and more frequent as he is preparing for his first feed.
Pregnant Belly When You Are 17 Weeks Pregnant
At this stage, you might notice your posture and movement are affected a lot more now that your belly is really starting to show.
As your baby grows and the uterus expands, there is an extra pressure on the surrounding nerves. One nerve in particular can cause a lot of pain and distress. This is the sciatic nerve, which runs from your spine, down your buttocks and into each leg.
If the weight of your uterus and your baby is putting pressure on this nerve, it can cause sharp shooting pains in your buttocks or legs. Regardless, it can be quite debilitating, interfering with your ability to walk, sit or go about your day. The best way to avoid nerve compression is to keep your body fit and supple.
Symptoms during Week 17
- Increase in appetite. You will have this overdrive over your appetite. Don’t get surprise if you are eating more (and more!) like you never before. It is actually normal as your baby is growing very fast and the food you are eating is for your baby’s development.
- Loose teeth. During this stage, as most of your strengths are taken over by the baby, the hormones react and affects the ligament and teeth; which can make your teeth feel wobbly or even fall out! If you do lose a tooth, go to your dentist straight away to get a proper check-up.
- Stretch marks and itchy. Your skin starts to stretch out and left with some marks. It is very common to have stretch marks and you will probably have them under your belly and around your hip. Your belly might feel itchy compared to before. To reduce the itchiness and stretch marks, slather on some lotions or stretch mark’s cream every day.
- Weird dreams. Dreaming of giving birth to a cat or having an affair with someone? Don’t be concerned on such weird dreams as it is a normal symptom during pregnancy. It happens because of the rapid change of hormones in our body.
Your Bucket to-do List
- Prenatal yoga or Pilates class. Be prepared for a more (and more) back pain. Aside from laying on your back, you can start to go for a prenatal yoga or Pilates. These exercises can relive your backache and good for pregnant mothers.
- Get more calcium for your bone. If you cannot drink milk or any other dairy product during this stage, you can consume alternative foods such as orange juice or any fruit juice will do. You can also get a boost of calcium from leafy vegetables, sesame seeds, and almond.
- Sign up for an antenatal class. You may think that it is still too early for you to go for an antenatal class, but hey, the more the better! Try to join as many classes as you can, especially for first time parents. You will have more time to learn many things about childbirth if you start earlier.
Tips of the Week
- Less caffeine. Even though it is okay for you to consume some caffeine, however, you need to make sure that you don’t take it as frequent as before. Less than two cups are better. It is even better if you don’t consume any caffeine when you are pregnant. Caffeine can travel through the placenta and increase your baby’s heart rate.
- AVOID hot tub and/or sauna. It is really nice to soothe and relax our body, headache and backache in a warm water or sauna. However, you should avoid such activities when you are 17 weeks pregnant. This is because, hot tub or sauna can increase your body temperature, which in a way, can cause problems to the baby such as increasing the risk of birth defects.
Worry less and focus more on yourself when you are 17 weeks pregnant. Stay hydrated and eat healthy meals. Get to know what you should and shouldn’t do. Stay tuned with our The 3 Trimesters series, birth stories, and parenting tips. Even better, join our New Mom program for a bountiful advises (and free gifts!).