It is expected that your nausea and morning sickness will decrease. You should also feel less tired. Your already enlarged uterus will continue to do this and you will likely experience conditions like indigestion.
Baby Growth
This week, your unborn little one is developing swallowing and sucking skills as it prepares to suckle. This week and in the coming weeks, fat starts to form in your body. Fat tissue is important for your body`s heat production and metabolism. By the end of pregnancy, the fat in the baby is about 2.4 kilos at an average of 3.5 kilos. On the other hand, its heartbeat is now regulated by its brain. So now random hits are over. It makes 140-150 beats per minute.
Another big improvement for your baby at week 17 is the formation of fingerprints. At the end of the 17th week, your baby`s skin may be covered with a white substance called vernix.
Baby Size
Well, your little one is now the size of a turnip. For more details, at the 17th week of pregnancy, the baby should weigh around 140 grams and be 13 cm long. Your baby is growing rapidly from last week and will continue to grow rapidly in the coming weeks. For now, your baby is sized to fit right in your hand.
You`ll also be happy to know that your baby`s skeleton is slowly transforming from the ever-formed soft cartilage structure to solid bone. Your baby has made it ready for changes by producing some body fat.
Common Body Changes
To begin with, you should feel better in terms of morning sickness and nausea. Also, your body should feel less tired.
Your belly is now well defined, but this size may differ for every woman. It will be more obvious that you are pregnant and there is a noticeable swelling in your lower abdomen. The size of the uterus, which is below the navel, is about 5 cm. Another new development at week 17 of pregnancy is that you may feel some movement in your tummy, but this will create almost no ripples. However, 17-week-old baby movements aren`t what you can feel every day, so don`t panic when you`re not getting any activity. As the pregnancy progresses, your baby will notice itself strongly and frequently." I`m 17 weeks pregnant, I can`t feel my baby`s movements!" If you say, calm down. Few expectant mothers, especially those expecting their first baby, feel the first kick at 4 months. Although the embryo starts to make movements on its own from the 7th week, these movements cannot be felt by the mother since its arms and legs are tiny.
The first feeling of life inside comes between week 14 and week 26, but usually around the middle of week 18 to 22.
Pregnancy Symptoms
If you`re wondering what makes the 17th week of pregnancy different from previous weeks, here is your guide to find out.
- Your body is working hard to make room for your baby, so you may need to be prepared to feel a little uncomfortable when you experience indigestion and heartburn.
- Constipation and gas problems will increase in the 17th week of your pregnancy.
- Expect your mood to change as your hormones mix.
- Changes in hormone levels can cause skin pigmentation, which will begin at the 17th week of pregnancy.
- Expect some nerve pain, especially in your legs, as your baby gets heavier inside you.
Abdomen
As expected, your belly should definitely indicate that you are pregnant. More importantly, some stretch marks and veins around your abdomen should also begin to appear.
Many women now begin to gain weight. This weight gain can also be attributed to the way most women regain their appetite as morning sickness wears off. Apart from the abdominal region, the rest of the body is also changing day by day. It can be considered normal to gain a total of 2.25 to 4 kilograms until the 17th week of pregnancy.
Ultrasound and Tests
For most of you, the doctor may not schedule an ultrasound because not much has changed. In special cases though, you may be asked to go for a scan, but that shouldn`t worry you too much.
You may continue to see your baby`s heart rate stabilize and facial features gradually become defined. More importantly, your baby`s immune system is in place and protects your baby from all kinds of diseases. Also, your baby can now feel loud sounds and intense lights. The hormones will also begin to function in the form of the adrenal glands. Best of all, your baby can sense your emotions and recognize sounds.
17 weeks of pregnancy is one of the weeks that allows to determine gender. Because the genitals have developed enough to give an opportunity to understand this. However, there are some factors that affect the ultrasonography findings for gender determination.
- Pregnancy week when ultrasound is done,
- The position of the fetus in the mother`s womb,
- The quality of the ultrasound device,
- When factors such as the experience of the physician come into play, it becomes a little difficult to say exactly which week will be determined. But 17-week old baby gender is likely to be determined.
Triple Screening Test or Quadruple Screening Test?
The quadruple screening test roughly helps her determine if she is carrying a baby with Down syndrome. It also helps detect and prevent other problems such as neural tube defects.
As we mentioned in our 15-week pregnancy part, the quadruple screening test is the most important test to be done in the second trimester. The ideal time to do it is between the 15th and 18th weeks of pregnancy, but it can be done up to the 22nd week. So if you haven`t had it yet, you can have it done at the 17th week of pregnancy.
The quadruple screen test is the same as the triple screening test, except for a fourth assessment, the Inhibin A level. This fourth assessment (inhibin A level) increases the sensitivity of the standard triple screening test to detect Down syndrome by 20%. Therefore, it is more reasonable to apply only the quadruple screening test instead of the triple screening test after the double screening test in the first trimester. Because quad scan already covers triple scan!
What to Eat?
With your previous diet in mind, add essential pregnancy foods for week 17 by referring to the list below. Remember that starving yourself at this point in your pregnancy is unacceptable. Plus, you don`t need to overeat for two - just make a small increase in the number of calories you would normally consume.
- Load up on proteins such as lean meat, fish, legumes, beans. Adding some red meat to your diet is also recommended.
- Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables and fresh fruit to control blood pressure and reduce the risk of anemia.
- Stock up on calcium in the form of milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products to promote bone health.
- Add folic acid to your diet to prevent birth defects.
- Also add vitamin C in the form of fruits or supplements. These help in tissue repair.
- Do not forget to add zinc to your diet.
- Take nuts and low-fat snacks for your hunger urges.
- Divide your meals so you don`t starve yourself.
Tips and Care
The most important thing at this stage of pregnancy should be to keep yourself strong and cheerful. Since baby eats what you eat and feels what you`re feeling, make healthy lifestyle choices that can successfully propel you into labor. Below are some tips.
- Keep yourself safe
- Keep your living conditions hygienic
- Always drink plenty of fluids
- Eat at appropriate times and in appropriate portions
- Take the medicines prescribed by your doctor
- Be positive
- Pamper yourself with some light exercises like yoga and meditation
- Maintain regular sleep times and get plenty of rest throughout the day
- Maintain your personal hygiene
- Make sure you stay as stress free as possible
- The best way to notice the changes in your stomach with each passing day is to hug each other with your partner. Hug and see how the distance grows every day. You can even make yourself a small souvenir album. Have a photo taken each week in the same place, hugging each other in the same clothes, and have the last photo taken the week after the birth. This time, let your little baby be in your lap, not in your tummy.
Don’ts
- Do not starve yourself or your baby
- Do not expose yourself to areas with questionable hygienic conditions
- Do not eat junk food
- Do not overdo any workout
- With the 17th week of pregnancy, you`d better start wearing looser clothes to feel more comfortable in your daily life. You should stay away from tight, uncomfortable clothes that put pressure on your stomach or groin.
Shopping
Remember to prioritize comfort. Make sure to buy beautiful maternity clothes in cotton. Don`t forget to buy nice body pillows that will help relax you. Some comfortable shoes, motivational books to help you unwind and cheer you up... Don`t forget to add good and healthy snacks to your kitchen because you may need them anytime.
Don`t be alarmed by the constant changes. Qualify yourself to have a safe, enjoyable pregnancy and to deal with future changes.