Pregnancy Week 17

The 17 th week changes in the mother and baby is detailed below.

Changes in the Baby

The baby measures about 5 inches in length and is almost 4 – 4.5 pounds, heavy in this Week 17. The adipose or fat tissue starts forming and gets deposited under the baby’s skin. This helps in regulating body temperature and metabolism. The bones are getting strengthened and the baby moves more vigorously now. The limbs have attained the normal proportion and will grow proportionately with the rest of the body henceforth. Finger prints and toe prints start developing in this Week 17.

The baby’s organs and systems are growing and refining. Circulatory system is fully functional. The placenta is also growing and both the baby and the placenta look almost equal size. The umbilical cord is lengthening and thickening to meet the increasing requirements of the body. It now supplies more oxygen and nutrients to body. It also actively removes the wastes from the uterus. Meconium, the first stool of the infant, starts forming and is getting stored in the colon. The meconium is the undigested remains of lanugo, amniotic fluid, epithelial cells, bile, mucus etc that is swallowed by the foetus.

In this Pregnancy Week 17 sense organs are steadily developing. The ears have reached their final position and hearing is continuously improving. The baby starts responding to sounds now. Loud noises can startle it. Taste buds are developing and the baby starts identifying sweet and bitter tastes. If a sweet substance is introduced into the amniotic fluid the baby’s swallowing rate doubles. The swallowing rate is reduced it a bitter substance is introduced. The baby can now suck and swallow.

Changes in the Mother

In the second trimester the baby is in a growth spurt gaining a lot of weight. Alongside the mother’s weight is also increasing. The average weight gain by this time is around 5 – 10 pounds. As the baby grows the expanding uterus pushes the other abdominal organs aside to create space for the growing baby. In pregnancy week 17 the abdominal ligaments are stretched in the process and this causes the general pains and aches felt by the mother in the belly and the lower back. Lying on the left side will reduce the pressure on the pelvic veins thereby keeping the blood flow to the lower limbs, unhindered. This helps in reducing the aches and pains though not completely eliminating it. Get more information on Pregnancy Week by Week here.

Breasts also start undergoing changes during this period. There is increase of blood flow into the breasts and the milk producing glands. This in preparation for milk secretion once the baby is born. This causes the breast size to increase and the veins to become visible.

The increased secretion of the Pregnancy hormones brings about various changes in the mother. Sweating and secretions from nose and vagina increase. Some women become forgetful and in some pigmentations and black spots, called the pregnancy mask, appear on the face. All these symptoms are transient and vanish with delivery. Some women have bleeding gums because the gums become tender due to the increased play of hormones. A visit to the dentist helps.

Increase in weight and stretching of the abdominal area causes the stress marks to appear. Proper nutrition supplemented with proper exercise and rest helps in counteracting the discomforts, this week.