17 weeks pregnant: how the fetus develops and what happens in the body

The seventeenth week of pregnancy is almost the middle of the second trimester. Your baby is already in its fifth month. This is the most favorable period: no longer toxicosis, the body is accustomed to hormonal changes, the woman feels a surge of strength. Now you can take long walks and generally lead an active, fulfilling life.

17 week of pregnancy - sensations

The brightest sensations of this week for many mothers are the first movements of their baby. Of course, while these tremors are still very weak and can be easily confused with normal bowel movements. But this happens only because the baby is still very small. Depending on the individual development of the baby, movements begin to be felt until the 20th week of pregnancy. It is best to remember the date of the first stirring - this will help to more accurately determine the expected date of birth.

The uterus grows rapidly, which means that the load on its ligaments increases. Because of this, there may be slight pulling pains in the lower abdomen. If the pain is not severe and when the position of the body changes, it passes, then there is no reason for excitement. Otherwise, problems are possible and you need to see a doctor. The growing belly leads to the fact that the woman's center of gravity shifts. She has to lean back when walking and standing. This causes pain in the tailbone and lower back.

In connection with pregnancy, there is a restructuring of the nervous system. A woman is mostly in a distracted state, she does not react to external problems and stimuli. Therefore, you need to make your work easier and not try to load your brain with studies.

17 weeks pregnant - what happens to the baby

Now the phase of pregnancy has come when the fetus is actively developing. Its size is rapidly increasing. Now he has grown to fifteen centimeters, and his weight has increased to 170 grams and exceeded the weight of the placenta.

The baby's body also changes significantly:

• Fluffy hairs completely cover the body of the unborn baby. They will fall out after birth a few days later. Now these hairs are protecting the baby.
• To improve the thermoregulatory process, a subcutaneous fat layer is formed in the baby's body.

• The kid begins to perceive the world around him by ear. At the same time, he already hears not only sounds inside the mother's body, but also sounds coming from the external environment. Now you need to actively talk with the baby. So he will better remember his mother's voice and will react to her immediately after his birth.

• The kid can already coordinate the movements of the arms and head. He studies his face for a long time and sucks his fingers.
• At the seventeenth week, the belly of pregnant women is quite large, although it bears a small child.

17 weeks pregnant - happens to mom

The most important changes happening to your body this week is the rapid growth of the abdomen. Now the stomach is gradually pulled up. Weight the expectant mother should constantly grow, but it is necessary to ensure that the increase does not amount to more than half a kilogram per week.

Some women develop age spots on their face. Moreover, dark-skinned girls most often suffer from this. This is due to the increased production of hormones. If you see such spots on yourself, use a sunscreen with a high degree of protection. This will to some extent help protect your face from excessive pigmentation.

Due to the weakening of the muscle that covers the stomach and separates it from the esophagus, gastric juice is sometimes thrown into it. Therefore, pregnant women often have heartburn attacks. The abdomen supporting the diaphragm sometimes makes the woman feel like she is short of air.

Due to the increase in blood volume in some women, the process of heat exchange is disturbed, they may experience hot flashes. The growing fetus again presses on the bladder, which is why the woman constantly wants to constantly go to the toilet. Some expectant mothers experience problems with the vestibular apparatus: they may have slight fainting, gait is disturbed, they are slightly shaken.

Increased stress causes swelling of the legs. Sometimes the swelling spreads to the arms and legs. In addition to edema, itching on the skin of the feet or palms can be connected.

Changes take place not only in the body of a pregnant woman. Some have very intense emotional feelings. They often see colorful emotional dreams, sometimes even erotic ones. Others dream of nightmares that are striking in their reality.

Now there may be a slight increase in the number of vaginal secretions... If this does not change their consistency, smell and color, then this phenomenon can be attributed to normal. Many pregnant women note that at this time they begin to excrete a small amount of colostrum.

Pay attention to how you feel when you urinate. In pregnant women, immunity is rather weak, so you can easily catch cystitis - a very unpleasant disease. If you experience pain when urinating, especially if it is severe, be sure to call your doctor. Some women may develop late toxicosis or preeclampsia of pregnant women. To monitor the condition of a pregnant woman at this time, it is possible to conduct laboratory tests and perform an ultrasound scan.