17 Weeks Pregnant – Pregnancy Week 17

17 Weeks Pregnant – Common Signs and Symptoms

At 17 weeks pregnant, your uterus is between your pubic bone and belly button, nudging your intestines upward and outward toward the side of your abdomen.

Your growing and developing baby is putting pressure on your sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in the body. It starts in the lower back and runs down your legs. When the baby pushes against it, you may end up experiencing periodic pain anywhere along its pathway.

Another side effect you may be experiencing now is known as pregnancy rhinitis, which consists of a stuffy nose and sneezing fits. It affects about 39 percent of pregnant women between weeks 13 and 21. It is caused by an increased blood volume and various hormonal shifts.

17 Weeks Pregnant – Baby’s Development

Your baby is 5½ inches long and weighs 4 ounces, more than the placenta.  Your baby is beginning to form adipose (fat) tissue, which stores energy, insulates the body, protects the organs, and fills out the facial features.

The umbilical cord and placenta are growing. The former is thickening and lengthening to better nourish your baby, and the latter now contains thousands of blood vessels that are working to deliver nutrients and oxygen from your body to your baby’s body.

At week 17 of pregnancy, your baby can now hear your voice because the small bones that make up its auditory system are formed.

17 Weeks Pregnant – Self-Care Tips 

At 17 weeks pregnant, try using a saline spray or a neti pot if you are experiencing pregnancy rhinitis, which is causing you to sneeze and feel congested.

Sleep with an extra pillow or two under your head to let gravity work on draining your congestion.

Avoid breathing in environmental pollutants such as smoke or chemical fumes, and consult your doctor if this is a problem.

18 Weeks Pregnant – Pregnancy Week 18

18 Weeks Pregnant – Common Signs & Symptoms

At 18 weeks pregnant, you begin to feel your baby’s kicks.

Your uterus is still expanding, causing your baby bump to grow. As your belly grows, your center of gravity may be shifting and causing you to lean forward often, putting stress on your spine.

At this point, you may be experiencing low blood pressure. The lowest dip occurs sometime around the middle of the second trimester because more blood is circulating throughout your system and hormonal changes are causing blood vessels to dilate. This naturally lowers your blood pressure and can result in dizzy spells.

18 Weeks Pregnant – Baby’s Development

Your baby is sleeping and waking throughout the day. Because the bones and nerves that make up its auditory system are nearly complete, it can hear loud noises and can be woken up by them.

Your baby’s retinas may be developed enough to see light. If you hold a flashlight toward your abdomen, your baby might react to the light.

Myelin, which is a mix of fatty lipids and proteins that insulate neurons, is starting to form around your baby’s nerves.

At week 18 of pregnancy, if your baby is a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are now formed and in the proper position. If your baby is a boy, his genitals may be detected. Your baby weighs 5½ ounces and is 6.29 inches long.

18 Weeks Pregnant – Self-Care Tips

There are things you can do to alleviate light-headedness, such as getting up slowly from a seated or lying position and avoiding standing for too long.

• Drink plenty of water.
• Do not bath warm waters .

19 Weeks Pregnant – Pregnancy Week 19

19 Weeks Pregnant: Common Signs and Symptoms

At 19 weeks pregnant, you may feel pain in your lower belly and groin area, but there’s no need to panic. The pain is due to the lengthening and thickening of your round ligaments to accommodate your growing belly.

Consult your doctor if this pain lingers for too long.

19 Weeks Pregnant – Baby’s Development

Your baby weighs 7 ounces and is _ inches long. Its little arms and legs are becoming proportionate to the rest of its body.

Your baby is covered in a white, wax-like coating known as vernix. It protects your baby’s still-developing, delicate skin from the drying effects of amniotic fluid.

The areas of your baby’s brain that are responsible for its senses are rapidly developing.

If your baby is a girl, there are already about six million eggs in her ovaries.

At week 19 of pregnancy, the baby’s fatty tissue continues to develop, and there is an upswing in its brown fat, which will provide warmth after birth.

Your baby’s permanent teeth are beginning to grow behind its tooth buds, which are formed but haven’t descended yet.

19 Weeks Pregnant – Self-Care Tips

• At 19 weeks pregnant, you can ease your discomfort from round ligament pain by taking a warm bath ( water at about 98.6 degrees).

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