Back to Pregnancy Week by Week Guide
You are beginning to look more like a pregnant woman as you finish 16 weeks of pregnancy and lesser like one who has just been over eating. Hang in there and prepare for a number of ultrasounds and routine check ups that are lined up in the weeks to come.
Changes in Your Body at Week 17 Pregnancy
As you move to week 18 of your being pregnant the baby inside you is growing, your abdomen begins to jut out. Your internal organs also move around a bit to make space for the baby.
You might feel a sharp pain in your leg at times. This is called the sciatic nerve pain. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body and run from below the uterus right till the end of your leg. The pain occurs because of the pressure that the baby causes on the uterus.
At 17 weeks of pregnancy you might also experience:
- Excessive sweating due to the increase in the blood volume within your body
- Vaginal discharge
- Nasal congestion
Your Baby’s Development at Week 17 Pregnancy
Your baby is growing quite fast now. In fact now it weighs more than the placenta!
The umbilical cord is also growing in length and is also becoming stronger.
As the baby’s sense of hearing is fast improving, sudden loud noises can startle the little one inside you.
Layers of fat, or the adipose tissue, begin to develop on the baby thereby protecting its body temperature.
At 17 weeks of pregnancy the little one’s skeleton turns from cartilage to bones. However, the bones continue to remain very soft to allow easy passage through the birth canal.
If your child is a boy then this is the week when his prostate glands form.
Week 17 Pregnancy Tips and Advice
Avoid standing for long hours to avoid the sciatic nerve pains in your legs. It can happen even when you are sleeping on one side at night. Prop your legs up a bit with a side pillow to avoid the pain.
At 17 weeks of pregnancy some of you might see some skin rashes during this period. Usually it is because of the various hormonal changes in your body. However, before using any topical creams or any OTC medicines, do discuss it with your doctor.
What other changes will your body experience during this period of pregnancy? Do download and read our pregnancy e-guide to know more.
Week 17 Fun
If you are a first time parent then get yourself enrolled in an antenatal class with your partner. These will help you to learn a lot about birthing techniques and even nappy changing methods. It will be a bonding time for the both of you and will also give the opportunity to meet more mums-to-be like yourself.
Make a list of all the fun trips you will go to with your child. Be that to the beach to make sand castles or to a mountain zoo to see the snow leopard.
So have you joined an antenatal class? Are you enjoying yourself there? What news things did you learn there? Join our due date club here and share your thoughts with other mums-to-be.
Week 17 Pregnancy Articles – Coming Soon!!!
Week 17 Pregnancy Discussions
- Breasts itching at 17 weeks of pregnancy
- Losing weight in 17th week of pregnancy
- Experiencing period like cramps; what does it mean?
- Foetus detected with Down’s Syndrome; what should I do?
- Is diarrhoea during 17th week of pregnancy harmful?
Week 17 Have a Laugh
Here are some interesting quotes on pregnancy. Enjoy them!
- Unless you are the one who put this baby in here or the one who will take it out, you are not allowed to touch my belly!
- There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies. – Churchill
- Diaper backward spells repaid. Think about it. – McLuhan
- People who say they sleep like a baby usually don’t have one. – Burke
- I’m a ‘Pregasauraus’. Mess with me and you’ll be extinct.