At 17 weeks, your baby is growing faster than ever. Unique fingerprints are forming and the kicking is growing stronger. Fat is being deposited under your baby’s skin, and soon those 3D scan pictures will look adorable. Your bump is visibly bigger now, so get comfy in stretchy clothes and flat shoes.
Baby development at 17 weeks
Your baby’s bones have started to harden and deposit calcium. The hand grip and legs kicking are now stronger and firmer. You are likely to feel some of the kicking already. Body fat is slowly accumulating under the skin and the heartbeat should now be regulated. Your baby’s heartbeat should be about twice as fast as your heartbeat. Weighting around 150g, the body is growing bigger and will start to look more proportionate. Ears should be fully formed and they are starting to reposition closer to the face.
An exciting development is that of her fingerprints. Around week 17, the fingertips and toes are starting to form unique fingerprints.
Your body and lifestyle at 17 weeks
Pay attention to movements in your tummy these weeks. You won’t feel strong kicks for at least a month yet, instead you will start to feel gentle fluttering movements. After 22 weeks, you might be able to guess if it’s a hand or a foot that’s kicking.
You might feel a little off-balance as your gravity center is shifting. Now is the time to give up wearing high-heels and wear flat or low-heeled shoes to avoid any falling or stumbling.
When sitting, try not to get up too sudden to avoid fainting. Keep exercising and maintain a healthy diet to feel fit and well during these months.
You will notice skin pigmentation around your nipples, some spots on your face and a dark line below your belly-button. These are normal and will fade after birth. The dark circles around your nipples will be gone in about a year after you’ll have given birth.
Ultrasounds you can take at 17 weeks
From 16 to 24 weeks you can take the Growth Scan, an ultrasound that helps the doctor take measurements of your baby and check how she is growing.
From week 17 onward, you can have a 3D/4D scan. It’s a good idea to document the early moves of your baby at week 17 in video and images. The images will look better however later on, when more fat will have formed under the skin.
10 Things You Shouldn’t Say to Your Pregnant Partner
Most pregnant women have had the experience of an insensitive comment at least once. Learn how to avoid the most common ones.
1. “Who is the father?”
This is by far the most dangerous question you could ask a pregnant woman. If you have reasonable doubt that you are the father, talk to her about that, express your concerns and reasons for doubt and be understanding. It will nonetheless be a difficult conversation, so think it through beforehand.
2. “How hard can it be?”
Have you ever had a baby? The experience of being pregnant brings pain, discomfort, stress and a great deal of anxiety and bad moods. It’s extremely important to show empathy and support, so try to be more understanding and less condescending.
3. “Are you crying again?”
Pregnancy is an emotional time, so don’t be surprised if your partner will start crying over small issues. Be supportive and offer her hugs and tissues.
4. “You’ve gotten big”
Don’t make any comments about her weight gain, ever. For most pregnant women, this is a very sensitive subject and should be handled cautiously.
5. “Are you going to wear that tent for dinner?”
Pretty maternity clothes are much harder to find than regular clothes, especially when she’s on a budget. You should make her feel beautiful and comfortable. Don’t create insecurities by commenting on her maternity wear.
6. “You’re too emotional”
And that is normal during pregnancy, so don’t make her feel bad about it.
7. “I know how you feel”
Unless you’ve actually been pregnant before, you don’t know. You might laugh together about a remark like this or she might get upset. It’s good to ask her how she feels and to be understanding, but remember that you’re not really sharing the same load.
8. “You can’t eat that”
Never tell your pregnant partner what she may not eat. That’s her decision. Don’t question the cravings she has and try to help her have a balanced diet without imposing anything.
9. “Let’s have a drink”
Suggesting alcohol or coffee is irresponsible and might be upsetting to her.
10. “I don’t feel like rubbing your back right now”
Back aches are a common symptom during pregnancy. Giving her back rubs every evening is your responsibility as a partner and one of the most soothing things you can do to make her pregnancy easier.