Pregnancy week 17
At pregnancy week 17 your baby is 15 weeks old and has grown to between 4.4 inches and 4.8 inches long (as measured from the top of baby's head to its buttocks -
baby's weight has increased to about 3.5 ozs and the fast growth that has taken place over the last pregnancy weeks means that
baby is now about the size of an open hand. You can clearly hear baby's heartbeat now and to hear it as clear as possible you can order a semi-professional/professional baby heart monitor for less money than you might expect.
You have gained about 5 to 10 lbs and your uterus continues to grow and can still be felt below your bellybutton but its moving closer to your bellybutton as the pregnancy weeks go by - you
are almost certainly wearing pregnancy clothes by now - if you are
experiencing pregnancy heartburn, there is some hope available...
Its possible that at 17 weeks pregnancy you can feel the baby moving (fluttering) at this stage - the fingernails are well formed by now - baby is starting to gain some fatty tissue - you can feel the baby moving or if you can;t you should be able to within the next few weeks - the arms and legs have grown and are moving.
Your uterus is changing shape and length and moving upward into the abdomen - closer to the bellybutton - your internal organs such as intestines move to make room - the uterus is connected to the pelvic wall by ligaments - the growth in the uterus and your changing shape and awkward movements can stretch the ligaments and cause some discomfort - take things gently -
you are more than likely finding it uncomfortable while sleeping as you can't lie on your stomach - also, lying on your back can cause
the uterus to lie on top of important blood vessels that circulate blood to the baby - its likely that you will find lying on your side is the most
comfortable position anyway.