You are 17 weeks pregnant.

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Born & Birth stories

Your baby's weight has doubled in two weeks and now weighs about 3.5 ounces! The crown-to-rump length of your growing baby is 4.4 to 4.8 inches. If you spread your hand out opened wide, you can see about how big your baby is.

Your uterus is moving up and is now approximately 1.5 to 2 inches below your navel. You are showing more now and there is a noticeable swelling in your abdomen. At this point in your pregnancy, a 5 to 10 pound weight gain is normal. Other people can probably feel the difference in your lower abdomen if they were to rub your tummy. To be the most comfortable, you should be wearing maternity clothes or clothing that is too large for you. You may have felt your baby move already. However, you might not feel it move every day at this point. As your pregnancy progresses, movements become stronger and more frequent. Feeling your baby move can help reassure you that your baby is doing well. You might also notice that your gums or nose bleed occasionally. This is from the increased blood volume that puts pressure on small blood vessels and capillaries.

Huge changes continue to take place within your developing baby. This week fat begins to form and will continue to do so until he is born. Fat is important to the body's heat production and metabolism. Right now, at 17 weeks, water makes up about 3 ounces and fat 0.018 ounces of your baby's body. In a baby at term, fat makes up about 5.25 pounds of the total average weight of 7.7 pounds. The placenta is continuing to grow at an amazing rate. The placenta will continue to develop in tandem with the fetus and it will weigh more than a pound at birth! By this week, the placenta is large and well established with a network of blood vessels that exchange nutrients and waste.

The eyes are facing more forward. The ears are now close to their final position.

Your baby is more flexible with ability to move head, mouth, lips, arms, wrists, hands, legs, feet, and toes.

Fingerprints are forming now.

Comments on week 17

Comments 201-249 of about 306 from week 17
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threebagsfool - 22 days ago
Dragon- well at least I know I'm not the only one! My sister in law had her scan at 17 weeks with her last one and it seemed to be accurate enough. I think they generally do them between 18 and 20 weeks, though. Why is yours so early, Brooke? I think I might be growing a little ninja right now. The kicks are still tiny, but, man, they are coming fast and furious now!

hope-springs-eternal - 22 days ago
I've been trying to drink at least 2 liters daily. Usually I meet the goal and on occasion I exceed it. Today I managed 2.5L but I still feel like I have dry mouth and I'm on my way to bed. I'm also trying to drink more water with the hopes that it will bring my fluids up since I read that it can help. I go back May 2nd to see if there have been any changes. I feel really good and think that if there were in any problems going on I would feel them and I've been really checking to make sure I'm not leaking fluid but every time I use the bathroom it's almost clear but just enough yellow to know its urine and during the day u don't wet myself or have any thing leaking out of me.

brookebaby3 - 22 days ago
I'm 15 week and have gained 1lb so far! I'm very happy with that. My last pregnancies I gained 80lbs and 60lbs . Hopefully I won't do that again! I have a question!!? I have my anatomy scan at 17 weeks. Do you think it will be accurate or have any of you had yours in this week?

Dragonsoccermom*teamBLUE* - 22 days ago
Because if you ladies I've drank more water today than I have in the part week. Thanks! Btw- no cramps, no headaches today.

Rain87(T-blue) - 22 days ago
At first I wasn't drinking enough water. Noticed my headaches would be more frequent.. I tend to get dehydrated quick. I live in south Texas so as u can imagine.. So I'm drinking water as much as I can to keep hydrated. My last appt told my dr bout me getting dehydrated to easily and said water is good but I should also drink Gatorade because of all the electrolytes it has.. I use to workout like 4-5 times a week but when I'm outside in this heat I can stay more than 30 mins:/ also i feel cramping even with a jog so just taking it easy and walking. I'm just a little concerned iv only gained 2 lbs so far. Hoping this baby is getting all the nutrients. I'm feeling more movement as well:)) so exciting:)))hope all are well!!

Dragonsoccermom*teamBLUE* - 22 days ago
Threebags- oh my. It hit home so much I had to read your post out loud. My husband then respond with 'no, she's 18 months, & we're trying to get better!' Lol, he thought I wrote it! I went from chuckling to absolutely rolling!

threebagsfool - 23 days ago
I don't like drinking water at all. I have to force myself to have a bottle of it a day. The taste of it is just weird to me, and flavored water is even worse. I haven't been too concerned with my weight gain. I am up 9 pounds so far. I just eat when I'm hungry and make an effort not to stuff myself. I think that's the hardest part! Also, I have this awful craving for sweets. I try to eat fruit instead, but surprisingly enough my body knows the difference between a banana and a brownie, haha. The past three days I have been feeling real kicks. I can't confuse these with gas or muscle twitches anymore. I am driving myself crazy trying to keep up on the house work right now. Everytime I clean something, my 14 month old follows me and messes it up again. I have started calling her Destructor. I hope this gets better, because my husband and son are almost as bad as she is!

Penelopieme - 23 days ago
Everyone seems worried about either gaining too much weight, or not enough! We are pretty tough on ourselves. Here in Scotland the midwives play down weight, but this time I have taken it more seriously. I have seen the dietician as at 15 weeks I was only 7 lbs off my full pregnancy weight and I was suffering from lower back pain, swollen ankles and heartburn. A strict regime ensued to control my weight gain, allowing the baby to grow and get the nutrients it needs while allowing me to not gain (and actually lose 4 lbs). It's a bit fidgety and is based on portion control, including 10 servings of fruit and veg, but I feel healthier. I would say no eating for two this time!

samendol - 23 days ago
2Tauruses- I was a big soda drinker before I got pregnant and I HATED drinking water. I have been carring icy cold water in a 32 oz water bottle with lemon, it seems to help to have some flavor in there. You can also put lime or oranges in the water if that helps. I also have 2 bottles of prenatals. I keep one on my desk at work and the other in my kitchen (i found it is better this way for me to remember)

Dragonsoccermom*teamBLUE* - 23 days ago
Oj does not count, lol. You should be peeing 'clear' every time you go. I'm going to refill my sports bottle... I'm still peeing like mountain dew.

2Tauruses - 23 days ago
Dragon- Ummm I'm on glass one of Orange Juice... Does that count? LOL I so need to get better about taking my prenatals! I'm just hardly home and that's where they are.. Guess I should carry them in my purse.

Dragonsoccermom*teamBLUE* - 23 days ago
I've been trying to walk or bike ride every day. Nice weather & no car definitely help. How much water have you ladies drank today? I'm pouring glass #1 right now.

mharter04@yahoo.com - 23 days ago
Happymomv- My dr told me to walk at least 30 minutes a day. I started doing that and started having the contractions like you. I called and she said they don't worry about that at all! She said keep doing it unless there's severe pain or bleeding. I kind of think why push it until its too late, but I know bh are good for our bodies. I also have 3 flights of stairs to walk up with a 30 pounder so I definitely know what you're talking about! Those stairs are a killer.

momma cosgray - 23 days ago
thanks ladies for the advice sounds to me like water time. i hope your all okay.

Dragonsoccermom*teamBLUE* - 23 days ago
I'm on glass #3 & it's bed time. I suck. Oh shoot, gotta take prenatal!

Dragonsoccermom*teamBLUE* - 23 days ago
I have to drink more water too!

mimo3 - 23 days ago
Thanks so much ladies!! It was the scariest feeling.. Especially not knowing if baby was ok. I've never had my heartrate that high.. What are your heartrates at? I know during pregnancy it goes up a little due to more blood volume. I downloaded a heartrate app on my iphone and its in the 80's now. I will defintely be drinking more water!!!

happymomv - 23 days ago
Mimo glad you are ok! That sounds scary. I am going to listen to Dragonsoccermom's advice and drink more water. We all should! :)

Dragonsoccermom*teamBLUE* - 24 days ago
Mimo, that's terrible but thank goodness everyone is ok. Drink more water? Relax.

mimo3 - 24 days ago
Hi ladies, I just spent Monday night in the hospital with the shakes and a heart rate of 134-140 . Has anyone experiences this? I had a slight fever .. It all started after my son starting throwing up. After some Tylenol and antibiotics my heart rate went down to 90's . Thank god baby is ok!!

Dragonsoccermom*teamBLUE* - 24 days ago
When I was preg. With my son I was in & out of ER for pains, & contractions & bleeding. They kept saying 'dehydrated'. With my Daughter I was a good preggo & drank like a fish. My dr.said it would cause less headaches, less cramping, less aches, less moodiness, less bleeding. Basically, less everything except potty runs. He was right.

happymomv - 24 days ago
I've been feeling LOTS of kicks and it's so awesome!! I've also noticed that when I do something strenuous like walk upstairs with my daughter (She's 25 pounds) I'll have a contraction. I'm sure they aren't harmful but I can't believe they are starting already!! I had them early with my last pregnant and I was hoping that my uterus would be super prepared for labor...um no I labored for 24 hours and then pushed for 3.

happymomv - 24 days ago
I try so hard to drink water, but unless I have bottles of it available, I just don't seem to drink enough. I'm always running around and can't exactly tote a glass with me. Unfortunately, sometimes I avoid drinking too much because then I will just pee and pee all day! Hence the headaches...

mharter04@yahoo.com - 24 days ago
Thank you smiles! Dragon- that theory about water and headaches makes sense. I don't drink nearly enough water. Cloth diapers scared me too until I had a couple friends use them. Now I see how modern and easy they have become and it only makes sense to try it! Too bad daycare doesn't feel the same :/

Dragonsoccermom*teamBLUE* - 24 days ago
Perhaps I'm ignorant, but the thought of using cloth diapers skeeves me. But I never did do any kind of research.

Dragonsoccermom*teamBLUE* - 24 days ago
Tons of headaches here! Constantly! Perhaps I'd be more pleasant. Supposedly, if you're getting headaches you're not drinking enough water to keep you & baby hydrated.

Dragonsoccermom*teamBLUE* - 24 days ago
Ladies, I've started this pregnancy a little heavier than I'm used to being. I never really lost the weight from my daughter. So I'm still 'soft bellied' from her. (aka- flabby). I'm -10 lbs from my starting weight. No bump. No super boobs (I'm still wearing a b cup). Still in my regular clothes, buttoning my jeans, & they are just getting tight nowadays.

smiles884 - 24 days ago
mharter-you might check out cottonbabies.com...they have some of the most popular clothe diapering systems and tons of reviews on every product PLUS FREE shipping on every order (at least it was that way). I bought some econo bum diapers from them and have been VERY pleased with them.. I clothe diaper mainly when I'm home on the weekends with my LO and it is SO easy-definately worth it. Also, you can check out youtube videos for how to use a clothe diaper lol.. that's what I did, cause I didn't know how... hope this helps! : )

mharter04@yahoo.com - 24 days ago
Has anyone used cloth diapers or plan to with this baby? I really want to try it out but I have so many questions and I really don't even know where to begin!

mharter04@yahoo.com - 24 days ago
Congrats momma! I just started noticing headaches and I don't normally get them unless I had a few too many the night before :) I also didn't know I was pregnant until 1.5 weeks ago so maybe I just didn't notice. 2tauruses- I have to wait until May 22 for my scan so I kind of feel your pain! I was hoping for next week since they do them 18-20 weeks but May 22 was their first opening. I swear there are either a million people pregnant at my clinic right now or they have one part time ultrasound person. I'm betting on option 2. Frustrating!!

2Tauruses - 24 days ago
On another note- went to the doctor today and have my gender ultrasound set up for May 28th. They don't do it any sooner than 21 weeks (which would be a Saturday for me, then Monday is Memorial Day) soo May 28th is the quickest appointment I can get.. :-/ Poo! I was hoping it would be sooner.. Oh well, what's 5 more weeks..? A LONG TIME! LOL

2Tauruses - 24 days ago
Momma- Yes! I get headaches pretty frequently. Didn't before I got pregnant, but I sure do now. It's been getting a little less frequent this past week or so but before that it was all the time! Tylenol didn't help for me so hopefully it gets better for you as time goes on as well!

momma cosgray - 24 days ago
okay ladies i have a question? this is my second pregnancy and i have started to get horrible headaches. has anyone else suffer from headaches?

momma cosgray - 24 days ago
found out yesterday we are having a little girl !!!

sarebear - 24 days ago
i.m 17 weeks today too...i.m not showing much either and not feeling much movement. i don.t mind if i stay small just looking forward to feeling the baby really move

lana29 - 24 days ago
First day in week 17 I don't seem to have gained any weight in a month only 2kg total so far :/ My boobs have tripled in size and my belly only seems to 'pop' after eating. Its my first pregnancy I expected to be bigger by this stage as I have a small build?!? Guess I'm just excited and looking forward to getting a big belly and feeling kicks. Last H-B check was 140. Old wives tale suggests maybe I have a ill boy in there?! Hope everyone is having a good day :)

hope-springs-eternal - 24 days ago
Thanks so much for the encouragement. Today I drank 2 liters of water just to be safe and rested in the bed but I can't stand to have a dirty house and I live with my husbands parents and his sister also lives here and has two kids that make a disaster everyday. I go back in a week to get another ultrasound but I'm getting it done by a different place and taking the results in to the dr. He's aware of the treatment I've been getting from the tech and says that unfortunately its something he has to deal with but for me not to worry a d that everything looks good. The tech even told me I was getting fat and my baby wasn't but it weighs 6.7 ounces! Ugh. I'll keep everyone updated and thank you again for the support.

happymomv - 24 days ago
Rain - I am starting to show a little and have definitely gotten wider. But I've only gained about four pounds. So weird! I'm sure I'll start packing them on once (if??) I feel better.

happymomv - 24 days ago
Hope - 144 is a perfect heartbeat and, based on what the others are saying, your amniotic fluid is just fine. Your doctor would have told you immediately if something was wrong. Trust your doctor and don't be afraid to stand up to people who cause you needless worry. You worked hard to get pregnant and you deserve to enjoy every second of it!!

waitingtoexhale - 24 days ago
Hope- I actually had really low amniotic fluid with my son's pregnancy around 18 or 19 weeks. Your number is actually in the normal range. The tech sounds awful. I had bedrest and extra fluids and it was back to normal in about 5 days. Oh, and my son's hb was always in the 130's and he is absolutely perfect! I'm only 11 weeks now, so who knows what the future holds. I'll pray for smooth sailing for you and your LO.

Rain87(T-blue) - 24 days ago
Just wondering if y'all r gaining any weight yet? I'm definitely into maternity close and there's no going bk..lol.. I've take weekly pics of my belly since 6 wks and I can see it has grown .. But altogether ive only gained 2lbs.. Feels like I gained more. Normal?? I'm eating good most days but some days my MS won't let me keep much down.

Rain87(T-blue) - 25 days ago
So no sonogram today:( Booo!!! Oh well I have nx Tuesday :)) Hope- what a jerk!! Definitely go what the doctor tells u. Hb being 144 is normal. My baby's was 141 and it's normal. Not sure bout the fluid number but if it was low your dr would have brought it to your attention. Forget that jerky tech...lol.. Your fine and everyhthing is normal:)) enjoy your pregnancy, these weeks are going by fast!!

hope-springs-eternal - 25 days ago
Okay. I've never posted I've just sort of read along through the weeks and read what everyone else was writing. This is my first baby after trying for nearly four years and I had a doctors appt yesterday and the ultrasound tech said my amniotic fluid was low at 9. He couldn't find the heartbeat at first and ended up scaring me and my hubby to a near heart attack. The doctor had previously heard and found the heartbeat 3-5 minutes before and the tech said it was weak at 144bpm. I think/feel the tech was just being a bit cold because he had already closed and was on his way out when I went and I had already paid and he had to turn everything back on. It's not the first time he had acted rudely and cold to me. So the doctor says I'm fine and the ultrasound tech says I'm not. Which is it? Is 9 a low amniotic fluid measurement? Please help me.

happymomv - 25 days ago
Rain - good luck at your ultrasound!! Keep us posted! My baby is wiggling a lot too. I think she's going to be an active one. My daughter kicked a ton and now she never sits still...:)

Rain87(T-blue) - 25 days ago
Happymom- ur not alone. But I'm having more days that I feel ok. I also felt great with my first pregnancy but this one is totally kicking my butt:/ but I am feeling baby's kicks more often. yesterday my DH scared me and I felt the baby move as if he/she got scared too!! Lol. Well I'm here at my dr appt. Hopefully they'll be able to me the gender..hoping so we can start picking colors for the new room:))

happymomv - 25 days ago
Hi All - gosh I hate to be a whiner but this pregnancy is still kicking my butt!! I'll have a few days of feeling pretty good and then WHAM...nauseous, beyond tired, everything hurts. Is anyone else still feeling like this? I loved every second of being pregnant last time so I feel guilty for this new baby that I'm so miserable all the time. Ha, the guilt begins in the womb!

jjmommy2 - 26 days ago
popping in from week 16 i had that happen on my last child i was told at 20 week they werent certain the legs were closed paid 50$ for gender scan to find out it was girl only to go in at 32 weeks and them tell me my she was actually a he! Well needless say i have a lil boy my first one wasnt shy at all he showed his lil man parts, so im def scared to do it this time, i set up one at 18 weeks and will do my 20 week one too. Hoping this baby will cooperate both times

samendol - 27 days ago
We decided not to do the screening but when do we have to do the gastric diabetes test?

samendol - 27 days ago
Wow! I am new to week 17 and just got a little caught up. This is my first baby so I can not say for certain but Im sure you will feel differently when the baby comes. I think everyone feels a little anxious at times (I know I have a lot because I dont know what to expect and Im currently the only one bringing in money). But I dont think it will effect the love for your new baby. :)

2Tauruses - 27 days ago
Ladies- My 2 year old son has a scab on his chin from when he fell at the playground a week or so ago. He picks his scab off every day and it bleeds obviously. Now the sore is bigger than when it started. Have any ideas of how to get him to stop picking it? Bandaid won't work, he just pulls that off, too! I don't want it to scar or turn into an infection!

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