Congratulations! You’re about halfway through your pregnancy. Week 17 marks an important milestone in your pregnancy journey. Around this time you will likely start to feel your baby, or babies if you’re carrying multiple, move! You won’t be able to tell exactly what they are doing at this stage of pregnancy, a lot of people describe the sensation as a fluttering butterfly inside them. In a few more weeks you should start to be able to distinguish between little (or large) kicks, rolls and hiccups!
Your baby’s facial features are now becoming more distinguishable and you can see their little nose, lips, and chin on ultrasound images. Your baby’s organs are also continuing to rapidly develop during week 17 of pregnancy. Their kidneys have started producing urine and they are releasing it into the amniotic fluid that surrounds them, they are also swallowing tiny amounts of this fluid and so the cycle continues! All of their organs will continue developing throughout the rest of your pregnancy.
Your baby is also growing their finger and toenails at this point in your pregnancy and they will have their own unique fingerprints! Did you know that even identical twins have different fingerprints? Your baby is now around 12cm long and is about the size of a pomegranate.
By week 17 your uterus is about the size of a small melon to accommodate your growing baby and will likely be felt just below your belly button, meaning you will likely be starting to show by now if you haven’t already!
We hope that this guide has provided you with helpful information about what to expect during week 17 of pregnancy, please do check in again next week!
References
NHS | https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/pregnancy/week-by-week/2nd-trimester/week-17/
