Baby Development
The Week 17 edition:
As large as a pear with a height of 12.7 cm and weighing about 141 grams, your baby is growing! The ears are developing making their listening skills better! The baby’s cartilage are turning into bones. The baby has thin almost translucent skin now and sweat glands are being formed. Your baby has started to practice the art of sucking and swallowing, to help them breastfeed and thrive after birth.
Here is a comprehensive list of everything your baby has been upto this week:
- Fat is getting stored under the baby skin to keep it warm.
- The sweat glands are taking shape.
- They started to suck and swallow amniotic fluid.
- Your baby’s ears have almost fully grown. Thus, it can hear little by little.
- The skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bones.
- Their fingerprints are getting more defined, as the fingers and toes continue to develop.
- The umbilical cord, joining the mother and the baby is only getting stronger and thicker, much like your bond with your soon to be child!
Mother
Track your growth at Week 17:
You may feel unsteady on your feet as your centre of gravity changes. Your eyes may feel dry. Besides this, pay heed to your sleeping schedule. Keep your room dark and cool to sleep easily. Avoid straining your eyes for an hour at least before hitting the bed- keep those phones and devices away!
Here is a list of symptoms you may see this week:
- If your eyes feel dry, use a lubricant drop.
- Your breasts are growing along with your belly, this may make you unsteady on your feet.
- If anxiety kicks in, do practice some relaxation techniques like meditation.
- Back pain comes and goes. Instead of lying on the bed or the sofa, get into the habit of doing some gentle yoga or Pilates.
- As your appetite grows, snack on healthy foods- nuts, dates, bacon. Eat foods rich in iron and vitamin C.
- Start sleeping on your side, not on your back or tummy especially if you feel breathless on your back.
- The ligaments around your uterus are expanding and they may ache, gentle oil massage and stretching can help. 23 weeks to go!
