Your baby at 17 weeks pregnant: Week-by-week guide to development

HerFamily

Welcome to week 17 of your pregnancy! This week, your baby is as big as a pomegranate. Here’s what else you can expect this week.

Your baby

Your baby is about 11cm – the size of a pomegranate – and weighs about 140 grams. Fat is forming beneath the translucent skin. The umbilical cord is growing stronger and thicker. If you’re having a girl, hundreds of thousands of eggs have formed in her ovaries — the next generation!

We are sure you have begun your list of baby names at this stage. Here is some further inspiration for any adventurous mums-to-be: 13 Awesome Baby Names Inspired By Cool Places

You

At 17 weeks into your pregnancy, you’re likely noticing some more changes. Your bump is probably getting nice and visible now, and maternity wear a regular feature for you. It’s also common for your skin to become more radiant as the pregnancy hormones kick in – finally, a lovely side effect! If you need to nap? Nap. If you need to eat? Eat. Listening to your body is a good idea, it’s telling you everything you need to know.

Like we said, if you are having a girl, hundreds of thousands of eggs have formed in her ovaries. While you are approaching the time at which you can find out the sex, you might not want to. But that doesn’t mean you can’t guess with the help of some of these old wives’ tales.

If you are finding that your feet are sore and swollen, there are ways of easing your tootsies including putting your feet up and laying off the salt. Sore feet are unfortunately one of the many symptoms of pregnancy but there are lots of other lovely things that come along with that baby bump- some of them you expect, others not so much!

Anything else?

As you progress into your pregnancy, consider booking your ’20-week’, or anomaly, scan, usually scheduled between 18 and 22 weeks. This scan checks for any physical abnormalities in your baby, offering reassurance and early detection of potential issues. Also, it’s worth keeping up your exercise routine if you have one, or starting with gentle walks – it can help with energy levels and mood. It’s also a good time to think about baby names too – some people even start referring to their baby in the womb by their first names, to increase the bond between parents and baby.