Sixteen Weeks, 4 days - The Seventeenth Week

My Symptoms
It's been a pretty good week. Very fast. My possible interesting news? I think, maybe, I've felt the baby moving. When it gets stronger I'll probably know for sure, but I've been feeling some feelings that feel "different" than the normal stuff going on in my belly area (digestive rumbles, hunger pangs, gas). The first time was sometime this weekend (I think Sunday). I was eating lunch at the couch and had my plate on the coffee table. I was leaning forward and felt something weird. Then later I went upstairs to take a nap and layed on my stomach. With some pressure on my stomach it seemed like I was feeling a lot going on. I'm not sure I'm feeling the baby, but it's a definate possiblity, since I've felt the same sort of things for the last couple of days. I'm not really sure how to describe it. It's kind of like a cross between gas bubbles and when your stomach turn over (think rollercoaster). I know that doesn't sound pleasant, but it's just like some kind of involuntary movement or motion. I'm sure in the near future it will be actual nudges or poking. Assuming what I think I feel now actually is baby related. Soon enough it'll be obvious. I also owe you another picture. I took measurements this morning, I'll try to do a picture tomorrow. Since the below mentions weight gain, I'll point out I've now gained 2.5 pounds. Ok, here's what the books and internet say is going on.

The Baby
The crown-to-rump length of your baby is 4.4 to 4.8 inches. Fetal weight has doubled in 2 weeks and is about 3.5 ounces By this week, your baby is about the size of your hand spread open wide. Fat begins to form during this week and the weeks that follow. Fat is important to the body's heat production and metabolism. At 17 weeks of development, water makes up about 3 ounces and fat .018 ounce 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 fetus is about 6 and 1/4 inches long and weighs 4-5 ounces, about the same size as the placenta. The eyes are more forward than on either side of the face now. Your baby's ears have started to pop from his head and lanugo is beginning to appear on your baby's head and body. What a cutie!

Your baby weighs about 5 ounces now, and he's around 5 inches long — about the size of a large onion. He can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone. His sense of hearing is also developing. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker.

Your baby is forming brown fat deposits under his or her skin, by the end of pregnancy this will account for 2-6% of their total body weight. This will help them maintain their body temperature when they are born. The baby weighs in at about 5 ounces (142 grams). This means that the baby now weighs more than the placenta. No new structures have formed. Loud noises outside may actually cause the baby to startle.

The Mom
Your uterus is 1.5 to 2 inches below your bellybutton. You are showing more now and have an obvious swelling in your lower abdomen. By this time, expanding or maternity clothing is a must for comforts sake. When your partner gives you a hug, he may feel the difference in your lower abdomen. The rest of your body is still changing. A total 5 to 10 pound gain by this point in your pregnancy is normal. You have felt your baby move, or you will soon. You may not feel it every day. As pregnancy progresses, movements become stronger and probably more frequent.

Who am I? Where was I going? And where did I put that list of things I should remember? Pregnancy brings forgetfulness -- as usual, the culprit is hormones. You’ll get your brain back someday (hopefully, sooner than later!). Remember to laugh and you’ll muddle through. Muddle through what? What were we talking about? Each time you go to the doctor or clinic, they dip a strip of paper in a cup of your urine to measure your blood sugar level. What’s with that blood sugar test, anyway? It’s to make sure you’re not developing gestational diabetes, a condition that affects around one to two percent of all pregnant women. When blood sugar levels are controlled (through diet and sometimes medication), women can have normal pregnancies and normal, healthy babies. On average, most moms are feeling fetal movement by now. Kick, little one, kick!

With more weight up high and out in front of your body, you may feel a bit off-balance as you walk around. Store away your high heels and wear low-heeled shoes to reduce your risk of taking a tumble.You're likely to feel protective of your tummy, and that's good. Trauma to your abdomen could be harmful to your baby and dangerous to you, so be sure to buckle up when you're driving. Keep the lap portion of the seat belt under your belly and very snug across your hips for maximum protection.

Your uterus is now about halfway between your pubic bone and navel. Your secretions all over your body may increase, due to the increased blood volume. So if you are sweating more, have nasal congestion, or are suffering from increased vaginal discharge this is nothing to worry about and will go away after the birth of the baby.