Your Pregnancy Week 17
Baby
Your baby is now about the size of a turnip! She is roughly 5 inches long and weighs 5 ounces now. That's even more than the placenta weighs.
Though no new structures have formed this week, she has developed fat deposits under her skin that will account for about 2-6% of her total body weight at her time of birth, just 23 weeks from now!
Her skeleton, which up until this point has been made up of flexible cartilage, is now hardening into bone. Another exciting event…her sense of hearing begins to develop this week!
Mom
Feeling off-balance this week? Now that your little one is measuring in at about 5 inches, chances are you have more weight higher up and out in front of your body than you are used to. It may be time to put away those high heels and put on some cute new flats. If nothing else, it's a good excuse to go shopping!
Where do I put my seatbelt? Not sure where to place your seatbelt now that you have a little belly? Keep the lap portion of the belt under your belly, and be sure that it is snug against your hips. Trauma to your abdomen could be harmful to your baby, so it's important to always wear your safety belt while driving.
Speaking of driving, it might be a good time to test-drive some names for your little one. If you're having trouble deciding on a name, or having trouble getting your partner to agree with a name you love, there's still hope! The birth is still some months away and feelings towards certain names might change before then. If you’re stuck on picking a name, try the following exercise.
You and your partner should each come up with a list of about 5-10 names. Trade lists, and try not to automatically reject any name. Take turns talking about what you like and dislike about each of the names and maybe most importantly, try saying them aloud. After discussing the names, you might find that the name you love is the name of an ex-flame or a childhood pet and it might be easier to understand why your partner rejected it. Try not to make any decisions about the names until you revisit the lists in about a week's time. Who knows, maybe after a week, a name that you initially rejected might start to grow on you, or a name you were absolutely set on might not feel like such a good fit.
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