Pregnancy Calendar – Week Seventeen

During this week, your baby will measure five inches long (head to bottom) and weigh about four ounces—that’s almost as big as your hand! The baby’s weight will double in the next few weeks, and this rapid growth will allow the body to catch up with the head. The buds of your little one’s baby teeth have formed, and the permanent teeth buds are beginning to develop. The skin is continuing to grow layers, and fat begins to form this week. Your baby’s sex is now recognizable during an ultrasound exam, and you may be able to see your baby’s facial expressions.

Many women find that the intensity of their sex drive varies throughout the nine months of pregnancy. If you had noticed a decrease in your sexual feelings during your first trimester, you may find that you are “in the mood” more often now. Sex can be especially enjoyable during the second trimester, because increased blood flow to your pelvic area can mean greater sensitivity and enjoyment. Sex may feel different to you than it did prior to becoming pregnant, so if something doesn’t feel physically or emotionally right to you or your partner, be willing to change what you are doing. The fluctuations in your sexual interest may stabilize, although they are unlikely to return to pre-pregnancy levels until several months after the baby is born. If your pregnancy is high risk, or if you have any questions at all, ask for guidance from your health care provider.

When people find out you are pregnant, almost everyone wants to offer advice about your pregnancy—what to do, what not to do, what to eat, what not to eat, etc. Sometimes this advice is different from your professional care provider’s recommendations. While uninvited suggestions can be annoying, try to remember that people get excited about a baby-to-be, and they usually mean well. Responding with a simple “Thanks, that’s something to think about,” should be sufficient. Don’t feel you need to explain your decisions. (For more on this topic, see: “Advice From Veteran Moms.”)

Hot Topic: Skin Discoloration

You may notice certain areas of your skin becoming darker. Hormones cause areas of your skin that contain a lot of pigmentation (freckles, moles, areolas) to darken during pregnancy. You may develop a dark line, called the linea nigra, below your bellybutton down the center of your abdomen. Chloasma, or “the mask of pregnancy,” appears on the face as darker patches of skin like a mask on the cheeks, the bridge of the nose, or the neck. Sunlight intensifies areas of the skin that are already pigmented, so in intense sunlight, keep your skin covered or use sun block. These changes usually fade and eventually go away after birth. (Click here for a review on a cream to get rid of stretch marks and the linea nigra: “Vita-K Stretch Mark Cream.”)

Fast Fact:  Remember that doing your kegel exercises every day will strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.


Eating for Two: Light Dessert