17 weeks pregnant
Our guide to your 17th week of pregnancy
Your Baby
Lung development is moving into its crucial stages. Your baby will still be breathing amniotic fluid, but will be hiccupping regularly to build stronger muscles in the airway.
At almost 13cm long, your baby is now really starting to grow. But it’s in the weight department where some of the biggest changes are happening. Your baby should now weigh around 140 grams. Four weeks ago it was just 28 grams.
As your baby puts on weight it will need a stronger skeleton to support itself. This week, your baby’s flexible cartilage skeleton will start to harden and feel more like bone, although the skull will not fuse until early adulthood.
You
Your target weight gain for your second trimester is around 5.5kg to 9kg. If you suffered badly from morning sickness you may well be on the lower end of scale. Don’t worry; your body is quite capable of telling you when you need to eat more.
This week you could really start to crave certain foods that may seem alien or odd to you. Strangely, many women claim they crave things they detested before pregnancy, with things like marmite and peanut butter being common pregnancy food lusts. Just remember to keep your snacks as healthy as possible.
Aside from the extra weight you are carrying you probably feel pretty good this week and are enjoying getting to know the kicks and wriggles of your baby inside your uterus.
Constipation
Britons are quite embarrassed to talk about constipation, but it is a common side effect of pregnancy. Some women don’t have too much of a problem, while others suffer quite badly. The problem can come and go or remain a constant factor throughout the nine months.
It is caused by a relaxing of the muscles of the intestine as a result of the production of the pregnancy hormone progesterone. Iron supplements, prescribed if you are at risk of becoming or already are anaemic, are another possible cause.
The treatments are much the same as for any bout of constipation. Prune juice and dried fruit are cost effective and natural ways of battling constipation. They will help the food pass more smoothly through your digestive system. They also contain lots of iron so you can reduce your iron tablet intake.
Fruit and vegetables are rich in both iron and fibre. Nuts, seeds and whole grains are packed with digestion aiding ingredients also including fibre.
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