Week 17 is the second trimester of pregnancy. The period when a woman is most calm and peaceful. Hormones have already stopped raging in the body, and the feeling of the severity of the upcoming birth will not arise very soon.
What happens to the fetus at 17 obstetric weeks?
A baby living in a belly can grow up to 17 centimeters tall. And its weight varies on average from 120 to 170 grams. The fetus is 14 weeks old at this point. Visually, you can compare a child with the open palm of an adult.
At this time, the main tasks of the unborn child are the accumulation of its own subcutaneous fat and the mineralization of the skeleton. In a small body, fat does not look like in an adult. Rather, it is even a prototype - a thin strip that will be responsible for heat transfer. And the baby's skin is covered with a special original lubricant, which performs a protective function.
At this stage, a special tissue is formed on milk teeth - dentin. Later, enamel will be formed on it. That is why the expectant mother needs to consume food containing calcium. At the same time, in the diet, you need to lean towards calcium-containing products of plant origin. The following foods should be present in the diet of a pregnant woman:
- Legumes and grains (all types of cereals, beans, lentils, beans and others).
- Olives.
- White cabbage.
- Broccoli.
- Tomatoes.
- Leaf salad.
If in the diet of the expectant mother there are too few products containing calcium, then she may be surprised to note that her own teeth will become brittle and sensitive. But it's not only worth eating calcium-containing foods to avoid problems in your own health. If you limit the intake of calcium into the body, then the baby can be born weak, and its development will be slow. In addition, the first teeth erupted in a baby are likely to be unstable and may undergo early caries.
In addition to the above, during this period, the baby undergoes the following changes:
- Elongation of the arms and legs. The baby's arms are about 4 centimeters long.
- The child's hearing aid is fully formed.
- The whole body is covered with lanugo. On the closed eyelids of the baby, cilia have already grown.
- The development of the bronchi occurs. Now they look like thin branches of trees.
- Already, meconium, the original feces, begins to form in the baby's intestines.
- If a girl is born, then at this stage she already has the formation of the uterus.
The 17th week of pregnancy is also significant in that the baby begins to produce interferon and immunoglobulin. The baby's immune system begins to work on its own. And the child can independently protect himself from various kinds of infections.
The baby's heart is already fully formed and is working at full capacity, pumping about 24 liters of blood per day.
At this time, the baby is already quite active. All his movements are fully coordinated. In addition, a woman can be sure that her child is already able to do the following:
- Listen to various kinds of sounds both in the mother's body and outside.
- Swallow amnitotic fluid. And sometimes the baby can swallow too much liquid and subsequently begins to hiccup.
- Move quickly inside the fetal bladder.
The state of the expectant mother in the fifth month of pregnancy
At the seventeenth week, a woman's tummy, if it was not full before pregnancy, is already visible to others. If the expectant mother had magnificent forms, then now the stomach may not yet be expressed, but she will no longer be able to draw it in. An interesting fact is that a thin woman's belly may also not be very pronounced yet.
The woman's uterus is already quite large and is located at the level of 4-5 centimeters below the navel. At each appointment, the obstetrician-gynecologist who leads the pregnancy must probe the height of the fundus of the uterus and listen to the baby's heartbeat using a special device.
The overall weight gain is on average about 3 kilograms. And this weight does not go only into the growing belly. Its distribution occurs fairly evenly throughout the body of a woman expecting a baby. This creates a fat reserve that will be needed after childbirth, when the mother will breastfeed the baby.
In general, the 17th week of pregnancy is a period of calm and serenity in a woman's life. Insomnia should be gone by this time. Irritability and nervousness should also have remained in the first trimester. The woman is still working, but very soon the long-awaited maternity leave will come, when the most important thoughts will be preparing for the birth of a baby and choosing diapers.
Toxicosis is also a thing of the past. By this time, it should be completely gone. If nausea is still the same companion of the pregnant woman, then it is necessary to report this to the doctor.
The expectant mother at this time may feel increased sweating. This is due to the additional load on all systems of a pregnant woman.
The 17th week of pregnancy is the moment when a woman can feel the first tremors of her baby. Now they look like light touches inside the abdomen, rather than full-fledged movements. Some have likened this sensation to touching a butterfly's wing.
What should a pregnant woman pay attention to at week 17?
To replace toxicosis in a woman, edema may appear. It is necessary to tell the gynecologist about this. Perhaps the swelling manifested itself due to malfunctioning of the kidneys and the doctor will prescribe special diuretics.
If previously there was a problem with the teeth, now the teeth need to be treated urgently.
In addition to a lack of calcium at this time, a woman may feel general weakness and dizziness. Sometimes the condition is exacerbated by fainting. In this case, it is necessary to donate blood to the hemoglobin level. If it is lowered, then it is necessary to include products that increase it. If this does not help, then the doctor may prescribe special drugs.
A woman may experience discomfort in the abdomen and lower back. This is due to the fast growing uterus. It is also worth telling the doctor about such sensations. He will give advice on how to relieve pain. Most often, no-shpa is prescribed. But if the pain is spasmodic or is assessed as strong and acute, then an ambulance must be called. Most likely this is a sign of placental abruption and urgent measures need to be taken.
The same goes for secretions. If suddenly, for some reason, bloody or brown discharge occurs, you must immediately call an ambulance and go to the hospital for treatment.
What tests should a woman take at 17 weeks of pregnancy?
At the seventeenth week, the woman should be asked to undergo a second trimester screening. It is also called a triple or quadruple test. In addition, the second prenatal screening includes an extended ultrasound examination.
A woman must donate blood for the following indicators:
- HCG.
- AFP.
- Free estriol.
- Inhibin A.
Some laboratories, due to their insufficient equipment, take blood only for the first two indicators. But they are also quite informative.
After the biochemical blood counts are obtained, the woman is assigned for an ultrasound scan. A specialist on examination can determine if the child has abnormalities in the development of the gastric tract, heart defects, liver, brain and spinal cord defects, defects in the development of the baby's limbs, the presence of facial clefts. If any of the abnormalities was identified by a doctor, then in most cases it cannot be cured and doctors recommend terminating the pregnancy.
In addition to visual abnormalities, an ultrasound doctor can detect certain markers that speak of the child's chromosomal abnormalities. This could be:
- Polyhydramnios and low water.
- The size of the nasal bone is below normal.
- Delayed development.
- Pyelectasis.
- The length of the long bone is too short.
- Ventriculomegaly and more.
If suddenly any of the markers was discovered by a doctor, then the woman is sent to the medical genetic center, where the diagnosis is confirmed or denied.
