Pregnancy Week 17 & 18

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Your Pregnancy Week 17

What is happening with your baby at pregnancy week 17?^1,2

• The big news of the week is that you may start to feel your baby move.

Plus…

• your baby's eyes can move, although they'll stay shut for now
• they can react to loud noises
• their mouth can open and close
• fingernails are starting to grow
• Your baby will have their own unique fingerprints. Even identical twins have different fingerprints.
   

How big is your baby?

Your baby is about the size of a pomegranate and the weight of a ball of mozzarella.¹
 

Your Body²

• You may notice that your breasts have changed considerably since your pregnancy began.
• Hormones are preparing your breasts for milk production — more blood is flowing to the breasts, and the glands that produce milk are growing in preparation for breastfeeding.
• This can increase your breast size (many women increase one to two cup sizes) and make veins become visible.
• Buy supportive bras in a few different sizes to manage your breast growth during pregnancy.
   

Your Pregnancy Week 18

You are almost to the half-way point!
 

What is happening with your baby when you are 18 weeks pregnant?^3,4

• Your baby's reflexes are developing this week – and on the agenda will be hearing, feeling, swallowing and sucking.
• They will also be doing a lot of wriggling around and moving their little arms and legs.

How big is your baby?

• Your baby is approximately the size and weight of a sweet red pepper.³
   

Your Body³

• You might be starting to feel a bit clumsier as your belly gets bigger. Your breasts may have gone up a size, too, particularly if it's your first pregnancy.
• Your blood pressure is probably a bit lower than it was, so don't leap up from the sofa, or it could make you feel dizzy.
• Your baby has been moving around for the past couple of months, but you wouldn't have noticed because they were so small. Now, you might start to feel some movement – it's like a bubbling or fluttering inside your belly.
• You may also notice a line down your stomach, called 'black line'. This is normal skin pigmentation and nothing to worry about. It will probably vanish a few months after your baby's born.
   

Tips for Tips for making your pregnancy better

• Coping with headaches in pregnancy
  • Enjoy a soothing head massage. You don't need special oils - just ask your partner or a family member to gently massage your scalp and neck while you sit upright on a chair. Research shows that regular head massages can reduce headaches by easing stress and relaxing the muscles that go into spasm.¹
  • You can also make changes to your lifestyle to try and help prevent and treat headaches. Try to:⁵
    • drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration
    • get enough sleep
    • rest and relax – you could try a pregnancy yoga class, for example
• This is a good week for planning and getting things done. Make a 'to do' list and start ticking things off – it's amazingly therapeutic. Put 'me time' on the list, in case you forget that you're important too.³
• You're probably busting out of your usual clothes – so get yourself something 'new' that will make you look and feel good.³
   

References:

1. NHS. Start 4 life. Week-by-week guide to pregnancy. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/pregnancy/week-by-week/2nd-trimester/week-17/#anchor-tabs. Last accessed at: 24/10/2021
2. Nemours KidsHealth. Parents: Week 17. Available at: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/week17.html. Last accessed at: 24.10.2021
3. NHS. Start 4 life. Week-by-week guide to pregnancy. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/pregnancy/week-by-week/2nd-trimester/week-17/#anchor-tabs. Last accessed at: 24/10/2021
4. Nemours KidsHealth. Parents: Week 18. Available at: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/week18.html.  Last accessed at: 24/10/2021
5. NHS. Headaches in pregnancy. Page last reviewed: 08 April 2021. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/related-conditions/common-symptoms/headaches/.   Last accessed at: 24.10.2021.