17 Weeks Pregnant - what to expect
Now you're 17 weeks pregnant, this week is all about the baby's first movements, varicose veins, hypnobirthing classes and apricot energy nuggets!
Watch our video to see what your baby looks like this week
The eyes have it this week, as your baby’s eyebrows and eyelashes start to grow, and, beneath those still-fused eyelids, the eyes can now move and detect light. If you could pick your baby up right now, she or he would fit in the palm of your hand.
So what's happening to your body this week?
Is that a fluttering or the after-effects of a cheeky curry? That first time you feel your baby move in your tummy you're actually likely to miss it. I know, but don't worry – you've got months of this to come.
There's no set time when those first stirrings (or popping as some of our mums describe it) will happen, but for most it's between week 17 and week 22.
Occasionally, the movements are masked by the position of your placenta, but that's unusual. Chances are, the butterflies in your tummy will soon turn into gentle (and then less gentle) kicks.
Our MFMer's 17-week bump of the week
Has your bump got noticeably bigger this week? Check out other MFMers' belfies in our 17 week bump gallery.
More like this
Did you know? Your baby's now the length of... a giant cookie
This week, your baby measures 13cm — around the size of a large cookie. Yum!
And is around the weight of... an orange
Your baby now weighs around 5oz (140g)!
4 things you might need to know this week
- Heard of a Mat B1 form? Here's when to get it
- What your baby can hear in the womb
- Varicose veins - a common pregnancy secret
- Is it safe to use hair dye or bleach when you're pregnant?
Tip of the week from our community
“I did hypnobirthing classes from about 20 weeks and they are fantastic. I will definitely do them again this time round. They helped me so much in labour," said Louise, a member of our MadeForMums community.
Is it safe... to fly (and when isn't it)?
Now the barfing has hopefully dried up, do you fancy some warm sun on your face, or a leisurely wander around an exotic city?
If you ignore the UK's fine range of exotic cities, then you're going to need to travel some distance – probably by air.
You can usually fly up as late as 36 weeks (on your way home) – or 32 weeks if you're expecting twins. But do your homework when booking you flights – different airlines have different rules and require different documents.
Our pregnancy recipe for week 17 - Dried fruit energy nuggets
Why apricots are good for your growing baby
Always near the top of any list of pregnancy superfoods, dried apricots punch way above their weight, nutrition-wise. One small handful of these little beauties will, for example, rack up 10% of your daily iron requirement. Dried aprictots also contain folic acid, potassium, calcium, magnesium – and lots of lovely fibre to help ‘unplug’ things that may have got stuck-up.
See the full recipe and get cooking...
Baby namer - what do you think of these traditional Welsh names?
Carys
From the Welsh word caru, Carys means love. Pronounced 'ca riss', this sweet name can also be shortened to Cass.
Celeb baby-name-check: Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones' daughter is named Carys.
Tristan
In the legend of King Arthur, Tristan is the name of one of the knights of the round table.
Celeb baby-name-check: Chris Hemsworth's son is named Tristan.
You can find more inspiration in our Baby Names section.
So that's plenty for this week, want to take a peek at what lies ahead — or look back at last week?
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