Second Trimester
🍐
Week 17: Growing Stronger
Your baby's skeleton is transforming from soft cartilage to bone. Fat stores are beginning to develop under the skin, and sweat glands are forming.
Your baby is the size of a...
🍐 Pear!
Length13 cm
Weight140 g
Week17 of 40
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👶 Baby Development
- ✓Cartilage is hardening into bone throughout the skeleton
- ✓Fat begins accumulating under the skin
- ✓Sweat glands are developing
- ✓Umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger
- ✓Baby can move all joints
- ✓Unique fingerprints are fully formed
💊 Common Symptoms
- •Growing belly and shifting center of gravity
- •Increased appetite — eating for two!
- •Sciatic nerve pain may develop
- •Stretch marks may begin appearing
- •Increased vaginal discharge
- •Feeling baby movements (if not already)
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✅ To-Do This Week
- Start using stretch mark prevention cream or oil
- Invest in supportive shoes (your center of gravity is changing)
- Begin researching parenting philosophies and books
- Set up a college savings account (529 plan)
- Practice good posture to reduce back pain
- Take a prenatal class with your partner
🩺 Questions for Your Doctor
- ?Is sciatic pain normal and how can I manage it?
- ?Are stretch marks preventable?
- ?How is the baby's bone development?
- ?Should I be concerned about round ligament pain?
- ?Is my fundal height measurement normal?
- ?When should I start thinking about a birth plan?
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