Fast Track Catch Up -Week 17

This Pregnant Body
You may notice that you are beginning to have a runny nose more frequently, and feel like you are sweating more than usual. These are all normal at this stage of pregnancy. Remember, since your heart is working harder to pump more blood through your system, your body responds by producing more fluids. All of these fluids should return to normal levels within a few months after you deliver.You will have to start wearing comfortable, non-restrictive clothing soon, if you haven't already. We are luckier than our mothers, because today's maternity clothes and undergarments have much more style and functionality.

Your Baby
Your baby is approximately 4.8 inches long and weighs about 3.5 ounces, and he or she should weigh more than the placenta from this point on. Since your baby's hearing has become more finely tuned, he or she may respond to loud noises and you may feel movement at the sound of large trucks passing or a slamming door. Epidermal (skin) and fatty tissue are developing all over your baby's body to protect it after it is born and a substance called vernix is beginning to form on the skin tissue to protect it from the long exposure to amniotic fluid.