17 Weeks Pregnant – What to Expect Your 17th Week of Pregnancy

by Claire October 15, 2015, 4:17 am 2k Views 34 Comments

At week 17 your little one weighs about three and a half ounces and is about the size of your palm (or about five inches long). Not only that but your little ones body fat is starting to accumulate, and their fingerprints are starting form.

The journey is about to get even more interesting!

It might be time for a high-five, because that’s how big your baby is this week – the size of your open palm! At a less-than-whopping three and a half ounces, your little one is starting to layer on some body fat, though she’s got a long way to go before she’s anywhere approaching plump.

From here on out your baby will accumulate fat until it makes up about one-third of her weight. That means, by the time she makes her big debut, this skinny Minnie will be a relatively chubby cherub. But she’s not all lightweight. This week marks the first time your baby is bigger in size than the placenta that’s nourishing her. Now that’s something to brag about!

In other news, baby’s feisty little ticker is going full speed ahead thanks to another development this week. Until now, your wee one’s heartbeat was spontaneous and irregular. Now, her brain is in the driver’s seat, regulating her heart rate to 140 or 150 beats per minute. Take a listen. That steady sound will make your own heart sing.

Regularity is the name of the game these days as your precocious pupil is hard at work honing some key skills for her big debut. That includes making up and down movements of the chest wall in preparation for breathing actual air when the time comes. Sucking and swallowing sessions also make up a good part of her daily schedule now. And that’s a good thing! This way she won’t miss a beat when it’s time for that first delicious mom-made meal.

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Written by Claire

Claire is our Community Manager here at New Moms Forum. A mom of two (almost grown-up babies), Claire has been building and operating community-based websites for almost 20 years. In her downtime, Claire enjoys spending time with her family and drinking copious amounts of red wine!