Your belly is continuing to expand and grow. As your uterus expands, it will begin to squish your other organs around, rearranging them a bit.

The placenta has fully formed now. Your body was expending a lot of energy making it. Now that it is complete you may find that you have quite a bit more energy.

On average, most women will have gained 5-10 pounds by this stage in their pregnancy.

You may be noticing changes in your skin tone. Most pregnant women, about 90% will experience skin darkening. You may experience some mild darkening of your skin on your face. You may notice a darkening of the white line that goes from your navel to your pubic hair. You may also experience darkening in your arm pits, nipples, navel, inner thighs and perineum.

Moles, freckles and skin blemishes may darken also. If you have changes in moles or have new moles develop during your pregnancy it is a good idea to have them checked by your doctor. Moles that appear during pregnancy are usually due to growth hormones in the body, and generally are not the types linked to skin cancer. However, it is always best to err on the side of caution and have them looked at.

How Big is Your Baby?

Your baby is about 6 inches long. It weighs about 4 ounces. It has been 15 weeks since conception.

What Does a Fetus Look Like at 17 Weeks?

Here we answer the question – –15 weeks since conception.  Video of fetus in the womb

Ultrasound video of a baby at 17 weeks (15 since conception) in the womb. Video Click here

How is Your Baby Developing?

Your baby is continuing to develop hair on its scalp and eyebrows. Your baby is also covered with a very fine layer of hair called lanugo over its whole body. Also a protective white substance, called vernix caseosa, now covers the fetus The eyes and ears are now in their permanent positions.

Your baby is developing brown fat under the skin. This is a fat that helps your baby stay warm after birth.

Your baby’s hearing is beginning to develop.

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

You may begin experiencing sciatic nerve pain or round ligament pain. The sciatic nerve can cause pain in the legs. It can develop due to pressure on the nerve from your developing baby.

The round ligaments are attached to the uterus and the pelvis. During pregnancy they get stretched and pulled on. This can result in pain on one or both sides of your pelvis, hips and groin.

For both of these problems, try to make sure that you take frequent breaks from sitting or standing. Also, move slowly when transitioning from a sitting position to standing up. Changing positions after being in a position too long is a frequent trigger. Sometimes lying down for a short time can ease the discomfort.