Week Fifteen of Pregnancy

Week 15 Of Your Baby’s Development!

Your baby is the size of a large peach

Baby is about 4 inches long (about the size of a large peach) and his body is fairly in proportion now so he looks more human than he did during the first trimester! A fine growth of hair (lanugo) covers baby’s skin and keeps him/her warm. Once he begins to put on fat, this hair will disappear because it is no longer needed. Some babies, especially premature ones, have this lanugo even when they are born but in most cases it disappears quickly.

Your little one is busy practicing swallowing, breathing and sucking skills so that he can take on the world as soon as he is born. The most magical thing at this stage is that you can get baby to respond to certain things like light. The eyes are still shut but through the eyelids baby can sense light so if you shine a bright torch upon your belly you may sense baby shift away from it. Not long now until your baby will be able to hear you from inside the womb, allowing you to bond even further!

Week 15 Of Your Health, Mind & Body Changes

By this time, many expectant moms officially have a visible pregnant belly or ‘baby bump’, especially if it’s your second pregnancy . If you haven’t announced your pregnancy yet, you may be getting some curious looks or even questions.

One of the more noticeable changes you may see now is the appearance of the linea nigra, a light-dark brown line running down the baby bump. It may come later in pregnancy, or for some women, not at all. It does fade away a few months after the birth.

Now that your bump is more evident, you may need to change positions to accommodate it when you are doing your regular exercise. It’s a good idea to get into the habit now, of rolling out of bed to your side, instead of sitting up in a crunch position using your ab muscles. This new way will help protect your back as your ab muscles start to separate to accomodate your growing baby and uterus.

Try this: Now is a good time for a dental checkup because you are more prone to problems like gingivitis during pregnancy. Red, swollen gums means you need to pay a visit to your dentist.

You should ideally be gaining about a pound a week at this stage if you started your pregnancy at a healthy weight (remember baby is growing at a rapid pace now). But of course, every pregnancy is different and your obstetrician, midwife or doctor will be able to tell you if there are concerns with your weight gain at your antenatal appointments.

Headaches, varicose veins, indigestion and heartburn are all very common at this stage.

Plus, you may notice that you are absent minded more than usual. Yes, this is because of your pregnancy too and ‘baby brain’ is indeed a real thing!

Week 15 Of Your Next Steps!

• To accommodate your baby bump during driving, position the seat belt underneath your bump and the upper part of the belt over it and in between your breasts. Moving the steering wheel further away when getting in and out of the car can help as it’s normal for this everyday action to become more difficult as your bump grows.
• Round ligament pain is normal (which occurs because of the uterine ligaments pulling in your lower abdomen). However, if it gets too severe, contact your doctor.
• Keep up with your exercise as and when it feels comfortable to do so, it will help blood circulation and thus help control any varicose veins too.