A few weeks ago, you were blessed with the sound of the baby's heartbeat in your womb. In the seventeenth week pregnancy, you can feel the child move inside you. At first, expecting mothers might not recognize the movement inside their body and therefore might have a tendency to ignore the initial movements. Slightly overweight moms might not feel the child this early, however those who have already given birth before know how its feels and therefore can recognize the movements sooner. Thinner moms might feel the baby move even earlier than week 17.
The movements are primarily due to the muscular developments the child is undergoing. Other vital developments in the child during this week include the formation of brown fat deposits under the skin (this helps maintain the body temperature of the child during the birth and soon after), the baby's size has also increased to generally around 5 inches by now and the placenta is growing thicker every week.
Week 17 suggests that you hide away all your heels for the weeks ahead. As for the physical changes, the uterus is now between your pubic bone and navel. The baby's movements known as quickening are now experienced and act as an important determinant of the pregnancy due date calculation. The feeling is compared to having butterflies in the stomach and is therefore also referred to as fluttering. The heart continues to pump at an increased rate and few soon-to-be mothers might also notice increased vaginal discharge as the pregnancy stages continue. If you notice these changes, simply lay back and relax as they are normal and will fade away after birth. The biggest gift of 17th week pregnancy is that it takes you another week closer to your baby.