17 Weeks

You are now 17 weeks pregnant (or in your 18th week if that's how you prefer to count it).

Your baby is now nearly 11.1cm long from crown to rump and weighs about 140g. His skeleton is mostly rubbery cartilage, which will harden later. A protective substance called myelin slowly begins to wrap around the spinal cord (Visembryo 2006).

With the help of a special stethoscope, you can now hear your baby's heartbeat. There's almost nothing more comforting or exciting than hearing your baby's heartbeat galloping along. For times when boredom strikes and you feel as if you'll be pregnant forever, it can be a pleasant reminder of what will come at the end of 40 weeks of waiting.

Your expanding uterus (womb) where your baby is developing has shifted your centre of gravity and you've probably been feeling a bit off-kilter. Be careful and wear low-heeled shoes. Finding it hard to settle when you go to bed?

If you haven't had an amniocentesis yet and plan to, this week is a good time. One perk: you'll get a long look at your baby through the ultrasound scan used during this procedure.

First-time mums often start to feel their baby's movements around now. Many women report that the first sensations are fluttery or like butterflies in the stomach. Unfortunately, your partner won't be able to share in your excitement just yet - real kicking doesn't usually start for a month or so.

As your body gently expands, you may feel less than glamorous. Take some time to feel good about your changing body in the coming weeks. Even if you don't feel attractive, your partner probably still finds you a turn-on - some men find the roundness that pregnancy gives to women's figures very appealing. It's quite safe to have sex right up until your waters break, provided there is no medical reason not to, such as bleeding. Some women find that their libido increases during pregnancy while others go right off making love - it's quite normal either way.

You may also notice that the areola, the darkish area around your nipples, is getting larger as your breasts expand. It's a harmless side effect of pregnancy but it may last as long as 12 months after the birth. You may have noticed other skin changes such as the linea nigra and the mask of pregnancy; both of which will also fade after the baby is born.