17 Weeks Pregnant: Belly, Symptoms, Baby Size & More | BabyCenter

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Pregnancy Week by Week

1617 weeks pregnant18

Medically reviewed by Layan Alrahmani, M.D., ob-gyn, MFM

Written by Marcella Gates | Nov 4, 2025In this article

Baby development at 17 weeks
Pregnancy symptoms in week 17
Pregnancy checklist for week 17
17 weeks pregnant bellies

Highlights this week

Your baby can hear you

Between 16 and 22 weeks, your baby will start to hear sounds inside your body, including the noises made by your heartbeat, breathing, and digestion.

Better sleep

Resting easier in the second trimester? Enjoy it – and switch to sleeping on your side soon if you haven't already. Side sleeping places the least pressure on your veins and internal organs, ensuring the best blood flow to the uterus. That means your baby will get maximum nutrients and oxygen.

Maternity pictures

Make sure to capture photos of your beautiful pregnant self. Whether you have a professional photographer, a friend, or your partner take photos, here are some great maternity picture ideas.

You can also track your growing bump week by week in the BabyCenter app using the Bumpie tool – it's a fun way to create a keepsake of your pregnancy journey.

Baby development at 17 weeks

Your baby's bones

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone. Support your baby's bone health (and your own) by eating calcium-rich foods. Getting enough calcium also reduces your risk of hypertension and preeclampsia.

The umbilical cord

The umbilical cord – your baby's lifeline to the placenta – is growing stronger and thicker. By the end of pregnancy, it will be 19 to 24 inches long and an inch thick. The umbilical cord delivers nutrients to your baby and ferries away waste products.

Your baby's skin

Sweat glands are starting to develop. And by next week, the layers of your baby's skin will be fully formed.

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The umbilical cord, your baby's lifeline, is now thicker and stronger
Your baby's pancreas is making insulin
Cartilage in your baby's skeleton is hardening into bone

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Your baby is about the size of a turnip

length8.03inches

head to toeweight6.38ounces

Pregnancy symptoms during week 17

Weird itching? Wild cravings? That one random cramp? Every twinge, stretch, and craving is your body’s way of keeping you in the loop. Use the Symptom Tracker tool in the BabyCenter app to log what you’re feeling — it helps you spot patterns, share details with your provider, and stay more in tune with your body as things shift week to week. Here’s what you might notice during week 17.

Dizziness

Feeling a little lightheaded or like the room is spinning? This is a common symptom during the second trimester and is most likely due to normal pregnancy-related cardiovascular changes (a higher heart rate, bigger blood vessels to accommodate an increased blood volume, and temporary changes in circulation). Here's how to handle feeling dizzy during pregnancy.

Vision changes

You may notice your vision seems blurrier and your eyes are drier. Strange though this seems, vision changes are common during pregnancy. Pregnancy changes in hormones, metabolism, fluid retention, and blood circulation can all affect your eyes and eyesight. These changes are usually minor and will go away after you have your baby. Sometimes vision changes can be caused by a more serious condition, though, so talk to your doctor or midwife if you have blurry vision, double vision, temporary loss of vision, or anything else unusual.

Itchy skin

Mild itching is a normal pregnancy skin problem. You may feel it especially around your breasts and belly where the skin is stretching a lot. Sometimes eczema worsens during pregnancy, also making for itchiness. For relief, try applying an ice pack or a cold compress to the itchy area, moisturize using fragrance-free lotion (refrigerate the lotion first for extra cooling), or take a warm oatmeal bath. Be sure to call your healthcare provider if you're very itchy or if you develop a new rash.

Stretch marks

Try not to worry if little indented lines crop up on your breasts, belly, or behind – many women get stretch marks during pregnancy, and they tend to fade postpartum. Stretch marks are genetic, so they're more likely to show up on your skin if your mother or sister have them. You can apply a good lotion or stretch mark cream to relieve itchiness, and try to gain weight slowly and stick to the recommended amount of pregnancy weight gain to reduce your chances of getting stretch marks. But generally there's not much you can do to stop these badges of motherhood from appearing.

Weird dreams

Your pregnancy dreams may get extra strange, thanks to hormones and intense emotions. Vivid dreams, sex dreams, and nightmares are all normal. Reflecting on your dreams can give you information about your emotional state, and they may be interesting to look back on later. Write down your wildest dreams as soon as you wake up, before you forget them.

Constipation

Unfortunately, constipation during pregnancy tends to pop up a lot due to hormonal changes and your expanding uterus. Iron supplements and prenatal vitamins can add to the problem. To prevent and ease constipation, make sure to drink plenty of water, eat high-fiber foods, and exercise regularly. You can also talk to your provider about taking a stool softener or magnesium, and perhaps switching your prenatal vitamin to one with less iron.

me: comfy in bed ready to drift off to sleep, bladder: that’s cute

Track your symptoms – and everything else. Get the BabyCenter app to watch your baby grow and unlock personalized insights.Start tracking todayOpens a new window baby in body at 17 weeks

Your growing belly may cause you to be off balance
Blood pressure changes can make you dizzy, so don't stand up too fast

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Pregnancy checklist at 17 weeks pregnant

Try some relaxation techniques

Deep breathing, guided imagery, prenatal yoga and massage, and progressive muscle relaxation can help you stay on an even keel and even sleep better. Try practicing these relaxation techniques now – they may be important tools to navigate early parenthood.

Learn the best way to buckle up

It's extra important to wear your seat belt during pregnancy – and to buckle up the right way. Secure the lap portion low under your belly and snug across your hip bones, and position the shoulder harness snugly between your breasts and off to the side of your belly. If you get in a car accident, even a fender bender, let your healthcare provider know right away.

Get meal planning help

Eating well during pregnancy is crucial to support your growing baby and get the nutrients you both need. But it's easy to feel overwhelmed by pregnancy nutrition advice and worry that your diet will never measure up. Don't worry: There are a few simple, online tools to help with pregnancy meal planning. You can also check out our list of the best foods for pregnancy and try these healthy pregnancy recipes.

Wear sunscreen

To avoid changes in skin pigmentation during pregnancy (called melasma or chloasma), be sure to wear sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher whenever you're outdoors, even on cloudy days. Sun exposure intensifies pigment changes, so you may also want to wear a wide-brimmed hat and avoid being in direct sunlight between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when the sun is strongest. See which pregnancy-safe sunscreens and other skin products are best to use.

17 weeks pregnant bellies

Has your bump finally popped? If so, make sure you're taking plenty of bump photos and you've announced your pregnancy before it gets too awkward. Some people will be fine with finding out over social media or through the grapevine, but your long-distance friends and relatives may want to hear from you directly.

As your belly grows, you may also want to be prepared to handle rude comments and belly-touchers. Try to never take anything personally: What someone says has more to do with them than you. To shut down unwanted belly pats or rubs, it's best to be concise and firm: "Please don't" or "No thank you" should do the trick.

This week's video

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Sources

BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies.

ACOG. 2024. How your fetus grows during pregnancy. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/how-your-fetus-grows-during-pregnancyOpens a new window [Accessed August 2024]

Cleveland Clinic. 2024. Fetal Development: Stages of Growth. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7247-fetal-development-stages-of-growthOpens a new window [Accessed August 2024]

Mayo Clinic. 2022. Fetal development: The 2nd trimester. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/fetal-development/art-20046151Opens a new window [Accessed August 2024]

MedlinePlus (ADAM). 2023. Fetal development. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002398.htmOpens a new window [Accessed August 2024]

Hadlock FP et al. 1991. In utero analysis of fetal growth: A sonographic weight standard. Radiology 181 (1). https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiology.181.1.1887021Opens a new window [Accessed August 2024]

Hadlock FP et al. 1992. Fetal cross-rump length: Reevaluation of relation to menstrual age (5-18 weeks) with high-resolution real-time US. Radiology 182: 5-1-505. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1732970/Opens a new window [Accessed August 2024]

Vintzileos AM et al. 1984. The ultrasound femur length as a predictor of fetal length. Obstetrics & Gynecology 64(6): 779-82. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6390277/Opens a new window [Accessed August 2024]

Hadlock FP 1984. Estimating fetal age: Computer-assisted analysis of multiple fetal growth parameters. Radiology 152: 497-501. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6739822/Opens a new window [Accessed August 2024]

Marcella Gates

Marcella Gates is Director of Content Operations at BabyCenter, the world's number one digital parenting resource, and is an expert on pregnancy and parenting. As a mom of three, she loves that her professional life is focused on supporting and empowering parents and expecting parents. Gates lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.

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