Weeks and Trimesters Print Week 17 of Your Pregnancy A look at your body, your baby, and more By Holly Pevzner Updated November 06, 2019 Medically reviewed by Anita Sadaty, MD on November 02, 2019 Your Pregnancy Week by Week Overview First Trimester Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Second Trimester Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Week 17 Week 18 Week 19 Week 20 Week 21 Week 22 Week 23 Week 24 Week 25 Week 26 Week 27 Third Trimester Week 28 Week 29 Week 30 Week 31 Week 32 Week 33 Week 34 Week 35 Week 36 Week 37 Week 38 Week 39 Week 40 Verywell In This Article Table of Contents Expand Symptoms Baby Development Self-Care Tips At Your Doctor’s Office Upcoming Doctor’s Visits Advice for Partners View All Welcome to week 17 of your pregnancy. While your second trimester is less hard on your body than the first and the third, you’ll likely still experience some physical unpleasantries, thanks in part to your growing baby elbowing your organs out of his or her way. Your Trimester: Second trimester Weeks to Go: 23 Verywell Checklist Continue taking prenatal vitamins.Continue drinking about eight to 12 glasses of water a day.Pick up a neti pot; saline spray; or nasal strips, if needed.Restart your exercise routine, if you took a break in previous weeks, tweaking your routine if advised. Symptoms This Week Your baby-to-be is not the only thing moving right now. Your organs are on their own journey, with your uterus now about halfway between your pubic bone and belly button, nudging your intestines up and out toward the side of your abdomen. At the same time, your growing baby may be putting pressure on your sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the body. It branches from your lower back, through your rear end, and down the back of your legs, so when baby pushes on it, you may experience periodic pain anywhere along that pathway. Another unpleasant side effect you may be experiencing right about now: pregnancy rhinitis, a.k.a. pregnancy-related congestion. In fact, it affects about 39 percent of pregnant women, with most cases striking between week 13 and week 21, according to a study published in 2013 in the journal Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. It’s thought that an increase of blood volume and various hormonal shifts cause mucous glands to ramp up production, causing stuffy noses and sneezing fits. Terms to Know: Pregnancy Rhinitis Pregnancy rhinitis simply means pregnancy-related congestion, which typically kicks in between week 13 and week 21. Your Baby's Development Your little 5¾-inches long, 4-ounce baby now weighs more than his or her placenta. At week 17, your baby is beginning to form adipose (fat) tissue. Its main jobs? To store energy, insulate the body, protect organs, and fill out baby’s features (helping him or her look more like you). At the same time, the umbilical cord and placenta are steadily growing. The former is thickening and lengthening to better nourish your baby, while the latter now contains thousands of blood vessels working to deliver nutrients and oxygen from your body to your baby. Remember how the small bones that make up baby’s auditory system were starting to make serious headway a couple of weeks ago? By now, they may be developed enough to actually allow baby to hear your voice, whether you’re singing lullabies or ordering a pizza. Self-Care Tips If pregnancy rhinitis has you sniffling, sneezing, and feeling congested, try using saline spray, a neti pot (a nasal irrigation tool that uses 100 percent saline), and/or wearing a nasal strip at night to help open up your nasal passages. At the same time, sleep with an extra pillow or two under your head to let gravity work on draining your congestion. It’s also best to avoid environmental triggers like chemical fumes and cigarette smoke (good practice regardless). If nothing seems to be working, talk to your healthcare provider about decongestant medication options; an over-the-counter standby may not be advised during pregnancy. A Tip From Verywell If you're experiencing pregnancy-related congestion, try using saline spray, a neti pot, wearing a nasal strip at night, or sleeping with an extra pillow or two. At Your Doctor’s Office Now that energy is likely up, it’s a great time to talk more with your healthcare provider about exercise—or, more specifically, what’s safe and what’s not. For instance, it’s generally recommended that pregnant women avoid contact sports like soccer, as well as physical activities that involve sudden up-and-down movements. Your doctor or midwife can help you determine if your go-to activity is pregnancy-approved. If it’s not, know that it’s still important to find something that works for you. After all, exercise during pregnancy may decrease rates of gestational diabetes and Cesarean section, as well as postpartum recovery time, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Upcoming Doctor’s Visits If you already had chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or an amniocentesis that resulted in inconclusive results, your healthcare provider may offer cordocentesis, also known as percutaneous umbilical blood sampling, after 17 weeks of pregnancy. Cordocentesis is a diagnostic prenatal test in which blood is extracted from the umbilical cord and tested for infection, genetic disorders, and blood conditions. Advice for Partners By the second trimester, your partner may be experiencing heightened sexual desire. (This, however, is not a universal truth. Some women experience the opposite.) Her energy may be up and her level of nausea down, putting her more in the mood than she was before. There’s also an increase in blood flow and fluids to her genital area that can make the clitoris and vagina more sensitive. But know this: Your desire may increase or decrease, as well. While some enjoy the changes happening to their partner’s bodies and feel a stronger sense of connection, others may experience anxiety about harming the baby during intercourse and stress about their upcoming role as a parent. You may also be struggling to adjust to your partner’s changing identity from sexual partner to expectant mother. The most important thing? Talk about it, reserving judgment, and remember that the both of you are adjusting. A Tip From Verywell At this stage, your partner may experience heightened sexual desire. Your desire may increase or decrease as well, and it's important to communicate openly as both of you experience sexual changes. Overview of Pregnancy Week 18 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial policy to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Dzieciolowska-baran E, Teul-swiniarska I, Gawlikowska-sroka A, Poziomkowska-gesicka I, Zietek Z. Rhinitis as a cause of respiratory disorders during pregnancy. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2013;755:213-20. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-4546-9_27 Yau WP, Mitchell AA, Lin KJ, Werler MM, Hernández-Díaz S. Use of decongestants during pregnancy and the risk of birth defects. Am J Epidemiol. 2013;178(2):198–208. doi:10.1093/aje/kws427 ACOG Committee Opinion No. 650: Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period. Obstet Gynecol. 2015;126(6):e135-42. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000001214 Additional Reading American Pregnancy Association. Pregnancy Week 17. http://americanpregnancy.org/week-by-week/17-weeks-pregnant/ National Women's Health Resource Center. Healthywomen.org. Pregnancy & Parenting Second Trimester of Pregnancy: 17 Weeks Pregnant. http://www.healthywomen.org/content/article/17-weeks-pregnant-symptoms-and-signs The Nemours Foundation. Kidshealth.org. Pregnancy Calendar, Week 17. http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/week17.html Continue Reading