Excelerated Growth Continues in Week 17...

Antoinette's uterus is now clearly able to be felt just 1.5 to 2 inches below her navel, feeling more or less like a hard grapefruit in there. 5-10 pounds of weight gain is average for a new Mother at this point, although I believe Antoinette is on the short end of that figure. We have also reached the "baggy is better" clothing stage that sits between normal clothes and maternity clothes. Mom is pretty sure she has felt her baby move, but the "moving" is not consistent quite yet, so we're not positive that's really what it is. Feeling daily moving is not normal at this point since its so early in that early movement stage. It is normal for Antoinette's gums and nose to bleed at this point due to the dramatically increased blood volume in her body putting increased pressure into her capillaries and blood vessels, but we haven't seen this happen yet either. For the baby, that chubby baby brown fat begins to appear. The baby will continue to get chubbier from here on out. The fat is critical for heat production and body metabolism. At this point, the baby will have just half a percent of fat tissue making up its body, but at the time of its birth, the baby will consist of nearly 70% fat tissue. The placenta, not wanting to be left behind by a rapidly developing baby, continues to strain to keep pace, growing itself at a rapid pace. While it will never be bigger than the baby again, it will be a healthy 1 pound at birth. It is a massive network of blood vessels acting as a nutrient and waste highway for the baby. As you can tell by the picture, in just 4 months, this baby has come a long way from the multi celled zygote that it began as just 15 short weeks ago (remember, pregnancy weeks are measured from the first day of the last cycle, not from fertilization, which may take place technically, at week 2 of pregnancy). While it looks human, it is still very small and could easily fit in the palm of your hand. At birth, the baby will be about 30 times its present size in this photo, in terms of body weight. Notice the placental mass to the right of the baby, the umbilical piercing the amniotic sac, and the head that has reached a realistic proportion to the body size. This picture of a 4 month old fetus debuted in LIFE Magazine in 1965. An issue of LIFE cost just 35 cents. This baby is now over 40 years old.