Your dream child at 17th week
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Most of the women enjoy the middle 3 months of pregnancy because they have fun of looking pregnant without feeling cumbersome. Once your dream child starts to move you will feel reassured that everything is alright, and have even more confidence in your pregnancy. At this week if the baby you are expecting is a boy, his testosterone levels will have peaked between 12 to 16 weeks gestation, not only affecting the development of his sexual organs but also that of his brain.

Development

  • Loud noises can easily startle your baby as their sense of hearing is progressing rapidly.
  • The bones are fully formed.
  • The ears have moved into their final resting spot on the sides of the head.
  • Speaking of the head, it doesn’t seem as large anymore due to the continued growth in length of the arms and legs.
  • The arms and legs now surpass the head and your baby is looking more and more normal.
  • Adipose tissue (fat tissue) develops and helps to regulate the body temperature, and vernix, which is a protective cover, develops over the baby’s skin.
  • The little skeleton transforms from cartilage to bone, however the bones remain flexible to allow for an easy pass through the birth canal.
  • If your baby is a boy, he will form prostate glands during this 17th week.

Appearance

At a whopping 5 ½ inches long and weighing close to 5 ounces, your baby weighs more than the placenta at this stage. The umbilical cord is growing in length, strengthening and thickening too. Her heart is now regulated by her brain (no more random beats) to beat 140 to 150 times per minute — about twice as fast as yours! What else is up? She’s practicing the survival skills she’ll need at birth — like sucking and swallowing.


Q. What Are Stretch Marks?


week17

Stretch marks are tiny tears in the dermis that are scars and can vary in color from a light pink to a dark purple. Over a very long period of time, usually years, stretch marks can fade in color, but the scars remain.


Q. What is the cause of Stretch marks?

Stretch marks are caused when the skin is stretched to the point of breaking down, similar to elastic losing its' elasticity. Losing collagen and elastin in the skin causes stretch marks, loss of tone, fine lines and wrinkles. When there is a breakdown or loss of elastin and collagen fibers or excessive stretching in the skin, the mark actually shows through to the epidermis (top layer of skin).
Our skin consists of three layers.

  • The Epidermis - The top layer of the skin locks in moisture and blocks toxins from entering the body.
  • The Dermis - The second layer of the skin, (where stretch marks occur), is where our skin produces collagen and elastin fibers which give it a firmer and younger appearance.
  • The Hypodermis - The third layer of skin, which is composed of fat and connective tissue.

Tips for stretch mark

  • Eat seeds and nuts that are rich in mineral content, especially zinc to tone up the skin during pregnancy.
  • Make sure in your diet you are getting plenty of protein and foods rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin E, they promote good tissue growth.
  • It is very important to exercise in order to get rid of stretch marks; toning your muscles helps your skin to firm thus preventing stretch marks.
  • Avoid saturated fats in excess, because they can cause excessive stretching of the skin, and also leads to obesity.

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