July 11, 2010

17 Weeks: onion


Your baby will begin to form fat this week. The fat begins to deposit under his skin and is important in heat production and metabolism. At delivery, fat will account for 2-6 percent of your baby's total body weight. This will help him maintain his body temperature when he is born. Your baby is approximately 5 inches long and weighs in at about 5 ounces. This means that the baby now weighs more than the placenta.

His movements are becoming stronger and more frequent now. Reflex movements are fully functional as your baby will regularly suck and swallow and loud noises outside the uterus may actually cause the baby to startle.

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker.