Pregnancy Week 15

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Pregnancy Week 15

By 15 weeks pregnant your baby is roughly the size of an apple or orange, and is closing in on 2.5 ounces in weight! A real lightweight for now!

As you continue your pregnancy week by week second trimester, you may find you experience other pregnancy symptoms. Some symptoms of pregnancy women notice include insomnia. Many times women have trouble sleeping because they have difficulty getting comfortable in bed. If this is the case, make sure you check out a Snoozer Pregnancy Pillow. It molds to the shape of your baby providing support for your growing belly during pregnancy week 15 and beyond. You can even indulge in your pregnancy pillow long after you delivery your baby.

Your baby is busy practicing breathing during pregnancy week 15, and busy producing a fine hair called lanugo. This lanugo covers a baby until birth, unless your baby is born prematurely, in which case you might notice some of this fine hair on your baby's skin after delivery.

Your 15 week baby may start sucking his or her thumb while swimming joyfully around your uterus. Many women will feel very slight movements or fluttering in their belly around this time. Some women mistake this feeling for gas, when it is really their baby swimming about freely inside their body.

Women that have had more than one pregnancy might start noticing these tiny movements as early as pregnancy week 17. You may not notice your baby's movements until 20 weeks pregnant, especially if you carry more weight than others. Once you do start feeling your baby's movements for the first time however, your love will change for life!

Your uterus should finally rise just above your hips by pregnancy 15 weeks time. Often a healthcare provider will start measuring the size of your uterus between 15 weeks pregnant or more commonly, around pregnancy week 20.

Even More Pregnancy Symptoms
For some women, there is no relief in site for pregnancy symptoms. Many women start experiencing second trimester pregnancy symptoms or side effects of pregnancy around 15 weeks pregnant. These may include a runny nose, excessive salivation, a stuffy nose or excess gas!

If you do have more gas than usual, try to monitor your intake of fiber. Ask your doctor if a supplement like beano may help with gas and whether it is safe for you to take during your pregnancy. As you continue your pregnancy weekly, you may find it helps to sit on your knees and bend forward slightly; not enough to place pressure on your belly, just enough to help relieve some pressure or gas. Eating smaller meals may help reduce this annoying side effect of pregnancy.

Because your uterus is growing during your second trimester it is important you keep an eye out for urinary tract infections also. During pregnancy, especially after 15 weeks pregnant as your uterus begins to grow and places pressure on your ureters, you may retain some urine in your bladder after using the bathroom. This can result in an infection or UTI during pregnancy. If this happens, you should call your doctor immediately for treatment.

An untreated urinary tract infection can be risky during pregnancy, because it can rapidly spread to a kidney infection. Often your healthcare provider will recommend some antibiotics if you do develop a UTI during pregnancy. If you were prone to UTIs before pregnancy, you are more at risk for developing them during pregnancy.

To help prevent this annoying pregnancy symptom, make sure you empty your bladder fully, and avoid holding your bladder at all times. If you have to go to the bathroom, then by all means go! Your health and that of your baby may depend on it.

Read About Pregnancy Week 16