At 15 weeks pregnant, your baby is 4 inches long from crown to rump - approximately the length of a large pear. He or she weighs more than 2.4 ounces now!
If you were to peek inside your uterus this week, you would still be able to see your baby's blood vessels through his or her paper-thin skin. In fact, the blood vessels forming in your baby's body may closely resemble a road map!
At 15 weeks pregnant, your baby will start producing lanugo, which is fine hair that will cover your baby's body up until a few weeks before birth. Lanugo covers every part of your baby in utero, except for the palms, soles of the feet, lips, penis, nails, and inner fingers and toes. Typically babies will shed this hair by the eighth month of pregnancy, but it can persist in some newborns for a short period of time. Pre-term babies are more likely to be born with lanugo than full term babies.
The bones in your baby's body are also starting to get harder at 15 weeks pregnant, and they will continue to do so throughout your pregnancy. This is called "ossification."
At 15 weeks pregnant, your baby is passing the time with practicing breathing, by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid. Believe it or not, the very act of doing so will help your baby's air sacs develop during pregnancy. Your little one may even be sucking his or her thumb, while the tongue is continuing to form taste buds.
By 15 weeks pregnant, you may start noticing your abdomen is more bloated than before. Your uterus is starting to rise past your hipbone. Your healthcare provider or obstetrician can now feel your uterus about three inches or so below your belly button.
Later in pregnancy, your caregiver will start taking measurements of your uterus to check your baby's growth. These measurements are called "fundal height," and they will help confirm your due date. Fundal height usually corresponds with the number of weeks that you're pregnant.
At 15 weeks pregnant, this is a wonderful time to start talking to your baby. Your little bundle of joy's ears have developed to the point that he or she can hear some sounds from the outside world, such as their mama's voice. Consider reading a book, or simply have a conversation with your baby about what you're doing.
Your emotions are still going crazy at 15 weeks pregnant. It's common to feel a little anxious or stressed about this change in your life. You may worry about your baby's health and well-being, or you may be concerned that you won't be a good mother. Don't stress out - it's not good for your baby. Just take some time to relax and enjoy this middle trimester.
At 15 weeks pregnant, you are starting to feel and look more pregnant. It's common for you to start experiencing some unpleasant and even strange side effects of pregnancy.
Gas is a common pregnancy symptom at 15 weeks pregnant. You tend to be gassy when you're expecting, due to the higher levels of progesterone relaxing the muscles in your gastrointestinal tract. This hormonal change can slow down your digestive processes and lead to gas and bloating. Although it can be unpleasant to have flatulence and burp unexpectedly, gas is a common symptom to expect throughout your pregnancy.
Insomnia and difficulty sleeping is another common experience at 15 weeks pregnant. More than 70 percent of all mothers-to-be experience insomnia. It may be getting harder to fall asleep (or sleep through the night) due to other pregnancy annoyances, such as leg cramps, frequent urination interrupting your sleep, and restless leg syndrome. As your belly grows larger, you may also find that finding a comfortable sleeping position is tough.
To help you sleep better, try investing in a body pregnancy pillow, since these unique pillows offer support in all the right areas. Getting a massage before bed, or trying out other relaxation techniques may also help with your insomnia.
Heartburn may start to plague you for the first time at 15 weeks pregnant. The burning sensation that you feel in your chest is a common symptom in the second and third trimesters. It's another unpleasant pregnancy experience due to higher levels of progesterone, which relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter (the valve between the lower end of the esophagus and your stomach). When this valve doesn't close tightly enough, gastric acid can flow back up into your esophagus. This can lead to that burning sensation right behind your breastbone.
While heartburn is normal, it's unpleasant. To minimize your discomfort, try to avoid any food triggers, such as spicy or fattening foods, acidic foods, and carbonated sodas and drinks.
Excessive salivation can accompany heartburn at 15 weeks pregnant. You may find that you're producing more spit than normal, and you might even have to constantly throw up into a handkerchief. Although excessive salivation is a very strange side effect, it's nothing to worry about. Hormonal changes may play a role, and it's also possible that you're producing more saliva to combat heartburn. Saliva is a bicarbonate, and it can neutralize gastric acid.
Stuffy noses and nasal congestion is also common at 15 weeks pregnant. This pregnancy symptom is due to swelling in the mucous membranes of the nose, largely the result of increased hormonal production. Feeling stuffed up can exist without any signs of illness or due to a cold. This symptom will come and go.
Your weight gain at 15 weeks pregnant might be between six or seven pounds. However, it's perfectly fine if you have gained more than this, too. Some women gain more pregnancy weight, and others tend to gain weight more slowly. If you are pregnant with twins or multiples, you may have far surpassed this average weight gain.
The normal weight woman should aim to gain a total of 25 to 35 pounds by the time her baby is born. If you are carrying twins and you're average sized, you will want to aim for a weight gain of 37 to 54 pounds. Overweight women with a twin pregnancy should try for a total weight gain of 31 to 50 pounds. Obese women should gain less - between 25 and 42 pounds.
In general, taking any form of medication during pregnancy is not recommended until it is absolutely necessary. Some women, however, will need to take a course of antibiotics during pregnancy. There are times when the benefits of taking a medication outweigh the risks associated with it.
Generally medications are assigned to certain categories that describe how safe or unsafe they are to use during pregnancy.
Category A medications are generally considered safe, and thus far have not proven harmful to the developing fetus during pregnancy. Only a few medications fall into this category, among them Mycostatin, a cream used for yeast infections.
Category B medications are medications that have no known association with birth defects or pregnancy related complications. They are considered safe. These include many antibiotics that can be used to treat infection in pregnancy, such as amoxicillin, ampicillin, zovirax, zithromax and clotrimazole-vaginal to name a few.
Category C medications are those that may or may not be safe. There simply isn't enough information about them to form definitive conclusions, however there are also no confirmed reports of links to birth defects in humans. Included among these are: cipro, monistat, terazol, isonizid and certain vaccines.
Category D medications are contraindicated in pregnancy and associated with very distinct problems including birth defects. Among these drugs include the following: tetracycline, minocin and sulfa drugs.
Be sure that you discuss any condition you have with your doctor. You should understand the benefits and risks of any medication you take during your pregnancy.
Many women find themselves the victim of an unwanted urinary tract infection during pregnancy. Unfortunately for some this is another unpleasant side effect of pregnancy. Believe it or not, but urinary tract infections are more common during pregnancy, particularly because the muscles of your ureters are relaxed due to increasing levels of progesterone. The uterus can also compress the ureters causing urine to flow more slowly to the bladder, which can allow bacteria to accumulate. Some women also have more concentrated urine during pregnancy that can contribute to UTI's.
At your first prenatal visit, your healthcare practitioner will actually test your urine for bacteria that is associated with a UTI. Generally, most women who test negative at this visit will not contract a UTI during pregnancy. However, it is possible that you still might. If you have bacteria present during the first prenatal visit, your healthcare provider will likely prescribe antibiotics to help clear it from your system. IT is important that your infection is cleared out. If it is left untreated, there is an increased risk that you will develop a kidney infection during your pregnancy, which can be very serious in some situations.
There are some telltale signs of a UTI in most women. These include: pain when urinating or burning, lower abdominal pain, a frequent urge to urinate though little comes out, blood in the urine or cloudy urine. The symptoms may be different during pregnancy however, and may include nausea or fever. The symptoms of a kidney infection are more severe, and typically include high fever, pain in the lower back or abdomen and nausea or vomiting.
Fortunately there are many things you can do to help prevent a UTI during pregnancy. These include: drinking at least ten 8-ounce glasses of water ever day, peeing as soon as you feel the urge and wiping yourself from front to back. You can also drink cranberry juice to help discourage bacteria from forming in the urinary tract.
At 15 weeks pregnant, this is the perfect time to tart talking to your little bundle of joy. Your baby's ears are developed enough that he or she can hear sounds from the outside voice - including your voice. Spend some time this week talking to your baby. Get your husband or partner involved, too. This can be a wonderful way for the two of you to bond with baby, and it gets your little bundle of joy acquainted with both of your voices.
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By 15 weeks pregnant, you may start noticing your abdomen is more bloated than before. Your uterus is starting to rise past your hipbone. Your healthcare provider or obstetrician can now feel your uterus about three inches or so below your belly button. 
At 15 weeks pregnant, you are starting to feel and look more pregnant. It's common for you to start experiencing some unpleasant and even strange side effects of pregnancy. 
Your weight gain at 15 weeks pregnant might be between six or seven pounds. However, it's perfectly fine if you have gained more than this, too. Some women gain more pregnancy weight, and others tend to gain weight more slowly. If you are pregnant with twins or multiples, you may have far surpassed this average weight gain. 
In general, taking any form of medication during pregnancy is not recommended until it is absolutely necessary. Some women, however, will need to take a course of antibiotics during pregnancy. There are times when the benefits of taking a medication outweigh the risks associated with it. 
Many women find themselves the victim of an unwanted 