-Time to Experience Some Uncommon Symptoms!
Being 15 weeks pregnant is one of the first stages of pregnancy that can give vital information about the sex of your baby.
Though it is not 100% accurate, the pregnancy ultrasound examination can give results related to your baby’s sex within few weeks.
You will know whether the child inside you is a boy or girl. Also, you will come across various changes during this week.
Dreamy stage of pregnancy
Many women experience the so called pregnancy confusion starting this week. You may feel slower than usual or you may experience difficulties to focus and the tendency to daydream. This is perfectly normal because of the change in the hormone concentration occurring this week.
15th week of pregnancy symptoms and physical changes that occur in your body
Uterus evolution
You will feel that your ligaments are stretching in your pelvic area. Whenever the uterus expands, the ligaments that hold the uterus stretch to accommodate its growth.
This process can lead to cramps, twinges and pulling sensation on one or both sides of your lower abdomen. Warm bath can help provide some relief from the 15 weeks pregnant symptoms.
Your uterus starts growing past your hip bones any moment from now on. Also, you can feel it at 3 to 4 inches below the navel.
Your doctor will measure the “fundal height†in order to ensure that your baby is developing adequately and consistently. Fundal height is the space between the top of the uterus and the pubic bone.
Excessive salivation and stuffy nose
When you are in week 15 of pregnancy, some women start experiencing sudden side effects, for instance, excessive salvation. Generally, this is a common condition during pregnancy and can cause inconvenience sometimes but there is surely nothing to worry about.
Some women experience stuffy nose when they are 15 weeks pregnant. This is mainly due to the swelling of mucus membranes in the nose and because of increased hormonal production.
The condition may be the result of the swelling occurring in the blood vessels inside your nose, but it can also be caused by the exposure to allergenic factors you were not susceptible so far.
The “running nose†can appear in case you expose yourself to cigarette smoke, but also if you get exposed to aerial bacteria. Your doctor can recommend you saline nasal sprays and you have to make sure you do not self medicate in case of a respiratory infection.
Risk of infectious diseases
During pregnancy, women are more prone to common diseases because the immune systems are compromised during this period and are concentrating on raising your baby inside you.
You are more exposed to urinary infections when you are 15 weeks pregnant because the progesterone level encourages the bacteria from the urinary tract and anus to thrive; so cystitis can appear.
Urinary tract infection
Urinary tract infection is a common condition during pregnancy, but this is not the case with all pregnant women. This condition results due to the relaxation of urethra muscles because of the increased progesterone levels.
The compression of the uterus causes the urine to flow slowly from the bladder, which leads to the accumulation of bacteria. The only way you can best avoid this condition is to drink as much water as possible so that your bladder keeps filling up and getting emptied.
Infectious vaginitis risk
In case you experience the symptoms of infectious vaginitis, you should contact your doctor immediately.
The condition is a rare one but it can have consequences such as membrane ruptures and premature birth; so you must be very careful about it.
Care you need to take when you are in week 15 pregnancy
In order to prevent urinary tract infection, drink 8-10 ounce glasses of water daily, wipe yourself from front to back while washing private areas and pass the urine whenever you feel the urge. To prevent the formation of bacteria in the urinary tract, drink cranberry juice.
Changes that occur in the fetus when you are 15 weeks pregnant
By pregnancy 15 weeks, your little one is about the size of 4 inches long and weighs about three and half ounces.
Skin changes
The skin of your baby is still very delicate and almost paper thin. Your baby’s skin will start to grow ‘lanugo’ which is nothing but fine hair.
During the 15 weeks pregnancy, new scalp patterns begin to develop on the baby’s head. But, there will not be any development of actual head hair.
Increasing blood flow
Most of the essential organ systems in your 15 week fetus will grow in capacity. The heart and the complex circulatory system circulate about 25 quarts of blood per day. By the end of the pregnancy, this number becomes 200 quarts per day.
Muscle activity and limbs development
The taste buds start to develop. Sweat glands will appear. The development of muscles and skeletal system can be observed with a 15 weeks pregnant ultrasound. Your baby makes various movements with his/her mouth, head, arms, hands, legs, wrists and feet.
Your baby’s knees and elbows are about to bend more freely by this week and the legs become longer than the arms.
The bones of your baby are pretty strong now and will continue to get stronger as days pass by.
Baby reacts to outside stimulus
The baby reacts to light in spite of the eyelids being close. If you point a light towards the abdomen the baby will try and avoid it.
The baby can hear you and most of all can acknowledge the noise from the environment you are in. Whenever you sneeze, cough or laugh, you will notice the little kick or a poke. Most of the women don’t feel it until 17th week of pregnancy. Kicking and poking are the reactions that your baby makes when he/she reacts to the outside events.
Health and safety tips for 15 weeks pregnancy
Lightheaded mommy time
Most of the women complain that pregnancy makes them clumsy, forgetful and unable to concentrate. For this, you need to decrease the stress levels in your life as much as you can and take out the mental lapses, as they are only temporary ones.
Avoid couple issues
Stress may also appear in the couple and tension may be felt. The future mommies and daddies should consider that the little one is more receptive starting with this week and tensions are not the right things to expose him or her to.
Get more information on what to expect when you are 16 weeks pregnant.
Image source: askamum
I’m 15 weeks 3 days pregnant and gained 10 lbs 🙁