Pregnancy Week 16 vs Week 17
Complete comparison of baby development, mom's symptoms, and changes between these weeks
📊
Time Difference
1 week apart
🔄
Trimester
Both in 2nd trimester
Baby Size Comparison
Growth Progress
Week 16Avocado
Week 17Turnip
Your baby is approximately 41% through pregnancy
Week 16
📏
Length
4.6 inches
⚖️
Weight
3.5 ounces
🍎
Size Comparison
Avocado
Week 17
📏
Length
5.1 inches
⚖️
Weight
5.9 ounces
🍎
Size Comparison
Turnip
What Changes Between Week 16 and 17?
👶New Baby Developments
- ✓Baby can move all joints freely including fingers, wrists, elbows, and knees
- ✓Skeleton is transforming from soft cartilage to hardened bone tissue (ossification)
- ✓Sweat glands are developing all over baby's body
- ✓Hearing is developing rapidly - baby can hear your heartbeat, voice, and stomach gurgles
- ✓Baby practices breathing movements regularly, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid
🤰New or Changing Symptoms
- ✓Increased appetite as your body needs more calories for baby's rapid growth
- ✓Baby movements become more noticeable and frequent throughout the day
- ✓Possible heartburn and acid reflux as uterus pushes on stomach
- ✓Vivid, strange dreams due to hormonal changes and pregnancy anxieties
- ✓Increased sweating due to hormonal changes
📈Key Changes Summary
Baby Growth: Your baby continues to grow rapidly, with organs developing and maturing each day.
Your Body: Your body adapts to support your growing baby with various physical and hormonal changes.
Baby Development Milestones
Week 16 Development
- •Head and body proportions are becoming more balanced
- •Eyes are moving from sides to the front of the face
- •Ears are in their final position on the sides of the head
- •Muscles are getting stronger, allowing for more coordinated movements
- •Nervous system is functioning and connecting muscles to brain
- •Baby's heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood per day
Week 17 Development
- •Baby can move all joints freely including fingers, wrists, elbows, and knees
- •Skeleton is transforming from soft cartilage to hardened bone tissue (ossification)
- •Sweat glands are developing all over baby's body
- •Hearing is developing rapidly - baby can hear your heartbeat, voice, and stomach gurgles
- •Baby practices breathing movements regularly, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid
- •Umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger
Common Symptoms
Week 16 Symptoms
- •You may feel first flutters or "quickening" - the first fetal movements (more common in second pregnancies)
- •Backaches may begin as your center of gravity shifts forward
- •Increased clear or white vaginal discharge (leukorrhea)
- •Dry, itchy eyes from hormonal changes
- •Growing belly and possible "popped" appearance
- •Possible round ligament pain with sudden movements
Week 17 Symptoms
- •Increased appetite as your body needs more calories for baby's rapid growth
- •Baby movements become more noticeable and frequent throughout the day
- •Possible heartburn and acid reflux as uterus pushes on stomach
- •Vivid, strange dreams due to hormonal changes and pregnancy anxieties
- •Increased sweating due to hormonal changes
- •Possible nasal congestion and stuffiness
Nutrition Tips
Week 16 Nutrition
- •Eat foods rich in vitamin A (700 mcg daily) like carrots, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens for eye development
- •Include DHA-rich foods (200mg daily) like salmon, sardines, walnuts, and flaxseeds for brain development
- •Stay hydrated with 10-12 glasses of water to support increased blood volume
- •Eat magnesium-rich foods like almonds, spinach, black beans, and avocados to prevent leg cramps
- •Include complex carbohydrates for sustained energy
- •Eat small, frequent meals to maintain blood sugar
Week 17 Nutrition
- •Eat plenty of calcium (1000mg daily) through dairy, fortified plant milks, leafy greens, and almonds for bone development
- •Include foods rich in phosphorus like poultry, fish, eggs, and whole grains which work with calcium
- •Stay hydrated with 10-12 glasses of water daily
- •Eat 5-6 small, frequent meals to manage heartburn and maintain energy
- •Avoid lying down for 2-3 hours after eating to prevent heartburn
- •Include vitamin D-rich foods or supplements (600 IU daily)
⚕️When to Contact Your Healthcare Provider
During weeks 16 to 17, contact your healthcare provider if you experience:
- •Severe abdominal pain or cramping
- •Heavy bleeding or passing clots
- •Severe headache with vision changes
- •Persistent fever over 100.4°F (38°C)
- •Sudden swelling of hands, face, or feet