Week 17 · Second trimester
17 weeks pregnant
Bearded iris
13 cm (5.1 in)crown to rump
The Bearded iris (~10–15 cm face) is intricate and structural, a bloom with its own unmistakable architecture. It marks a week that may begin to feel more outwardly real.
This week, inside
The fetus is around 12–13 cm from head to bottom. The eyes can move while remaining closed, the mouth can open and close, fingernails are growing, and responses to loud sounds can occur.
What you might be noticing
Tiredness or sleep changes, bloating, constipation, and heartburn may be present. New swelling can also occur; worth mentioning at your next visit.
- Sleep changes
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Heartburn
- New swelling
Small things that help
Keep a small pillow or folded layer nearby for the places where you rest most. Write down one sound that belongs to your home this week.
For the record
What part of this new shape—body, routine, or identity—are you beginning to recognize?
Zohra asks one of these every week, and keeps your answer. A year from now it is the part people say they are most glad they wrote down.
Where this came from
Not sure you are at week 17? Work out your due date — or see every week’s size on one chart, and the rest of the second trimester.
Keep this week
Zohra draws this same flower in the app, at this same size, and keeps what you write beside it — with your bump photos, the letters, and the sounds from your appointments.
Zohra arrives on the App Store for iPhone shortly. Everything on this site is free to read now, with no account and no sign-up.