17 weeks

Here is the update about what Baby is up to this week...toward the end of week 17 the baby's heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood per day. The baby is now 4.4 to 4.8 inches long and weighs about 3.5 ounces. This means I'm starting to show a bit and it doesn't really feel like bloated belly anymore, it feels like a tight, full belly. Also, white fatty material, called myelin, begins to enclose the nerve fibers of the spinal cord. Baby's lungs are beginning to "breathe" the amniotic fluid (although the placenta will still supply the necessary oxygen until he or she is born). The circulatory and urinary systems are working and the reflexes are quickly developing. These reflexes will allow my baby to swallow, suck, and blink. I also read my appetite will increase!! I don't know if that is possible... Gimme food!