Your uterus is now pushing up towards the diaphragm, which does not leave much room for the lungs to expand completely. This in turn makes you breathless at times. The storm of the early symptoms of pregnancy is subsiding and you do not feel like an emotional or physical wreck anymore. From now on, the changes in your gait will begin to take place which by third trimester will develop into the waddle unique to pregnancy.
All of a sudden you and your partner may wonder about future and feel a bit stressed out about the changes in your life. Though the news of pregnancy has reached you a few weeks ago, you both were busy dealing with the symptoms of early pregnancy. Now that the storm has abated, you have plenty of energy and time to worry about petty things and get stressed out. Do not worry much, this too shall pass!
Changes in Your Body:
Do not expect any dramatic changes in your body during 15th week of pregnancy. Everything now will happen at a pace that you will hardly notice any change. You may have gained a couple of kilos in weight; hence, your belly would be showing off a bigger pout now. Some of the 15 weeks pregnant symptoms may pay you a surprise visit now and then, but it is not a big deal. Some continuing signs and symptoms when you are 15 weeks pregnant are:
- You may continue to have the sharp abdominal pains as the ligaments supporting your uterus stretch to their limits.
- The ability of your body to fight infections comes down during pregnancy. With lower immunity, you could go through coughs and colds more often, than under normal conditions.
- Rhinitis of pregnancy causes nasal congestion will seems like a cold infection. This is due to the increased blood flow to your mucous membranes.
- The increased blood volume and blood vessel expansion in the nose causes nasal bleeding in some expectant mothers. Practice relaxation techniques like meditation and deep breathing which will help to sail smoothly through your pregnancy and also during labor and childbirth.
From Your Mouth into Your Baby’s Body:
Meal times become happy times once again for you. Try different types of nutritious food; knowing that your baby gets to taste the food you eat through the amniotic fluid should help you in this adventure. By consuming food with different flavors, you will be in fact priming the taste buds of your baby. The more variety of food you consume now, the more adjusted your baby will be to accept different flavors after birth.
That fact does come with a cautionary tip – take care of what you put into your mouth during your 15 week pregnancy. Tobacco, caffeine, medicines and alcohol have their negative effects on your baby, whereas a wide range of nutritious food will have positive effect on her physical and cognitive development.
Wrist Pain in Hands:
Doctors have not been able to pin point what causes wrist or hand pain in pregnant women. The hormones, apparently, are to blame! But the pain can also occur as you retain more fluids at this time, which may compress and entrap the nerves in the wrist. Not all women go through this symptom; and out of those who do, only some may need some surgical treatment to set it right. Make sure you don’t do any activities that put too much pressure on the wrist or hand.
Sleeping Positions:
Want to know about right sleeping positions during 15th week of pregnancy? Bad news for those who love lying on their tummies – the belly will get in your way now, or in the coming weeks. If you sleep on your back, your growing uterus will compress the vessels, which hinders free flow of the blood. The result can be nausea, fainting spells and more dangerously reduce in flow of blood to your uterus, hampering the baby’s progress.
Even if you have so far been a heavy sleeper, things are going to change. Sleep may evade you as you try to find yourself in a comfortable position. You may have to prop up few pillows, find a new comfortable position and relax before you can get some sleep. Sleeping on your side will carry the blood to the pancreas and back to the heart through the great vessels known vena cava and aorta without hindrance.
The ideal solution is to sleep on your left side, because it is considered to be good for your baby. Sleeping on the left will improve the flow of blood and nutrients to the placenta, thus bringing more nourishment to your baby. This sleeping position is also known to help your kidneys get rid of waste products and fluids from your body which will prevent edema in future.
Tests and Screening in Second Trimester:
During the early period in your second trimester, your doctors may recommend some tests to find out if there is any abnormality present in the foetus. One of the important tests is a multiple-marker screen (MMS), which test for the possibility of spina bifida and some genetic disorders. The test is done only if you consent, as it is an optional test. Once the results come in, in cases of detection of abnormality, you may have to take decisions that are not going to be easy for you. Hence, the choice is left up to you.
Your doctor may recommend MMS test for you between 15–20 weeks of pregnancy. The test will identify if there is certain chromosomal abnormalities or any form of neural tube defects present in your baby. The test looks for common abnormalities such as Down’s syndrome and is not inclusive of all chromosomal abnormalities. It is only when the result of the test shows some form of abnormality in the fetus the doctor may order comprehensive ultrasound of your baby in addition to undergoing an amniocentesis.
If by any chance you have undergone the MMS before the onset of week 15, the test may flag an abnormality that isn’t really there, sending you through panicky mode. In such cases, the doctor may tell you to wait for some more time before proceeding with amniocentesis. Some important points to keep in mind before making assumptions about the results are:
- Check out the accuracy of the dates or re-calculate the dates to make sure they were correct.
- You may have to look for minor errors.
- Doctors will probably do an ultrasound to measure your baby’s gestational age.
- If the test clears all the above mentioned abnormalities your healthcare provider may recommend other options.
- Additionally, your healthcare providers may have to repeat your complete blood count test to see if you need additional iron or if you’re RH negative. They may also check to see if you need a medication called RhoGAM.
Changes in your Baby in Week 15:
Your baby will go through phases of high activity and rest and back to activity once again. She will be splashing around in the amniotic fluid one moment and sleeping her tiredness off the next. You may not feel the activity now, but after a few weeks you feel the impact of her movements in your womb.
The greatest milestone of this week is the formation of the three bones in her inner ear. Mind your language and what you say, because she will be hearing you from next week onwards! You can practice your lullabies, calling to her, talking to her along with your partner. She will able to identify and respond to the same lullabies after she is born.
Apart from the inner ear bones, there are other important bone developments taking place in your baby:
- Her backbone and back muscles have developed to be strong enough to allow your baby to straighten her head and neck. Don’t forget to take in your calcium supplements to support her bone development.
- The beautiful eyelashes have grown on her closed eyelids. The eyebrows are also taking shape.
- She sports size zero like the models walking on the ramp, since her body is yet to make the layer of fat under her skin. You can see her blood vessels through her translucent skin.
- Her legs have grown to be longer than her arms this week.
- Her body is straightening up and moving ahead in measurement when compared to her head.
Size of your Baby:
Of all the weight you have gained in the past weeks (nearly 2-4kilos), only 70-75 gm comes from your baby. Her CRL measurement is 4-5 inches and she may weigh 2.5 – 3 ounces in week 15.
Care and Tips for Week 15:
At Week 15 you do not have to do anything special to take care of yourself. Follow the healthy pregnancy habits you have been doing for the past couple weeks. You can also:
- Keep yourself hydrated with plenty of fluids, especially clean water. If you drink fresh tap water, the fluoride in it will help in formation of protective enamel on your baby’s teeth.
- Stick to a protein- and calcium-rich diet since these nutrients are essential for the growth of your baby during this week.
- Iron is an important nutrient for the formation of connective tissue in your baby. The supplements you take now will have iron in them, but you can also boost it by consuming iron-rich foods such as dates, spinach and lentils.
- Cranberry juice is rich source of vitamin C and will improve your immunity; it also helps your body absorb more iron from your diet.
- Take care of your hygiene and wash your hands often. Your immune system is not at its peak during your pregnancy. It is easy for you to catch infection; hence maintain healthy habits to prevent it.
- Wash your genitals cleanly before and after sex.
- Visit a spa, if that’s a treat that lifts your mood. A happy mom means a happy baby growing in your womb. Go for facial, pedicure, or a new hairstyle, but makes sure the products you use are safe for your baby.
- Enjoy a warm bath. Aroma therapy can work wonders for you as well. Go for those aromatic candles or oils which come with various benefits.
- Spend some time watching cute baby movies. This is not the right time for slasher movies! If possible keep yourself away from watching horror and violent films until you have given birth to your baby.
Tips for Dad-to-Be:
This is one of those phases in your life, where being a would-be-daddy you may feel as though you are being completely ignored. The more you get involved with the pregnancy of your partner, the less will be feeling of being ignored. Getting involved early and at every level with your partner not only makes things easier for the mother, but it also keeps you from feeling left out.
There are thousands of books written which will guide your partner how to deal with the changes taking place in her body, but there may just be few strewn ones that will guide you to deal with your ‘pregnancy’ time. You should know that the common things she used to do for you are no longer easy for her to do; and even if she’s willing, she won’t be able to do as much. You may have to change the way things get done until she can be there for you once again.
Hope this post will be helpful to know what are the symptoms, baby Development, tips & body changes when you are 15 weeks pregnant. Happy pregnancy!
