15 Weeks Pregnant

The 15th week of pregnancy is the second week of the second trimester. It's also the second week of the fourth month of pregnancy. Now, if you're having a hard time keeping up on all of these, trimesters by weeks and months charting can help you greatly. You can watch and save it too so you won't forget.

At 15 weeks pregnant, we have some pretty interesting baby developments to cover including big news that's happening with baby's mouth, and some symptoms that might be new for you at this period. We will also go over what you might want to “think” and “do” this week.

As the baby is growing and the uterus is expanding, you might be experiencing round ligament pains this week. These can be quite intense shooting pains and they're usually located in the lower abdomen, just below the belly button or in the groin area.

They can be felt on both sides or just on one side, and they often come on when you make sudden movements like standing up from sitting. They can also feel worse with sneezing, coughing, or laughing.

There's no way to completely eliminate round ligament pains but you can change the way you're moving. Get up slower when you stand up, and they might come on less. Also, doing regular stretching and yoga, or taking warm baths can sometimes help as well.

One of my close friends had these so frequently and with such intensity that she was convinced that she had actually torn an abdominal muscle. They can really hurt so drop me a comment let me know if you have experienced round ligament pains yet.

Other symptoms you might be experiencing this week include:

What's happening with babies' development at 15 weeks? The fetus is about 4 inches (10 cm), which is about the same as the length of an apple. The weight of the fetus is just about 2.5 ounces which is about the same as the weight of a head of garlic.

This week the baby's facial features are becoming more distinct; the ears, the eyes, the nose, and the mouth are becoming more defined. Speaking of the baby's mouth, the baby's sucking reflex is developing, they might even begin to suck their thumb in the womb.

The fetus is also developing more muscle tone this week, which you will begin to notice soon when you can feel those movements on the inside. The vital organs continue to develop and mature this week and the brain is starting to produce a complex pattern of electrical activity.

It's now time to discuss what you might be thinking about and doing this week.

Nausea and food aversions start to subside in the beginning of the second trimester. It's a great time that we think about what we're actually eating, and make sure that it's meeting our needs during pregnancy.

The American College of OBGYNs recommend that you take a daily prenatal vitamin, but they also recommend that your diet includes:

Now if you have the Healthy Pregnancy Book that I recommended a few weeks ago, pages 15 and 16 have a really good nutritional guide. It's a really great value, and it's a good time to just have a critical look at what you're eating, and make any adjustments as needed as you move along in your pregnancy.

At 20 weeks, most of our providers recommend an anatomy ultrasound during their visit. Scheduling sometimes can be a challenge so you might want to tackle it this week. Also, if you haven't found out your baby's sex yet, you might need to decide that this week or at least nail down that decision.

Everybody's different in this part as this topic can be a little bit controversial. Some couples want to do this privately, or maybe they want to have a party. What are your thoughts on this topic? Let me know and drop me a comment.

As nausea starts going away and energy levels begin to rise, most of us start feeling better in the second trimester which is why I'm thrilled to announce this week's sponsor

This week our sponsor is Better Shea butter. My favorite is lavender, which I love the smell of, and is great for sleep. There's also an unscented version, a vanilla rose and a peppermint. This cream contains a high concentration of magnesium, and unlike other magnesium creams that I have tested out, this one is not sticky. It actually has a really luxurious feel on your skin. 

Better Shea Butter is a small company that is based in Austin, Texas. They have a formulation lab inside their warehouse making these products by hand. The company shared with me that these creams were actually created after an employee who was pregnant was actually struggling with leg cramps and she wanted a natural solution. Now, their formula contains no artificial fragrances and is fast absorbing.

Thank you so much Better Shea Butter for helping us out during pregnancy, and thank you for supporting childbirth education.

I hope your 15th week of pregnancy is a good one. Don't forget to hit the “Follow” button so that you can follow along through the many weeks ahead. See you next week.