Second Trimester

A space to give you hints about what is happening in the pregnancy and birth world, it’s common problems, and how to solve them

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17 Weeks Pregnant with Twins: Ultrasound, Symptoms, and More

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Does it seem real that you’re 17 weeks pregnant with twins? We’re closing hard on that halfway point, and for a lot of women, the sheer reality of the situation still might not have hit.

Having children is an amazing miracle, but it also changes our lives in huge ways. This week is a good week to consider a lot of these things, considering how low key it can be in terms of everything else.

Twin Pregnancy Symptoms at 17 Weeks

A single fetus at 17 weeks

See 16 weeks pregnant with twins

See 18 weeks pregnant with twins

Your Twin Babies at 17 Weeks Pregnant

Your babies are still growing incredibly quickly. They’re put on almost a quarter of their body weight since week 16, weight in now at around 5.8-6 ounces each. They’ve got taller, too. Around 5 inches long!

This week is the week where they start packing on the body fat. Up until now, your babies were skinny little things, just muscle and bone under transparent skin. But now they’re starting to put on body fat, which will end up with those delightfully chubby cheeks and soft bottoms we all love to kiss and snuggle.

Your baby’s heartbeat is fixed, now, and pumping at an amazing 150 beats per minute, which is twice as fast as yours, if not more!

Finally, in the next few weeks, your babies will form their own unique fingerprints, as they place their hands against the inside wall of your uterus. Amazing, right!

Twin Pregnancy Symptoms at 17 Weeks

Because your babies are piling on the size, everything that you’re going to experience in the next few weeks is probably going to be related. Things like:

  • Increased weight gain: Because your babies are getting bigger, you’re going to get bigger too. It’s completely normal to have put on a little bit of weight so far, but expect to get a lot bigger a lot faster in the next few weeks. 1 or 2 pounds is normal, but because you’re carrying twins, expect to be near the top end of the scales!
  • Itching belly and boobs: You’re getting bigger fast, and your skin is stretching and growing to accommodate. Obviously it’s going to be more sensitive, right? Don’t scratch though. A side effect of it being stretched out is that it’s thinner and more prone to harm. Instead, grab a soothing crème from the local chemists.
  • Stretch marks: You knew this was coming, and considering what we’ve been talking about, it’s only natural. As the proud mother of twins to be, you’re going to be bigger than a lot of moms who only had to carry the one child, so expect your weight gain, and therefore stretch marks, to be a little bit worse than theirs. Massages and moisturiser really help, so take some time to relax and get hands on, or even ask your partner…
  • More body fluids: Your heart is pumping more blood throughout your body, and you’re overloaded with hormones. This leads to more bodily fluids being produced. Yeah, we know it’s gross, but you’re going to have to get used to it.

17 Weeks Ultrasound Twins

If you’re having a cordocentesis test, you could be having an ultrasound this week.

If you don’t already know, a cordocentesis, or percutaneous umbilical cord blood sample (PUBS) is a test performed when amnios and other genetic disorder tests aren’t quite conclusive enough.

Things to Do This Week for a Healthy Pregnancy

  • As you start to show and get a little bigger, your centre of gravity and the pressure on your legs and hips will increase. Take a few precautions to keep you and your baby safe, like low heeled or flat shoes, and being careful around stairs.
  • If you wear prescription contact lenses are you’re suffering from dry eyes, talk to your optician. You might have to start wearing them a little less, or even rely on glasses for the mean time.
  • You might start having weird dreams. This is completely normal, and also pretty strange. As you get further into your pregnancy, you’ll spend less and less time in REM sleep, which is when you normally dream. But you’ll have more and more vivid dreams, and they’ll come more frequently too! As with most things, we recommend popping them down into a notebook, so you can see if there’s a theme running through it all. Plus, you can have a laugh discussing them with friends and family. If they aren’t too risqué, that is!

Worth Buying Now

Disclosure: These links are affiliate links meaning we earn a small commission for any qualifying purchases.

We asked the TwinStuff Community what their Must Have products were during the second Trimester:

Are You 17 Weeks Pregnant with Twins?

On the subject of dreams, if you don’t have anyone to talk to about them, we’re always here!

We’ve got a community of women here who’ve seen it all before, so whatever you’re facing, feel free to ask about it in the comments. Even if we don’t have the answer, you can bet someone in our wonderful community will!

How do you feel at 17 weeks pregnant with twins?

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