Week 15 of pregnancy | Second Trimester

Already you’re in Week 15 of your pregnancy – the weeks just seem to be flying by, don’t they? Let’s look at blood flow and heartbeats, as well as a test that your practitioner might like to schedule this week…

MOM
If you have a practitioner appointment scheduled for this week, your doctor may recommend a blood screening test called Alpha-fetaprotein (AFP). This test screens for neural tube defects and is usually performed in the 15^th, 16^th or 17^th week of pregnancy.

Physically, your heart will by now have increased in size and is pumping an estimated 20% extra blood around your body – providing your baby with the extra blood and oxygen that he or she needs. This may sound like quite a lot of extra work for the heart, but by the time you deliver, the heart’s output will be even higher – about 50% more than usual. This is nothing to worry about, as your body is an amazing system which adapts to all of these changes with ease.

BABY
While we’re on the subject of blood flow, your baby’s heart is growing steadily and is already pumping between 18 and 23 litres of blood per day. If you think that’s a lot, by the time your baby is born, this figure will be about 280 litres per day.

Baby weighs about 70 grams and is now just over ten centimetres from Crown to Rump – the sitting height of the foetus. Baby may even develop his or her hairline this week!

DAD
Now that your partner is feeling more energised, why not suggest that the two of you go for a walk every afternoon? This is the perfect opportunity to spend quality time together, and will benefit you both in getting you fit and healthy before your baby’s arrival.

And just like that, Week 15 draws to a close. Next week we’ll take a look at the butterflies you may be feeling in your stomach, Mom, and what they mean!