Week 15 of Pregnancy

What happens in week 15 of pregnancy.

By the 15th week of pregnancy, we’re hoping you are feeling more confident in your pregnant self and experiencing some of that mythical ‘pregnancy bloom’.  Your bump is probably a lot more prominent too – just enough to show off your growing baby.  For some, especially if this isn’t your first baby, you may start to feel a few flutters or air bubbles – which are baby’s movements.  For first time mums-to-be, it’ll be a few weeks yet before you experience this – but not far off.

How big is my baby?

At 15 weeks of pregnancy your baby is really starting to grow – measuring from the crown (top) to their rump (bottom) around 10 cms, your baby – the size of a large grapefruit will be weighing about 70 grams.

What happens in week 15 of pregnancy?

It’s all about hair, eyes and ears this week for your baby’s development.

Last week we touched on how some of those pregnancy hormones can result in lovely, luscious hair growth for you – well around 15 weeks your baby is getting much of the same. 

Your baby’s skin is now starting to be covered in a very soft and fine layer of hair called lanugo – from the Latin word ‘lana’ meaning wool.  This layer of hair covers all parts of them and is there to protect your baby’s skin inside you.  Don’t worry – your baby won’t be born covered in it – it starts to fall off towards the end of pregnancy.

This week, your baby has also started to grow their eyelashes to protect their eyes and eyebrows too.

Moving from eyes to ears – your little one has probably started to listen to you – so if you haven’t already, start talking to your bump daily, play music you like and enjoy knowing your baby is learning all of this too, all be it muted.  What they can hear much more clearly is the sound of your heart beating or your stomach working hard – it’s quite noisy in there for them!

Week 15 pregnancy symptoms

• Skin Changes – as your bump and baby starts to grow, you may have noticed that the stretching skin feels tight and maybe even itchy.  It’s a common side effect of the sudden growth – especially around your tummy area as the skin stretches but also due to pregnancy hormones too. 

Make sure you moisturise well – try and stick to gentle, unscented oils and creams instead of anything too heavy – even if you have used them before.  Sometimes the pregnancy changes can make you more sensitive to scented creams and oil. 

If, however you find that the itching is quite severe and painful, it’s important you speak to your midwife or GP urgently to be checked out, especially (but not limited) to any itching on your hands and feet.  This is to rule out a pregnancy related condition known as ICP (intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy), which affects the liver in pregnancy and one of the symptoms is itching.  ICP is best treated as soon as possible, so don’t hesitate if you are at all worried.

• Nosebleeds – You may or may not have had already noticed changes to your sense of smell or experienced a pregnancy induced stuffy nose – especially in early pregnancy.  However, another pregnancy related symptom that some experience are nosebleeds.  

Nosebleeds in pregnancy are caused by – you’ve guessed it – those pesky hormones and also because of the extra blood circulating in your body and therefore your blood vessels, including the ones in your nose. Sometimes this change causes the blood to vessels break, resulting in a nosebleed.

If this happens – try not to worry.  Whilst bloody and not fun, they aren’t a cause for concern and should stop within 10 mins or so.  The NHS advice on managing nosebleeds and when to get help is a useful to know if this is something you’ve been experiencing: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nosebleed/

Week 15 pregnancy tips

• Self care – as your body starts to change, take a bit of time to make sure you are taking care of your skin, especially around the bump area.  Moisturising, keeping well hydrated and wearing loose cotton clothing will help you feel more comfortable and keep your skin supple and stretchy.
• Partners – How’s your partner doing? As the pregnant one, you’ve been experiencing and feeling all the changes that pregnancy brings – the highs and the lows, but for partners it can feel a little surreal still.  Soon you’ll feel baby start to move, but it’ll be a while before they can – but there are still plenty of ways to bond with your and baby more.

Get your partner to try singing or talking to your bump – especially as your baby’s hearing develops, it’s a great way of bonding and making it feel more real for them, and before you know it, baby may start replying back in a few weeks with little kicks!