15. WOP

Your baby is now a small peach. At least, at about 9 cm, it is the size of a peach. However, it only weighs about half of that. Here you can find out what happens to your baby during the 15th week of gestation and what you should pay attention to now.

Important facts about the 15th week: What you should know

You’re in the middle of pregnancy and your emotions are on a roller coaster. The second trimester is known for mood highs – so enjoy the time and look forward to the upcoming time as a mother!

Your baby’s heart is now fully developed and your baby bump is already clearly visible at this point. There’s also a high likelihood that practice contractions will occur.

You can find out what these are and much more about the 15th week of pregnancy here.

What happens to you

Due to the growth of your baby, your belly is also getting bigger. For outsiders, the pregnancy becomes more and more visible: Friends and acquaintances can therefore already clearly see your baby bump in the 15th week and are looking forward to the coming time with you.

Practice contractions

Many women feel the “Braxton-Hicks contractions“. These are practice contractions in which the abdomen becomes firm and hard. They allow the uterus to stretch and expand to the size of your baby. After all, it needs enough room in your belly.

In addition, the uterus trains for the birth and prepares itself and you a bit for what is to come.

So don’t worry if you feel a pulling sensation. Contractions are especially common after physical activity and sexual intercourse. If you feel them, just rest a bit. However, if these contractions are associated with severe pain, please contact your doctor immediately.

Also interesting:

Child Movements

Some women already feel a slight tingling in the abdomen during the 15th week of pregnancy and thus the first fetal movements.

Do not be sad if this is not the case for you. So early in pregnancy, usually only moms who have already had a baby feel the movements, because they know what to expect. At the latest in the 20th week, pregnant women who are expecting a child for the first time also feel the movements.

Tip for expectant fathers

Your wife has been through a lot during the first stage of pregnancy – from pregnancy discomforts to worries and fears about miscarriage, illness or the baby’s health. Talk to her regularly and offer her emotional support during difficult times.

Pregnancy discomforts in the 15th week and what you can do about it

Most pregnancy complaints from the first period of pregnancy, which include nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, are no longer an issue in the second trimester and thus the 15th week of pregnancy.

Most pregnant women now feel better and fitter again. This condition usually remains until the end of the 6th month.

Forgetfulness

Due to the rising estrogen level, however, you may suffer from forgetfulness from time to time. This is quite normal and is also called pregnancy dementia .

Of course, it can be absolutely annoying for you if, for example, you are standing in the supermarket and have forgotten what you actually wanted to buy, or you just can’t remember what absolutely had to be done today.

But don’t worry, after the birth or at the latest after the breastfeeding period, the forgetfulness will disappear again. Until then, just write down shopping and to-do lists and save important appointments in your smartphone, then your forgetfulness will hardly cause you any problems.

Forgetfulness is even intended by nature – it’s the only way you can adjust to your pregnancy and your baby and focus on them.

Linea Nigra: Skin care in WOP 15

The increased storage of melanin can make for a straight line coloration on a pregnant woman’s book. The reason for the increased melanin concentration is an automatic protective mechanism of the body, which seeks to mitigate sensitivity to sunlight through a darker skin tone.

This is how pregnancy spots develop at the same time. Nevertheless, you should avoid long sunbaths and only go out in the sun with sunscreen.

Stretch marks

Small fibers tear due to the short-term tension of the skin, which leads to stretch marks in the abdominal region. The same effect occurs, for example, with strength athletes who build up a lot of muscle in a short time.

Unfortunately, the small muscle fiber tears can only very rarely be avoided, but rubbing them with gentle oils or creams softens the stretch marks and also prevents itching.

Sudden weight gain

In the 15th week of pregnancy, a rapid increase in body weight is not uncommon. Swelling of feet, hands or fingers may also occur as a side effect of pregnancy.

In the second trimester, in which you are currently, you will gain about 7 kilograms on average. How the weight gain is distributed over the individual weeks varies from person to person.

What can be seen on the ultrasound in the 15th week of pregnancy?

Until now, the length of the fetus was always measured from the crown to the rump (SSL) to determine its size. This is because it is usually curled up in the abdomen and therefore the full length cannot be measured.

Now this length is not quite as important. During ultrasound, the biparetal diameter (BPD) of the fetus is measured from the 15th WOP. This determines the transverse diameter of the head.

In the 15th week of gestation, this value is approximately 30 mm.

Theoretically, the gynecologist is also able to identify the sex with increasing certainty if the child is in the correct position.

In boys, the penis is clearly visible, while the testicles remain in the abdominal cavity until shortly before birth. They may even not become visible until after birth. In girls, the labia are not yet present. The sex is therefore determined by the recognizable clitoris.

Nevertheless, a certain inaccuracy of sex determination remains in the 15th WOP. Therefore, it is usually waited until the 20th week of gestation.

So you have to be patient for a while until you can find out the sex of your baby, but soon the time will come.

What is the risk of miscarriage in the 15th week of pregnancy?

You are in the 4th month of your pregnancy. Since the 14th week, the risk of miscarriage has decreased to a minimum and is about 0.5% until the 24th week.

Therefore, you do not have to worry about miscarriage. At least not as long as you are well and have no complaints. If you are unsure, your gynecologist and midwife are always available to help you.

What happens to the baby

Your baby’s neck is fully developed in the 15th week of pregnancy. This means that your baby can now nod and turn its head.

In addition, your offspring reacts more and more to external sounds and perceives voices and music more and more. In addition, your baby can feel more and more clearly when you stroke your belly and starts to react to it.

Your baby can also already distinguish between different tastes, because the taste buds have already developed.

Did you know that after birth your baby has more taste buds than you? This is because the number of buds decreases with age.

All organs are already working in the 15th week of gestation. Their functions will only be expanded and refined over the next few weeks. From this week on, the liver produces bile and the pancreas insulin, regulating the fetus’ blood sugar level.

This is how your baby develops in the 15th week of gestation

Your baby is now as big as a peach. It is about 9 cm tall and weighs around 50 g.

In addition, the heart of the fetus is now fully developed. In fact, your baby’s little heart has been beating since day 22. Until now, however, it consisted of a heart muscle tube. This muscular tube was made to beat by electrical impulses from the muscles.

In the 15th week, however, it is fully developed and consists of the ventricles, atria and valves. Until before birth, a small gap remains between the atria called the foramen ovale. It closes during the first days or weeks of life.

This door-like connection between the atria allows blood to flow from the pulmonary to the systemic circulation.

Normally, the pulmonary circulation is part of the circulatory system. Since in the womb the fetus cannot breathe and therefore the lungs receive little blood flow, the foramen ovale creates a detour and deprives the lungs of their function until birth.

About 28 l of blood are pumped through the fetus’ body every day during the 15th WOP. Once it is born, this figure rises to 350 l.

This is important now

First contact with the midwife

It makes sense to have a midwife accompany you during pregnancy in addition to a gynecologist.

A midwife can answer any questions you may have during your pregnancy and is there to help and advise you. They often also offer childbirth preparation courses and can even perform some preventive examinations.

You will certainly want to feel comfortable with your midwife and have the desire that the chemistry is right. The best way to do this is to make a list of priorities of what is important to you in your midwife and her services. This way you can find out whether a midwife suits you or not.

Some health insurance companies also cover the costs of an initial consultation with a midwife. It is best to find out more about this from your health insurance provider.

Many women also want a midwife to be present at the birth. When choosing a midwife, you should also consider where you would like to deliver your baby. Not every midwife can practice in every clinic.

Your midwife will also be there for you after the birth and will support you in the first period of caring for your child.

You can get a list of midwives in your area from the team at your gynecologist’s office. The costs are covered by your health insurance. However, additional services such as on-call duty must be paid for separately. You can find out from your health insurance company which services are not covered.

This is how you can support your body in the 8th week of pregnancy

Dental care and bones

During pregnancy, your teeth and gums are more sensitive than usual. Due to the hormonal changes and morning sickness-induced vomiting in the early stages of pregnancy, tooth enamel can unfortunately degrade.

In addition, your baby needs calcium for bone formation. If you do not consume enough calcium, it may be taken away from your teeth or bones for the development of the baby. Therefore, bone density may decrease during pregnancy.

In addition to this, you may experience bleeding gums. This is not dangerous. However, if gingivitis occurs, it should be treated immediately.

But don’t worry, this can be managed. Make sure you take good care of your teeth by brushing twice a day and also flossing. A fluoride toothpaste is best, because fluoride prevents tooth decay and hardens the tooth enamel.

In addition, it is a good idea to visit your dentist during the 15th week of pregnancy to make sure that everything is in order.

If you also eat a balanced diet with sufficient calcium, you will not only strengthen your bones and teeth, but also help your baby to grow.

1000 mg should be taken in per day during pregnancy. It is contained in dairy products, broccoli and spinach, among other things.

Strengthen immune system

Due to the stress of pregnancy, your immune system is weaker than usual. Therefore, you may suffer from colds and coughs more often than usual.

However, a small cold is no reason for you to worry about your child. Just take it easy when you feel a cold coming on and try to strengthen your immune system.

For this purpose, your diet should be varied and fresh. It is also important for you to get enough sleep. Daily exercise in the fresh air also strengthens the immune system, as well as a healthy lifestyle.

Midwife Tip

A midwife is a wonderful support for you during your pregnancy. Through our experience we can help you with advice and support, answer all your questions and alleviate your worries.

Therefore, you should slowly start looking for the right midwife for you, so that she can support you optimally during pregnancy and the time after birth.

FAQ

How big is the fetus in the 15th week gestation?

In the 15th week of gestation, the fetus is about 10 cm tall, the size of a peach.

WOP 15: Why is the belly thicker in the evening?

During the day, water is stored in the body, which increases the abdominal girth. In addition, you take in food during the day, while in the morning your stomach is empty. As a result, your belly is thicker in the evening than in the morning. From week to week, the difference becomes more and more obvious.

What happens in the 15th WOP?

In the 15th week, your baby’s heart is fully developed. Your baby bump is already clearly visible and you may experience exercise contractions that make your abdomen hard and prepare the uterus for birth.

14 WOP – what can still happen?

Since the 12th week of gestation, the risk of miscarriage is 0.5%, because the high-risk early period of pregnancy is over. Of course, this is not a guarantee that nothing can happen. However, as long as you are well and have no complaints, your baby will usually be fine.

What is the size of the uterus in the 15th week of pregnancy?

The uterus is about 13 cm in the 15th WOP.

15 WOP: how big is the baby?

In the 15th week of gestation, the baby is about 9 cm long and weighs approximately 50 g. This is about the size of a peach.

WOP 15 videos

Shaira takes you to her 15th WOP.

Bollie tells you about her 15th week of pregnancy and gives a baby bump update.

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Radiant heater

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