Week 15

Your Body

Your energy may have returned but that doesn’t mean you should be hitting the clubs until 4:00 AM every night. With a baby growing inside you, sleep is one thing that you can’t go without. Try these tricks to ensure you beat up the sheets.

If your growing belly is getting in the way of a good night’s sleep, surround yourself with pillows to make for an extra-comfy nest effect. Sometimes room temperature can affect sleep, so make sure that your air conditioner is cranked up if you’re feeling too hot.

Some sleeping positions are more comfortable than others for pregnant woman, like the “I’m just going to pass out on the La-Z-Boy” position. And get comfy sleeping on your left side while you’re preggers: It’s what the docs recommend to keep the blood flowing full steam ahead between you and the tadpole.

Your Baby

Although many women don’t start feeling the baby move until the 17th week (or later), your baby has been having his own party in the amniotic sac he calls home. If you feel a little flutter in your belly this week, don’t discount it as gas or hunger. It could be your babe banging around. Here’s more to look forward to:

Baby’s head is now resting on his well-formed neck instead of directly on his shoulders like Igor. He’s beginning to grow eyebrows and eyelashes this week. (All the better to give you that “Mom, you’re crazy” look when he’s a teenager.) The hair on the head also begins to grow and, with some creative styling, you’ll be able to turn those locks into a Maddox Jolie-Pitt faux-hawk some day.

Although baby’s eyes are sealed shut, he’s now able to sense light. His eyes and ears finally look like real baby features now. As your baby practices sucking and swallowing actions, he may actually hiccup. You’ll know he’s had one too many shots of amniotic fluid by the steady thump-thump you feel.

Over the next month, baby will grow faster than ever, so make sure you load up on enough nutritious food and fluids to support his growth. Your baby now measures nearly 4 inches, about the size of a Kit Kat “finger” (regular-size, not the Big one you get at the movies), and weighs almost 2 ounces.