You're 17 weeks pregnant!

Medically reviewed by Valinda Riggins Nwadike, MD, MPH & Adda Bjarnadóttir, MS, LN

What's going on with you this week?

You’re trucking along through your second trimester and hopefully you're done with all the nausea and fatigue that ruled the roost in your first trimester. If you're still in the thick of it, just know that it does take some women a few more weeks to get to the famed honeymoon period of pregnancy.

You're inching closer to the halfway mark of your pregnancy, and soon you'll be able to find out the sex of your baby if you choose. Most parents are able to find out for sure at the 20-week anatomy ultrasound, so spend some time thinking about whether you want to know or if you want to be surprised when your baby arrives!

Sweet dreams are made of… uh… what's up with these dreams?

Even if sleep is still coming pretty easily at this point, you may be experiencing one of the more bizarre aspects of pregnancy — pregnancy dreams. Many people say that their dreams during pregnancy can be unusually vivid and sometimes even frightening.

While we may not know entirely why pregnancy brings on these types of dreams, it's likely a combination of elevated hormone levels and plain old anxiety. Dreams are a way for our brains to process information, including stressful situations, and there's plenty of stress to go around when you're about to bring a human into the world.

If your dreams are becoming disruptive, try speaking to a friend or even a therapist just to calm your nerves.

When the glow up is rudely interrupted

Sporting a pregnancy glow can be such a lovely thing, but there are some other more unwelcome skin changes that can arrive right around this time as well. Some 50 to 70 percent of pregnant women will experience melasma.

Melasma is the dark brown or black spotty discoloration that suddenly appears on your skin. This condition is sometimes also referred to as the "pregnancy mask” — which is a very creepy moniker for a common issue. Who names these things?

As usual, your hormones are to blame for this symptom. Your best course of action is to make sure that you protect your skin from the sun by wearing sunscreen daily and a hat if you are going to be in direct sun during the day.

Hey Siri, what is sciatica?

Somewhere in the middle of the second trimester, you may begin to notice a shooting pain going down one of your legs. The sciatic nerve is probably where it's coming from, and it can cause some serious discomfort. Your growing baby could be pushing on that sciatic nerve, which in turn causes radiating pain down one of your legs.

The good news? It's usually centered around one leg, not both. The bad news? It can be really painful. You might get relief by sleeping with a pillow between your legs at night (any pillow will do, but we have some suggestions below), but there are also stretches that you can do during the day to help relieve some of the pressure.

OK, real talk — are you freaking out yet?

There's one great thing about the first trimester — the physical symptoms that wreak havoc on your body during that time keep you from thinking about anything else other than surviving the day. When those symptoms start to let up in your second trimester, your brain is suddenly available to start doing other things. Like… worrying. Incessantly. We get it. You’ve got a lot going on.

There are a ton of decisions to be made in the next few months. You've got to brainstorm baby names, get some kind of nursery together, decide on your birth plan, and that's just the beginning of your list. It can feel like way too much to handle.

Try to figure out how you can best put your mind at ease. Yes, decisions will have to be made, but you'll make them one way or another and at one time or another. Worrying about how and when won't help at all.

Maybe making lists is a good way for you to feel like you've got things under control. Maybe putting things on a calendar works better for you. Or maybe the best solution for you is just to take some deep breaths, discuss it with your partner or a good friend, and take it as it comes, one thing at a time.

The truth is that the only thing that absolutely must happen here is that the baby comes out. And, guess what? You have no control over that. The baby is coming no matter what you do and isn't that kind of wonderful to know?

If you're feeling stressed out, just know that it's normal. And if you need help, don't ever be afraid to ask. Your partner, a family member, or any other person who has been through this already will be happy to help where they can. You've got this.

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Eat

Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes. First of all, pancakes. Yum. But, more importantly, buckwheat is loaded with antioxidants, which may help reduce stress.

Walnut Miso Noodles. The whole wheat pasta in this dish will increase your serotonin levels while the omega-3s in the walnuts work their magic to reduce anxiety levels.

Drink

Stress Relieving Green Smoothie. This smoothie is full of all kinds of nutrients that will help keep your mood levels steady and reduce stress.

Shop

A good sunscreen. If you don't already use a sunscreen on a daily basis, this is a good time to start. We love the Earth Mama Mineral Sunscreen SPF 40 and it works well for anyone with sensitive skin. If you have any questions about whether or not a skin care product is safe to use, check with your healthcare provider or check out this list of pregnancy-safe sunscreens.

A sleeping pillow to ease aches and pains. Any pillow is better than none, but these options are larger and designed to help you sleep comfortably during pregnancy. Try the Leachco Snoogle, the PharMeDoc Pregnancy Pillow, or the Cushy Form Knee Pillow that can help specifically with sciatic pain.

Do

Think about how to best handle your tasks and decision making. Maybe a productivity app is the way to go? Maybe just put everything on your Google Calendar with some dates and take it from there? Maybe writing things down works for you. Figure out how you can get a handle on everything that needs to be done in the next few months without feeling overwhelmed.

Chill out. The first step in helping yourself feel less overwhelmed is to come up with a plan, but it's just as important to take some time to relax. Take a yoga class, or maybe a painting class would be a good distraction. Maybe you could benefit from an afternoon by yourself in the park. Whatever works for you, take the time to do it.

Love

…your growing baby!

Your baby is now about 5 inches long (aw…still so tiny!) and weighs anywhere from 4 to 5 ounces. That's about the size of an onion.

Their skeleton, which has been made of soft cartilage, is starting to harden into solid bone.

The umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger as it delivers nutrients to your baby.

At this point, your baby will start to put a little fat on their bones, which will help regulate their body temperature.

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