Your little one is learning how to suck and swallow, getting ready for nursing and/or bottle-feeding. They are also developing fat deposits underneath their skin, which will account for about two to six percent of their total body weight at birth and become a source of warmth and energy. Also, their fingerprints are nearly formed!

Your little one's umbilical is growing longer too, preparing for the more demanding second-half of pregnancy, providing oxygen and nutrients along the way. Also, your baby's limbs have almost entirely turned into bone, and he or she is hearing your voice!

By week 17, you may feel like you're in this strange middle place where you've obviously gained a little weight, but your overall look doesn’t deliver that "I'm obviously pregnant" message yet. On top of that, you could feel clumsier than usual, now that your baby belly is carrying weight in a higher, more out-in-front-of-you position. It's totally normal if you sometimes feel unbalanced in a bewildering, wobbly-in-my-heels kind of way. It may be time for you to put away your high heels and take out your comfy flip flops, sneakers, and snuggly, warm boots.

Yes, you are eating for two. But that isn't a permission slip to eat the world on a silver platter. At 17 weeks, you should be consuming about 2,200 calories per day. Fill these calories with nutritious choices, including lean protein, whole grains, and healthy fats.

Because of your body's increased estrogen, your melatonin production has increased too. This sometimes leads to a darker, more sun-sensitive complexion, such as a "mask of pregnancy" on your face, or a "linea nigra" down the middle of your stomach. This is normal and any badges of human-growing honor will fade after childbirth. Your stomach and breasts may also feel a bit itchier too, as your skin stretches. Give some love to your sensitive skin and use a good lotion or cream to help minimize your desire to get scratchy.

Have you felt the quickening yet?

Often described as feeling like little flutters, or bubbles of indigestion, those gentle, first fetal movements are hard to recognize because they're well-surrounded and cushioned by amniotic fluid. If you haven't felt anything yet, there's no need to worry because every pregnancy is different. It's considered normal to recognize those first fetal movements at any point between 16 and 22 weeks. Gather your patience and soon, those little wiggles will grow strong, and you'll feel and recognize them regularly. If you have an anterior placenta, (when the placenta attaches to the front of the uterine wall), the amniotic cushioning may prevent you from feeling fetal movements until later in your pregnancy.

As time progresses, you will begin to feel movement with more frequency. And around week 25 week, the movements become strong enough to feel - and SEE! - from the outside of your stomach. You may even notice a pattern in the time of day when your baby is active or calm. This is your first glimpse into the personality of that little person on the inside. Does your baby want to stay up all night? Is she wigglier when you're playing loud music? Does he kick every time you drink milk? Enjoy getting to know your little one.