Both the mother and the baby undergo several changes by the time pregnancy enters the 15th week. The baby is making rapid growth. The mother too, gains weight around this time, and appears pregnant. While this is a relatively relaxing time for women, they do become prone to common ailments such as cold and flu.

Your Baby’s Development

The baby has grown in both height and weight by this time. Its skin is now reddish in color and is wrinkled. It also has body hair called ‘Lanugo’. The Lanugo is known to help the baby maintain a constant temperature inside the womb. New parents will be happy to learn that by this time, the baby is able to hear their voice. The women might feel some movement from the womb. The baby may be kicking or moving. It will also hiccup at times. It is also able to go off to sleep. It is also able to squint, frown, suck, and grasp by this time. Its skin however, remains thin, and the blood vessels are visible through it. The bones inside its ears will begin to harden now.

How Your Body Changes

Most women gain weight in their second trimester. There may be cramps in the leg as a result of stretched ligaments in the abdomen, caused due to the increasing size of the uterus. Women are prone to ailments such as bacterial vaginosis, and urinary tract infection. A case of bacterial vaginosis should be taken very seriously as it may cause pre-term labor in women. Urinary tract infection, on the other hand, may lead to kidney infection. This too, may result in a pre-term labor. These infections can be kept at bay by following simple measures such as wearing loose fitting clothes, avoiding dirty swimming pools, and also by avoiding perfumed soaps and sprays.