15 Weeks Pregnant – Belly, Ultrasound And Symptoms

You’re 15 weeks pregnant!

The good news is you’re probably feeling more energetic now.

The tired fog you’ve been living in has lifted and you’re not experiencing ‘pregnancy brain’ quite so often.

Morning sickness and nausea have hopefully settled. You have an appetite and are looking forward to the rest of your pregnancy.

15 weeks pregnant is how many months?

At 15 weeks pregnant, you are in your fourth month of pregnancy. You’re just into the second trimester and you’ve said goodbye to the less desirable pregnancy symptoms from the last trimester.

15 weeks pregnant – choosing a healthcare provider

By now you have decided on your primary care provider for pregnancy and birth. Often the options might seem limited, especially if you consider only the local public hospital or a private obstetrician.

Choosing a maternity care provider is one of the most important decisions you will make. It determines where you will give birth and can even affect how you birth.

Think about your philosophy of pregnancy, labor, and your birth journey. Do you see birth as a normal life event or something that needs careful management?

Perhaps you like the idea of a water birth or having the same person care for you throughout your pregnancy and birth, and even after birth.

Maybe you want a specialist to help you navigate any pregnancy complications you might have.

Explore all the various options and then choose a care provider who best fits what you want for your birth, and who will support you to achieve it.

Read How Do I Choose A Care Provider? for more information.

Can I exercise at 15 weeks pregnant?

This could be the week you decide to research some exercise classes and look into swimming or yoga.

Thanks to your increased energy, you feel ready to get fit! But take it easy, especially if you’re just starting a new workout program.

Walking is also a great habit to get into when pregnant. It’s a low-impact exercise and helps you keep active and avoid gaining too much weight.

Exercise benefits you now and can potentially make your labor shorter.

Avoid high-impact sports or exercise that could result in you falling, or becoming overheated.

What should I be feeling at 15 weeks pregnant?

Many women feel so good at this point in their pregnancy they experience an increased sex drive.

This might be a little surprising to you but pregnancy really has a huge impact on your body.

Pregnancy increases blood flow, particularly to your breasts and pelvis. This makes these areas more sensitive and you might become aroused more easily.

At 15 weeks pregnant you’re also more likely to start enjoying your body. Unfortunately, society has pushed the ‘perfect’ body image onto women and many of us are often critical of ourselves, even when we’re pregnant.

Some women find their weight gain and changing body so different it’s a challenge for them to see their beauty and strength. For other women, rounder hips and breasts make them feel even sexier.

This is perfectly normal. And it often means women are more interested in sex and have an increased response.

If you have no complications, it’s perfectly safe to have sex during pregnancy.

Take advantage of your increased interest in sex. It’s a great way to connect with your partner on an emotional and physical level.

If your partner is resistant to having sex while you are pregnant, he might be because he feels it’s strange the baby is so close to the action.

Reassure him the baby can’t feel or sense what is going on.

You could show him BellyBelly’s article 13 Reasons Why He Might Not Want Sex

15 weeks pregnant belly

You might notice the sense of something being ‘there’ now as your uterus starts growing up out of your pelvis.

Your baby is growing rapidly and soon you will have a proper baby bump rather than feeling as though you’ve just gained weight around the middle.

People will really start to notice your belly as it pops out. Every woman’s body is different, so exactly when this happens can vary – especially in first pregnancies.

Women who have already had babies usually find their bodies stretch much faster during second and subsequent pregnancies.

Right now you might think you look bloated and you’re wondering when your baby bump will show up.

Don’t worry. It won’t be too long before you’re finding it a bit tricky to sit down.

15 weeks pregnant ultrasound

It’s not usual to have an ultrasound at 15 weeks pregnant, unless your doctor wants to check baby’s growth is on track, or if you have high-risk complications that warrant further checks.

If you have an ultrasound, you will notice your baby is squirming and moving about.

Babies have a strong heartbeat at this stage, and might even be hiccupping inside there too. They’re able to move their limbs and joints, so they can look as though they’re doing acrobatics.

15 weeks pregnant symptoms

The second trimester is when you get to leave some of the less-than-fun symptoms of pregnancy behind.

Most women will start to enjoy their pregnancy glow but there are some new symptoms you might experience in week 15 of pregnancy.

Some of these pregnancy symptoms are:

• Indigestion
• Heartburn
• Headaches
• Round ligament pain
• Pregnancy brain
• Leg cramps
• Mild swelling and fluid retention
• Constipation
• Heartburn and indigestion

If you’re working, or standing up most of the day, your feet might complain a bit and swell up. When you can, sit with your feet up and rest.

Leg cramps can also be a literal pain – try soaking in an Epsom salts bath for relief.

Your digestive system is still slowed down by the effects of progesterone. Focus on healthy eating, including plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit in your diet.

If you’re wondering what foods you can eat during pregnancy now you’re in your second trimester, focus on healthy proteins and vegetables. This also helps avoid too much weight gain; too many processed foods are empty calories with no nutrition.

Makes sure you’re drinking plenty of fluids, too, especially if you live in a warm climate. Hydration helps keep things moving in your digestive system and also helps your body increase its blood volume.

Nosebleeds and bleeding gums at 15 weeks pregnant

A less than desirable effect of pregnancy is an increased number of nosebleeds, and bleeding gums.

Thanks to the pregnancy hormones, progesterone and estrogen, your blood vessels dilate more easily.

Your blood volume has also increased. This puts pressure on the small capillaries found in the lining of the nose and in the gums.

As a result, you might experience nosebleeds and bleeding gums.

Try to avoid letting your nose dry out, especially if you spend a lot of time in places with central heating.

Running a humidifier in your home (especially in winter) might help. Lubricating the nostrils can also alleviate the nosebleeds.

A simple ointment, such as paw paw or vitamin E cream, will help prevent the sensitive nasal passage from drying out.

Swollen gums are a common symptom of pregnancy. Your gums become very sensitive and might bleed randomly, or when you brush your teeth.

It’s hard to prevent bleeding gums. A diet rich in protein, calcium, and vitamins C, B and D might help.

It’s important you take good care of your teeth and gums at this time, as you can be prone to gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) during pregnancy.

Left unchecked, gingivitis can cause periodontitis, an infection of the bone and tissues supporting the teeth.

Research has shown this to be a risk factor for premature labor.

Good dental hygiene, using a good toothbrush, is a must. See your dentist at the first sign of problems.

Iron and anaemia at 15 weeks pregnant

About this time, you might start to notice your growing uterus and baby are taking up more space.

Your lungs don’t have the same amount of room to expand, as they did pre-pregnancy, and this makes taking a deep breath slightly more difficult.

If you’re short of breath and you’re also feeling very tired, however, you might be low in iron.

Your doctor can order a simple blood test to check your levels of iron – both stored iron (ferritin) and iron available in your bloodstream (here).

It’s normal for iron levels in your blood to drop as your pregnancy progresses. This is because your blood volume expands and it dilutes the amount of iron in your blood.

If you don’t have enough stored iron to cope with lower iron levels in the blood, you might begin to feel the effects of pregnancy anaemia.

You can read more in Anaemia During Pregnancy

Although, it’s normal for many women, low iron can be very hard to cope with during pregnancy. Your baby is also storing up iron for the first six months after birth.

It’s a good idea to make sure you have good nutrition.

Your diet should include plenty of bioavailable sources of iron, especially if you are vegetarian or vegan.

Speak to your doctor about iron supplementation that is appropriate for you.

Find out more in Iron Intake During Pregnancy – 6 FAQs Answered

Medical procedures at week 15

If you’re at risk of having a baby with certain chromosomal problems, your ob gyn might recommend certain tests. One of these tests is called amniocentesis. It is normally performed after week 15, in the second trimester.

It’s a procedure in which the healthcare provider extracts a small volume of amniotic fluid from your uterus. This includes some cells from your fetus. The fluid is screened to detect any negative health symptoms in your baby.

Amniocentesis is used to determine fetal health, and whether your child has any abnormalities. These include Down syndrome and neural tube defects.

You can read more about this procedure in Amniocentesis – Definition, Risks And What To Expect

15 weeks pregnant – your baby

At 15 weeks, your little one is starting to develop what is known as ‘brown fat’.

This fat helps to regulate body temperature and is very important after birth.

Your baby’s legs have now grown enough to be as long as, or longer than, his arms, making him look more proportioned.

At 15 weeks pregnant, your baby is beginning to look more like the little person you’re imagining, as his facial features develop.

The ears have migrated to the side of the head, and the eyes are moving from the side to the front. The baby’s skin is still very thin and see-through.

The pattern of your baby’s hair is developing, too, along with some early hair, and even eyebrow growth.

Some babies are born with a full head of hair, while others are bald.

Lanugo, a layer of soft, downy hair that develops in all babies, will start to grow this week and will soon cover your baby’s body.

Can you feel baby at 15 weeks?

When you’re 15 weeks pregnant, your baby moves around a lot.

You might not notice this baby movement yet but, sooner or later, you’ll feel something that makes you wonder.

These movements can’t be seen from the outside, but you might sense very light flutters in your belly.

It feels almost like a muscle twitch or butterflies in your stomach.

What is my baby doing at 15 weeks in the womb?

It’s quite busy in there, as your baby curls fingers and toes while kicking legs and waving arms.

Your baby is becoming sensitive to light, and is starting to hear muted sounds from outside his watery world.

Respiratory type movements in your baby’s chest can be detected now.

Your baby is moving about half a litre (one pint) of amniotic fluid in and out of the lungs every day, and excreting about the same amount of urine.

How much does my baby weigh at 15 weeks pregnant?

Your baby at 15 weeks is now about 10 cm (3.9 inches long) and weighs about 70 grams (2.4 ounces) – about the size of a grapefruit.