Week 16
Your baby is now about 10.1 cm (4 in) from crown to rump and weighs roughly 70 g (2.5 oz), about the size of an avocado. Babies vary, so treat these numbers as a rough guide. This week the skeleton keeps turning from soft cartilage into bone, the legs grow longer than the arms, and the face is busy with tiny movements. For many people this is one of the easiest stretches of pregnancy. Nausea has often eased, energy is coming back, and the bump is starting to show. This week's focus is comfort: clothes that fit, food that sits well, and getting ready for the mid-pregnancy scan a few weeks from now.
Day 106 · 15 weeks 0 days
Your baby's bones are getting stronger
Until recently, most of your baby's skeleton was soft, bendy cartilage. Now it is steadily turning into bone, a process called ossification. It starts in the long bones of the arms and legs and in the skull, and it will continue well after birth. That is why a newborn has soft spots on the head. The legs are now longer than the arms, and the joints can bend. Your baby stretches, kicks and rolls in the fluid, even though you probably cannot feel it yet. Tiny fingernails and toenails are forming too.
To build bone, your baby draws on calcium, vitamin D and other minerals from your blood. If your own intake is low, your body will give up some of its stores. Good sources of calcium include milk, yogurt, cheese, calcium-set tofu, fortified plant drinks, canned fish with soft bones, and leafy greens. Vitamin D is harder to get from food, and many care providers recommend a supplement, often as part of your prenatal vitamin. You do not need to count every milligram. A couple of calcium-rich foods spread through the day covers most people well.
Try this: Check the label on your prenatal vitamin today for vitamin D, and add one calcium-rich snack, like yogurt or a glass of fortified milk.
Day 107 · 15 weeks 1 day
Clothes that fit make every day easier
Somewhere around now, your usual waistbands may start to feel tight by mid-afternoon. You do not need a whole new wardrobe at once. A few smart pieces will carry you a long way.
Start with what you already own. Loose dresses, stretchy leggings and long tops often work for weeks. A simple trick: loop a hair elastic through the buttonhole of your jeans and around the button to buy extra room. A belly band, a wide stretchy tube worn over open trousers, hides the gap and adds gentle support.
When you do buy maternity clothes, look for soft, stretchy fabric and adjustable waists, since your shape will keep changing. Secondhand shops, swaps with friends and online resale groups are full of barely worn pieces. Your bra deserves attention too. Breasts often grow by a cup size or more, and a tight underwire can dig in. Get measured now, and again later if things change. Soft, supportive bras with wide straps tend to be the most comfortable. Your feet may also widen a little, so comfortable shoes with low heels will help your back and balance.
Try this: Pull out three items you can keep wearing, and make a short list of what you actually need, starting with a well-fitting bra.
Day 108 · 15 weeks 2 days
Heartburn has a reason, and some fixes
That burning feeling behind your breastbone, sometimes with a sour taste in your throat, is heartburn. It is very common in pregnancy and tends to build as the weeks go on.
Two things cause it. Progesterone relaxes the ring of muscle at the top of your stomach, so acid can slip back up into your esophagus. Later, your growing uterus pushes up on your stomach as well.
Small changes often help a lot: - Eat smaller meals more often instead of three big ones. - Stay upright for two to three hours after eating, and avoid late dinners. - Raise the head of your bed slightly, or sleep propped on pillows. - Notice your own triggers. Spicy, fatty or fried foods, citrus, tomato, chocolate and fizzy drinks are common ones. - Sip water between meals rather than drinking a lot with them.
If these do not help enough, ask your pharmacist or care provider about antacids that are safe in pregnancy. Do not start other indigestion medicines without checking first.
Call your care provider if heartburn is severe, does not settle with remedies, or you cannot keep food down. Pain high in your belly just under the ribs, especially with headache, vision changes or sudden swelling, needs a call the same day.
Try this: Tonight, finish dinner at least two hours before bed and see if it makes a difference.
Day 109 · 15 weeks 3 days
Your baby is rehearsing for breathing and feeding
You read in week 14 that your baby's face is already busy with squints and frowns. Underneath those expressions, quieter rehearsals are going on, and many of them are for skills your baby will need on the first day. The eyes are still closed, yet behind the lids they have begun to move slowly from side to side. The eyelashes and eyebrows are starting to grow. On the scalp, the pattern of hair follicles is already set, including where any swirl or cowlick will be.
Your baby also opens and closes the mouth, sucks and swallows small amounts of amniotic fluid. Swallowing helps the digestive system mature, and the breathing-like movements of the chest help prepare the lungs. There is no air in there, so this is rehearsal only.
All of this is happening in a body about the length of your palm. It is a lot of work for something so small, which is part of why you may still feel hungry or tired at odd times. Your body is quietly funding the whole project.
Try this: Sit somewhere quiet for five minutes, rest a hand on your lower belly, and simply picture what your baby is doing in there.
Day 110 · 15 weeks 4 days
Iron matters more now than ever
During pregnancy, the amount of blood in your body rises by almost half. To make all those extra red blood cells, and to supply your baby and placenta, you need about one and a half times as much iron as before. When iron runs low, you can develop iron-deficiency anemia. It is one of the most common problems in pregnancy. Mild anemia may cause no symptoms at all, which is why your blood count was checked at your first visit and will be checked again later. As it gets worse, you may feel unusually tired or weak, look pale, feel short of breath with little effort, notice a racing heartbeat, or feel dizzy. Some people crave ice or non-food items.
Untreated anemia can leave you drained, and severe anemia is linked to preterm birth and low birth weight. The good news is that it is usually easy to treat once it is found.
Your prenatal vitamin likely contains some iron. If your levels are low, your care provider may suggest an extra iron supplement. Take only what they recommend, and keep iron pills well away from children, since an overdose is dangerous for a small child.
Call your care provider if you feel exhausted beyond normal pregnancy tiredness, are breathless doing everyday things, or notice a pounding or racing heart.
Try this: Look up the results of your booking blood test, or ask at your next visit what your hemoglobin was.
Day 111 · 15 weeks 5 days
Your changing body can bring mixed feelings
Some people love the first sign of a bump. Others feel awkward in a body that is changing faster than they can keep up with. Many feel both on the same day.
This is the stage where you may look "a bit bigger" rather than clearly pregnant. Clothes fit oddly, strangers may not know whether to say anything, and your reflection can catch you off guard. If you have a history of struggling with food or body image, pregnancy can stir up old feelings. That deserves care, not shame.
It may help to focus on what your body is doing rather than how it looks. It is building a new person, a new organ and almost half again as much blood. The changes have a purpose, and many of them are temporary. Be wary of social media that shows a narrow version of pregnancy. Bumps come in every shape and size, and they show at different times. A small or large bump at this stage says little about how your baby is growing. If your thoughts about eating, weight or your body feel hard to manage, tell your care provider. Support is available, and asking early helps. Try this: Write down one thing your body has done well this week, whether it is getting through a long day or simply keeping you going.
Day 112 · 15 weeks 6 days
The anatomy scan is coming up
Between about 18 and 22 weeks, most people are offered a detailed ultrasound, often called the anatomy scan or mid-pregnancy scan. It looks closely at how your baby is growing and checks the major organs. You will read more about what happens during it in a couple of weeks.
For now, the job is practical. In many places the scan needs to be booked ahead, and appointment slots can fill quickly. If you have not yet been given a date, ask your care provider or clinic now how and when to book. Find out a few things in advance. How long does the appointment usually take? Can a support person come, and can children attend? Do you need a full bladder? Is there a fee, and is parking available? Some clinics allow photos or recordings, and others do not.
Think, too, about whether you want to learn your baby's sex if it can be seen. You do not have to decide yet, but it is easier to tell the sonographer at the start than to try to look away halfway through.
For your partner: Ask for the scan date as soon as it is booked and arrange time off to be there. If you cannot attend, plan a call right afterward so you can hear about it together.