Week 20
Your baby now measures about 15.3 cm (6 in) from crown to rump and weighs roughly 240 g (8.5 oz). Babies vary, and scan figures often differ a little from these. Your baby is laying down the first stores of fat, the nails are growing, and movements are getting stronger and easier to recognize. For you, the top of your uterus has risen to around your belly button, and many people find this the most comfortable stretch of pregnancy. By the end of this week you reach 20 weeks, the halfway mark. This week looks at what that milestone means, how your care provider tracks growth, headaches, healthy fats, worry and low mood, and a short list for the months ahead.
Day 134 · 19 weeks 0 days
You are almost halfway there
A full-term pregnancy is counted as 40 weeks from the first day of your last period. At the end of this week you will be 20 weeks along, exactly halfway to your due date. It is a good moment to pause and notice how far you have come.
Think back to the first weeks: the uncertainty, the tiredness, perhaps the nausea. Your baby has grown from a cluster of cells into a moving, hiccupping person with fingerprints and a working heart. Your body has quietly built a placenta, increased your blood volume and made room. Halfway does not mean the second half will be a copy of the first. The coming weeks usually bring a bigger bump, stronger kicks and more visible changes. The last few months can feel slow, and many people get more tired again near the end. Knowing that now can help you use these middle weeks well, while your energy is often at its best.
Remember too that only a small share of babies arrive on their due date. Most come in the two weeks around it, so "halfway" is a rough marker, not a countdown to the hour.
Try this: Take a side-on photo of your bump today and write one line about how you feel, so you have a halfway snapshot to look back on.
Day 135 · 19 weeks 1 day
Your baby is starting to fill out
Until now, your baby has looked lean, with thin, see-through skin over the blood vessels. Over the past few weeks, the first layers of fat have begun to form under the skin. Over the coming months this fat will smooth out the wrinkles and help your baby stay warm after birth.
Some of it is a special kind called brown fat. It sits mainly around the neck, chest, back and kidneys, and it can burn energy to make heat. Newborns rely on it because they cannot shiver well to keep warm. Other details are filling in too. Fingernails and toenails are growing. Eyebrows and a little scalp hair may be appearing, though they have no colour yet. The arms and legs are now in proportion with each other, and the joints bend and stretch freely.
All this growing room gives your baby plenty of space to move. Kicks, rolls and jabs are becoming stronger, so if you have only felt faint flutters so far, you may notice something clearer soon. If you have an anterior placenta, sitting at the front of the uterus, it can cushion movements for a few more weeks.
Try this: Lie on your side for ten minutes this evening, a time when many babies are active, and see what you notice.
Day 136 · 19 weeks 2 days
Your bump has reached your belly button
At around 20 weeks, the top of your uterus, called the fundus, usually sits at about the level of your navel. From here it rises a little higher each week, until it reaches up under your ribs late in pregnancy.
From now on, at many visits, your care provider may measure your bump with a soft tape, from the top of your pubic bone to the top of the uterus. This is called the fundal height. In centimetres, it roughly matches the number of weeks you are pregnant, give or take two or three. At 24 weeks, for example, it is often around 24 cm.
The measurement is a simple check, not a precise one. Your build, the baby's position, the amount of fluid and even a full bladder can change it. What matters is the pattern over several visits. If your measurements are well above or below the expected range, or stop rising, you may be offered an ultrasound to look at growth and fluid more closely. That is a routine next step, and most of the time it is reassuring.
You may also notice your belly button starting to flatten or pop outward. That is normal, and it usually goes back after birth.
Try this: At your next appointment, ask what your fundal height is and jot it down, so you can follow the trend yourself.
Figure 5. Where the top of the uterus usually reaches as pregnancy goes on.
Day 137 · 19 weeks 3 days
What to do about headaches
Headaches are common in pregnancy. Shifting hormones, a bigger blood volume, poor sleep, hunger, dehydration, a stuffy nose, eye strain and stress can all play a part.
Start with the simple things. Drink water through the day and eat regular meals and snacks so your blood sugar does not dip. Rest in a quiet, dark room. A cool cloth on your forehead or the back of your neck, a warm shower, or gentle neck and shoulder stretches can help.
If you need a pain reliever, acetaminophen (paracetamol) is generally considered the first choice in pregnancy, at the lowest dose that works for the shortest time. Anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen and aspirin are usually avoided unless your care provider recommends them, especially from 20 weeks on. Check with your pharmacist before taking any product, as many remedies combine several ingredients.
From the second half of pregnancy, a headache can sometimes be a sign of high blood pressure.
Call your care provider if you have a headache that is severe, does not go away with rest and simple pain relief, or comes with blurred vision, flashing lights, sudden swelling of your face or hands, or pain under your ribs. Get help right away if a headache comes on suddenly and severely, or with a fever and stiff neck, weakness or confusion.
Try this: Fill a water bottle now and keep it in sight all afternoon, finishing it before dinner.
Day 138 · 19 weeks 4 days
Healthy fats feed a growing brain
Your baby's brain and eyes are growing fast, and they are built partly from fats, especially an omega-3 fat called DHA. Your baby gets it from you, through the placenta. Over the second half of pregnancy the demand rises steeply.
The richest source is fish, particularly oily fish such as salmon, trout, sardines, herring and anchovies. Most guidance suggests about two servings of fish a week in pregnancy, chosen from types that are low in mercury. As you read in week 7, avoid high-mercury fish such as shark, swordfish, marlin and bigeye tuna, and skip raw or undercooked fish and smoked seafood unless it is cooked until steaming hot.
If you do not eat fish, you can get some omega-3 from walnuts, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, canola oil and eggs from hens fed omega-3. Your body converts only a little of the plant form into DHA, though. Some people choose an omega-3 supplement made from fish oil or algae. Ask your care provider whether one is right for you, and avoid cod liver oil, which can contain too much vitamin A.
Fat in general is not something to avoid. Olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds help you absorb vitamins and keep you full.
Try this: Plan one fish meal for this week, such as baked salmon or sardines on toast, or add a spoon of ground flaxseed to your breakfast.
Day 139 · 19 weeks 5 days
When worry or low mood will not lift
Many people expect pregnancy to feel joyful, and much of it can. But about one in seven pregnant people has depression or anxiety during pregnancy, not only after the birth. It is common, it is not your fault, and it is treatable.
Ordinary worries come and go. It may be more than that if, for two weeks or longer, you feel low, flat or hopeless most days, lose interest in things you used to enjoy, cry often, or feel numb about the baby. Anxiety can show up as constant worry you cannot switch off, a racing heart, trouble sleeping even when you are tired, or intrusive, frightening thoughts. People with a past history of depression or anxiety, a difficult earlier pregnancy, or little support around them are at higher risk.
Help works. Talking therapies are effective, peer support groups help many people, and some medicines can be used safely in pregnancy. If you already take medication for your mental health, do not stop it suddenly. Talk to your care provider first.
Call your care provider if low mood or anxiety lasts more than two weeks or makes it hard to get through the day. Get help right away if you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby: call your local emergency number or a crisis line.
For your partner: Ask, gently and on a quiet evening, "How are you really feeling?" Then listen without rushing to fix it, and offer to come along to an appointment if talking to someone would help.
Day 140 · 19 weeks 6 days
A short list for the second half
Tomorrow you reach 20 weeks. The second half of pregnancy brings more appointments, more decisions and, near the end, less energy. A few things are easier to sort out now, while you feel well.
Here is a starting list. Pick what fits your life and leave the rest. Book prenatal classes if you have not already, since popular ones fill early.
Find out what your next appointments involve. A blood sugar test is often offered between 24 and 28 weeks, and you will read about it soon. Look into your parental leave and any benefits, and tell your employer when you need to.
Start a running list of baby items, noting what you can borrow or buy second-hand.
Think about who could help in the first weeks after the birth, even informally.
There is no need to do everything at once. Spreading small tasks across the coming weeks keeps them from piling up at the end, when you may want to rest.
It is also worth adding something just for you. A day out, a meal with friends or a weekend away while travel is still comfortable can be a welcome marker of the halfway point. If you plan a trip, check with your care provider and bring your pregnancy notes with you.
Try this: Choose two items from this list and put them in your calendar with a date for each.