16weeks
pregnant

Highlights this week

Feeling pain in your lower back, hips or groin? You may be suffering from pelvic girdle pain (PGP).

Weight gain in pregnancy varies greatly. Most women put on between 10kg and 12.5kg.

Check out pregnancy symptoms you should never ignore.

Baby development at 16 weeks

Your baby is about the size of an avocado this week. Some of the more advanced body systems are working now, including their circulation and urinary tract. Your baby may be playing with the umbilical cord -- grabbing it and letting it go again.

Read more information on your baby's development this week.

Nerves from the taste buds are forming connections to the brain
A hair pattern is forming on your baby's scalp
Limbs can move in a coordinated way thanks to newly formed nerves

Advertisement | page continues below

Your baby is the size of an avocado

length

11.6

head to toe

weight

100

Pregnancy symptoms at 16 weeks

It's perfectly healthy to put on weight in pregnancy. If you started out at a normal weight for your height (called your body mass index) you may have gained between 2kg and 4.5kg. See other BabyCenter mums' baby bumps at 16 to 18 weeks of pregnancy.

The added weight will store extra energy for growing and having your baby. You're also carrying a greater blood volume in your body, plus your ever-growing baby and the amniotic fluid that cushions them.

You may feel twinges as your ligaments stretch in your pelvis and back. These pains are usually temporary, but you'll need to take care that you don't strain your back and pelvis in the coming months.

baby in womb with ligaments of uterus thickening at 16 weeks

The ligaments supporting your uterus are thickening

How your life's changing

It's normal for couples to worry about what labour will be like and how they'll cope as new parents. It may help to read about what happens in labour. Read some birth stories so you know how varied and exciting birth can be.

It's a good time to arrange a last minute holiday if you can spare the time and money. Travelling in the middle trimester is often recommended because you are usually over the early pregnancy feelings of nausea and fatigue and still not too far advanced for size or premature labour to be a problem.

If you are booking now for a flight later in pregnancy make sure your airline will allow you to fly at that stage. Otherwise follow our tips for trouble-free travel during pregnancy and enjoy your trip.

Pregnancy tip: feel your baby move

"I wasn't sure if I could feel my baby moving so a friend suggested I lie down for a while. After a few minutes, I started feeling a butterfly sensation low down. It was amazing!"
Louise B.

What you need to know

Get some great ideas for healthy foods in your second trimester. Try baked potato and beans, a wholemeal sandwich or a tub of plain yoghurt, and remember to drink plenty of water.
Will you feel your baby move earlier if you have had a baby before?
Had any cravings yet? Find out which cravings are most common.
Are you bothered by breathlessness or leg cramps? Find out what can be done to help.
What to do if you develop thrush.
Many couples give their baby a bump nickname which can help you start to feel a bond.