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Second trimester

Week 16 of pregnancy

Your baby is the size of an avocado. The eyes move, the face muscles get stronger, and some mothers feel the first movements.

Your baby is the size of an avocado

Length, head to bottom
≈ 11.6 cm
Weight
≈ 100 g

Your baby this week

  • The eyes move slowly under the closed eyelids.
  • The muscles of the face and back get stronger, so the baby holds its head straighter.
  • The nervous system is developing and movements become more coordinated.

Your body this week

  • Some women, especially those who have been pregnant before, feel the first movements as flutters. Most feel them between weeks 16 and 24.
  • Your nipples and the skin around them may darken, and a dark line may appear down the middle of your tummy.
  • You may have backache or sharp pains at the sides of your tummy when you move quickly, as the ligaments supporting the womb stretch.

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Read more for this stage

General information written by the mam.al editors. Every pregnancy is different and sizes are averages; it does not replace advice from your doctor or midwife. Sources include the NHS week-by-week guide to pregnancy. NHS. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.