The Fifth Month of Pregnancy

18 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby can now move its arms and legs.

Your baby is about 14 cm long and weighs almost 200 grams. They can now move their arms and legs and movements will get more and more noticeable in the weeks ahead. Tiny blood vessels are visible through their delicate skin, and ears are still standing out from the head a bit. Myelinisation of the nerves has started and this process will continue till a few years after birth.

Find out more about your eighteenth week of pregnancy.

19 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby is looking more and more human.

Your baby now weighs just 260 grams and is only 15 cm long. Arms and legs are more proportionate to the body and hair has started growing on the scalp.

The baby stays in the amniotic fluid for the entire period of pregnancy and to protect the skin from damage during this time a protective waxy coating called the vernix caseosa is formed all over the body. Skeletal muscles become active – you may now start to feel your baby’s movements for the first time, a fluttering feeling also known as a sense of quickening.

Find out more about your nineteenth week of pregnancy.

20 Weeks Pregnant

You and your baby get used to each other.

Your baby weighs about 320 grams now and is around 16 cm long. Getting more active, you may feel kicks and nudges instead of the gentle flutters you felt earlier. You may also notice patterns to this behaviour as you attune to your baby.

Find out more about your twentieth week of pregnancy.

21 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby’s digestive system is now put to the test.

Your baby now weighs 390 grams and is 18 cm long. The baby swallows more and more amniotic fluid during these days and that is good for its digestive system. After digestion, the swallowing of the amniotic fluid produces meconium, a black, sticky by-product. This accumulates in the bowels and is excreted during or soon after birth.

Find out more about your twenty-first week of pregnancy.

22 Weeks Pregnant

Watch out! Your baby can now hear all that you say!

At this stage, your baby’s lips, eyelids and eyebrows become more distinct. At 19 cm and 460 grams, they’re starting to look like a tiny newborn baby. The organs, like the pancreas, are also developing steadily. Your baby can now hear loud sounds, starting to prepare for entering the world outside your uterus. They can also feel your movements and their brain is developing centres of smell, taste, hearing, vision and touch.

Find out more about your twenty-second week of pregnancy.

Here's what to expect in the sixth month of pregnancy.