16 weeks pregnant

How big is my baby at 16 weeks pregnant?

Your baby is around 11.6 cm long now and about the size of an orange. All their limbs and joints are now fully formed – and they’re probably enjoying giving them all a good stretch and flex! They might also have 'found' their thumb and worked out how to suck it by now, too. How cute is that?

Now that their backbone has become stronger your baby will start to straighten out their head and neck more. Their nervous system is also making connections to all their muscles so you might find your baby starts to move with a little more purpose and also now has reflexes. 

Your baby's face muscles can now move, too, meaning that facial expressions are beginning to appear, although your little one doesn't as yet have any control over them. It’s also possible that they might grab and play with their umbilical cord as they develop the ability to grip further. Their skin is currently quite translucent, and if you could take a peek, you’d be able to see blood vessels under their skin. 

Did you know?

You at 16 weeks pregnant

Midwives no longer check baby’s heartbeat at 16 weeks because it can still be difficult to locate so they wait until baby is bigger to prevent any unnecessary anxiety, but NICE guidelines say it can be available at 'maternal request'. Listening to the heart can confirm that baby is alive - but, is unlikely to have any 'predictive value' at this early stage. 

The Whooping Cough vaccine is also offered to all pregnant women between 16-32 weeks of pregnancy. 

Following a rise in whooping cough cases across the UK, the vaccination programme for pregnant women was introduced in 2012 and has already protected many young babies. After receiving the vaccine, your body will create protective antibodies which are passed to your unborn baby through the placenta. This will help protect your baby from the disease in the first few weeks of their life before they are old enough to get the vaccination themselves at 2 months old.

You can also have the flu vaccine when pregnant. The best time to have the flu vaccine is in the autumn, from the beginning of October to the end of November. Women are usually offered it throughout September to February. If this time period is missed, you can have the flu vaccine later in the winter although it's best to get it earlier so the whooping cough and flu vaccines can be given at the same time, however the flu vaccine should not be delayed until the whooping cough vaccine is due.

Some mums-to-be find their libido increases at this stage of their pregnancy (some don't!) and so you might find your sex drive is on the up! There is absolutely no need to worry about your baby (unless your doctors have advised you otherwise).

In the first trimester, the rising hormones than can cause tiredness, pregnancy sickness and sensitive boobs may lower your sexual desire. Yet, as these not so fun first trimester symptoms subside you may notice an increase in your sex drive. This is because of increased vaginal lubrication and increased clitoris sensitivity due to all that extra blood flowing around you. It can even result in a more pleasurable sexual experience with your partner, so make the most of it if this perk of pregnancy strikes you, as later in the third trimester, extra weight and back ache may decrease your sexual desire again.

Facts to know about you in week 16

• Your lungs can be crowded by your growing baby meaning it can be tough to catch your breath from time to time

What to think about in week 16 pregnancy

Communication is often the key to smoothing troubled waters, so if you are finding your relationship is sometimes becoming a bit of a battle ground over certain issues, do try and talk things through.

Relationship counselling could be helpful if things are really building up – do remember, you are both undergoing an awful lot of changes, so don't be too hard on yourselves!

A very common symptom in pregnancy, backache can begin to affect mums-to-be from early on in pregnancy and not just towards the end when your bump is big. It is most common in trimester two and three and this can get worse as your weight increases and your bump expands. The back pain is a result of your growing bump throwing your weight distribution out of line. It also has an effect on the curve of your lower back. It’s natural to push your shoulders back to compensate for the change, which results in back pain but there are other self-help measures you can try.

Sensitive, itchy eyes

Even if you have never had problems with your eyes, pregnancy can cause you to suffer with dry, sensitive and even itchy eyes (dry eye syndrome and it is said to be more common in your second or subsequent pregnancy). This particular pregnancy symptom, which can leave you feeling like you’ve got dust in your eyes, is especially related to a loss in male hormones (androgens). There are over the counter drops that can help ease the symptoms, but it’s important to talk to your midwife, doctor or pharmacist first.

Watch our video below on: The fetal anomaly scan (20 weeks)