pregnancy week 16
16 weeks pregnant.
The baby is growing fast — facial features fall into place, and tiny ears move closer to their final position.
Updated 29 July 2026 · Sources: NHS and ACOG
Your baby this week
Like a tiny baby in proportion — head a bit large still, but limbs are long and graceful, and facial features sit where they will at birth.
- Strong reflexes
- Ears finalize position
- Heart pumps 25 quarts of blood a day
- Eyes shift forward
What may be changing in your body
Energy continues to be good for many. Some experience nasal congestion or nosebleeds from increased blood volume. Belly is rounding visibly.
First movements (quickening)
Weeks 16 to 22 are the classic window for feeling the baby for the first time. Second-time parents feel it earlier; an anterior placenta cushions it later.
Round ligament aches continuing
The uterus is climbing steadily and the supporting ligaments keep stretching. A maternity support band can help if the pulling becomes tiresome.
The pregnancy glow
Increased blood flow and oil production give many people flushed, fuller-looking skin around now. The same oil can also mean breakouts — both are normal.
Backache beginning
A shifting centre of gravity and loosening joints start to load the lower back. Posture, supportive shoes and gentle core work make a real difference from here.
Constipation persisting
The slowed gut of pregnancy continues, sometimes worsened by iron supplements. Fibre, water and daily movement remain the reliable trio.
Sudden severe headache or vision changes — when to call
From mid-pregnancy onward, a severe headache with visual disturbance, or sudden swelling of the face and hands, can signal blood pressure problems. Call your midwife or doctor the same day.
Your week 16 checklist
- Attend your 16-week antenatal appointment — blood pressure, urine check, and a chance to hear the heartbeat
- Decide whether you want to learn the baby's sex at the anomaly scan and agree it as a couple
- Start sleeping on your side by habit, with a pillow between your knees
- Research prams, car seats and cots — the long-lead-time purchases
A useful partner move this week
Movement may be felt any day now, but you will not feel it from the outside for several more weeks — so when she says the baby moved, take her word for it and enjoy the report. Agree together, before the anomaly scan, whether you want to know the sex; discovering mid-scan that you disagree is a conversation best avoided. Take on the pram and car-seat research — it is genuinely useful and endlessly comparable.
What comes next
First flutters are common between now and week 22. They feel like gas bubbles or a soft tap from inside — easy to miss the first time.
Common questions
Can you feel the baby at 16 weeks?
Some people can, especially in second or later pregnancies — faint flutters, bubbles or flickers low in the belly. Most first-time parents feel nothing until 18 to 22 weeks, and an anterior placenta (one attached at the front) muffles movement even longer. Not feeling anything at 16 weeks is firmly within normal.
What happens at the 16-week midwife appointment?
It is a short check: blood pressure, a urine test for protein, a review of your booking blood results, and usually a chance to listen to the baby's heartbeat with a handheld Doppler. It is also your slot to ask anything that has come up since booking. No scan happens at this visit in most services.
When can my partner feel the baby kick from the outside?
Usually four to six weeks after you first feel movement inside — commonly between 20 and 24 weeks, once kicks are strong enough to transmit through the abdominal wall. Placental position and the baby's orientation shift the timing. Evenings, when you are lying still, are typically the best time to catch one.
How many months is 16 weeks pregnant?
Pregnancy months do not divide evenly into weeks, so clinicians date pregnancy in weeks. At 16 weeks, you are in trimester two.