16 weeks pregnant

What to expect this week

What's happening in week 16

Week 16 and your baby is doing some pretty amazing stuff!

Your baby at week 16

Your baby is around 11.5cm long now and about the size of an avocado. 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.

You at 16 weeks pregnant

You will have an antenatal appointment this week, and as well as doing all your routine blood pressure, urine and blood tests, your midwife will probably have some info for you about your next ultrasound scan, the anomaly scan. This is offered to pregnant women between 18 and 20 - check out our page on ultrasound scans for details about what the sonographer will be looking for during this important check up.
Women who showed a higher risk for Down's at their earlier screening tests may also have an appointment for amniocentesis at 16 weeks.
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) when you and your partner are making love, but do have a look at our sex in pregnancy page for some ideas to make things a bit more comfy when you are being intimate and negotiating the bump!

What to think about in week 16

There's no doubt your relationship with your partner will evolve now you are to become parents – and there's no denying that sometimes, the emotional, hormonal, and just downright exhausting symptoms of pregnancy can test even the strongest and most loving of partnerships!
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!