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At sixteen weeks, you are towards the end of your fourth month. You have five months or twenty-four weeks to go. This week marks the beginning of rapid growth in your baby, and in the next weeks, your baby will become double its size. Presently, your baby is about the size of an avocado.
Take a peek at your baby
Take a Peek
The circulatory system of the fetus is now up and running. As a result, that tiny heart can pump approximately 24 liters of blood daily.
This week, your baby’s eyes make side-to-side movement patterns and can perceive light, although they are still closed.
At 16 weeks, fetuses may be able to make that newborns’ thumb-sucking motions.
Take a Peek
The circulatory system of the fetus is now up and running. As a result, that tiny heart can pump approximately 25 quarts of blood daily.
This week, your baby’s eyes make side-to-side movement patterns and can perceive light, although they are still closed.
At 16 weeks, fetuses may be able to make that newborns’ thumb-sucking motions.
How is my baby developing at week 16?
This week all your baby is doing is growing, growing, and growing. This week, your baby’s bones are strengthening, and all their organs are now working. An exciting development is the fact that your baby can now hear you when you speak! Did you know that your baby will recognize your voice when they are finally born? So, you should talk to them as much as you can.
It seems like this week is packed with exciting developments. Another one of them is that you may start to feel your baby’s movements this week. Your baby has been able to feel you for a few weeks now, and you finally get the chance to feel them too. It might not happen for everyone this week, but you will want to pay attention to the little flutters in your belly.
This week, your baby is now reacting to light. Although their eyes are not open yet, they can sense light and even turn away from it. Your baby can now also taste the amniotic fluid. Their taste buds and pores are now working, and they can have preferences because they can now taste. Your baby’s heart is now also beating about 150 to 180 times in one minute. The heart is also pumping blood of about 24 liters per day.
Your baby’s head which has been bending and much bigger than the rest of their body, is now getting straight and proportional to the remaining parts of the body. If not, then in the next few ones, your baby’s eyes will move for the first time, and you will see the movements under the eyelids that are still closed. Your baby will start to touch its eyelids once the eyes start moving.
At the sixteenth week, your baby’s skin is still transparent, and you can see the blood vessels and skeleton through the skin. This is because your baby has no fat yet. There is also the presence of lanugo which is soft hair covering your baby’s skin to prevent cold, as they have no fat to serve that purpose.
How big is my baby at week 16?
At week sixteen, your baby weighs about 100grams and measures 4.57 inches in length. Your baby size can be likened to avocado this week. Your baby now looks more like a human, and its head is now standing straighter than before.
FETAL GROWTH
WEEK 16:
Your baby is about the size of an avocado
LENGHT
WEIGHT
4.57
100
Inches
grams
From head to heel
FETAL GROWTH
WEEK 16:
Your baby is about the size of an avocado
LENGHT
WEIGHT
4.57
100
Inches
grams
From head to heel
Baby Bump at Week 16
As for your belly, by now, people can tell you are pregnant. You should have a baby bump by now, and you would also have gained some weight in the last few weeks. As your baby is growing fast, you are also growing too. However, don’t forget not to compare your belly with any other person’s own. Some people still don’t show a bump at sixteen weeks, while others’ bumps are very pronounced. The range of pregnancy bumps depends on a woman’s shape and size and whether this is her first, second or third pregnancy.
Don’t compare your 16-week-pregnant belly to anyone else’s, and don’t worry too much. Everything is fine! You can talk to your doctor/physician if you are still concerned.
How many weeks do I have to go?
At 16 weeks pregnant, you have about 24 more weeks to complete your pregnancy journey.
What is happening in my body at week 16?
Your uterus growth is as fast as your baby’s growth, and you may not be able to hide your pregnancy anymore. You may have reached the stage where your bump contains a baby. Your weight gain and that of your baby have most likely increased significantly, and you will both continue to grow.
The mucous membranes of your nose can be affected by the pregnancy hormones that are circulating in your body and increasing blood flow. As a result, congestion and nosebleeds can occur. Unfortunately, the mucus buildup may intensify as your pregnancy progresses.
Still, your physician is unlikely to prescribe any medications or nasal sprays to help clear things up, but ask your doctor if something else is recommended. For example, a humidifier in your room and a dab of petroleum jelly under your nose may help to combat dryness.
Pregnancy Symptoms at Week 16
This week brings some new symptoms and continues the other week’s signs. This week, your breasts are now looking bigger and preparing for breastfeeding. By the end of your second trimester, they will have completed their preparations.
This week, that pregnancy glow you have always heard about is happening to you. Don’t be surprised to see your skin glowing and looking shinier than before.
This week, you will also experience back pains this week. It would be best if you tried stretching your body, sitting and standing straight to prevent backaches.
Constipation is also a common symptom this week. It is very uncomfortable and can give you stomach aches. Eating high-fibre foods, exercising, and drinking a lot of water can help with constipation problems. You can also see the veins on your body during pregnancy. Watching your weight gain will help reduce how many veins you see on your body.
In the sixteenth week, you will also increase vaginal discharges, and the bleeding and swollen gums will continue. Other symptoms you may experience this week are; dizziness, forgetfulness, swollen feet, leg cramps, round ligament pains (pain in the side of your tummy), nasal congestion and nosebleeds, and headaches.
Pregnancy Symptoms at Week 16
This week brings some new symptoms and continues the other week’s signs. This week, your breasts are now looking bigger and preparing for breastfeeding. They will have completed their preparations by the end of your second trimester.
That pregnancy glow you have always heard about is happening to you. Don’t be surprised to see your skin glowing and looking shinier than before.
Unfortunately, you will also get back pains this week. It would be best if you tried stretching your body and sitting and standing straight to prevent backaches.
Constipation is also a common symptom this week. It is very uncomfortable and can give you stomach aches. Eating high-fibre foods, exercising, and drinking a lot of water can help with constipation problems. You can also see the veins on your body during pregnancy. Watching your weight gain will help reduce how many veins you see on your body.
In the sixteenth week, you will also increase vaginal discharges, and the bleeding and swollen gums will continue. Other symptoms you may experience this week are; dizziness, forgetfulness, swollen feet, leg cramps, round ligament pains (pain in the side of your tummy), nasal congestion and nosebleeds, and headaches.
Health tips for week 16
Follow your weight plan
Follow the weight plan your doctor has drawn out for you. As your baby keeps growing in the weeks to come, you will need to put on some weight, but you don’t want to gain too much. The best thing to do is to see a doctor to guide your weight gaining process. In line with weight gaining, it is time for you to start wearing maternity clothes if you haven’t yet. You don’t want to feel suffocated in clothes that are no longer your size.
Drinking enough water
Drinking enough water will help with the issue of constipation and bloating. It also keeps you hydrated.
Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Having a humidifier around can help with your stuffy and dry nose. Try to eat only healthy food and make sure you are exercising regularly. Exercising can help with your constipation and backaches, and some exercises such as yoga and Pilates, help raise your energy.
Warnings for your week 16 of pregnancy
Excessive Weight Gain: As this is a period when you are gaining weight alongside your baby, you should watch out for excess weight gain. Depending on what you weighed before the pregnancy, your doctor would advise you on how much weight you should gain. Excess weight gain can harm you and your baby during childbirth because it causes birth complications such as pre-eclampsia.
Wrong Sleeping Position: Don’t sleep on your back! From last week, you should have started cultivating the habit of sleeping on your side. Sleeping on your back hinders blood circulation, making you feel dizzy and causing other problems. Preferably, it would be best if you lay on your left side.
