You are now 20 weeks pregnant, which is the beginning of week 21. Your baby measures around 23 cm in length from head to toe (9 inches) and weighs approximately 420 grams (or 14.8 ounces).
During the 20th week your baby's nails form and their fingerprints are now visibly engraved in their skin. Your baby's permanent teeth now appear behind their baby teeth deep within their gums. The bones in your baby's inner ear and their nerve endings are now developed to the point where it's possible for them to hear sounds (although their ears are not structurally complete until week 24). The sounds your baby can hear include their mother's heartbeat and the sound of her voice. So it's the ideal time to start speaking to your baby - and even reading to your baby now.
What is my body doing at 20 weeks?
Up until this point in your pregnancy, your placenta has weighed more than your baby, but from this point onwards, your baby will overtake it in weight. However, the placenta is still going to carry on growing, and will have trebled in size by the end of your pregnancy.
Whilst we’re talking about the placenta, it will be something your sonographer checks during your scan this week. A placenta positioned close to or covering your cervix and the opening to the womb, known as placenta praevia, can cause difficulties when it comes to giving birth. Luckily, as your uterus grows, it can pull the placenta up and away from the cervix, so even if you have a low-lying placenta now, it could sort itself out by the time you give birth, so don’t panic!
Now you are pretty much at the half way point, you’ll be feeling your baby more and people will probably be noticing your baby bump. You might also notice your hair and nails are growing faster than normal – this is one of the benefits of those pregnancy hormones.
Everything you need to know about your 20 week scan
Now for the exciting part, 20 weeks means it’s time to see your baby on ultrasound again at your anomaly scan. Your little one will be much more developed than at the last scan, and if you want, you can ask your sonographer to tell you if it’s a boy or a girl. This decision is completely up to you, and is one worth thinking carefully about.
The anomaly scan also checks your baby’s heartbeat, the structure of her abdomen, the head, the spine, the brain and the volume of amniotic fluid. The sonographer will also take detailed measurements of your baby’s bones, to ensure everything is as expected.
Once the scan is complete, you can usually take a printout home with you. Find more information about the scan and what’s happening here.
Common symptoms to look out for:
Physical changes
Pregnant belly
If you lie down, you should be able to feel the top of your uterus (or fundus) around the level of your belly button now. Your caregiver may start using a measuring tape during visits to measure your fundal height, but this is not essential. You can read more about this here.
Baby kicking
Many women feel their unborn baby move for the first time around 20 weeks (sometimes earlier). However, if your placenta is in an anterior position (implanted at the front of your uterus closest to your belly), this can reduce the sensations and delay you feeling your baby until 22 weeks or later. Your partner and others will not be able to sense your baby moving by touching your belly until about 2 to 4 weeks after you do. Bear in mind this is a general guide and the timing may be longer, especially if the woman is sensing her baby move before 20 weeks.
Did you know? The medical term for when a woman feels her unborn baby move is called quickening and before the invention of modern pregnancy tests it was generally the first physical sign that confirmed a viable pregnancy.
Emotional reactions
Feeling your unborn baby move is something most women anticipate with great impatience. Sensing it for the first time is very exciting, as well as a wonderful confirmation of your baby's growth and presence. In the weeks that follow, the thrill and wonder of this sensation will become more regular and as your baby grows bigger, you can share their movements with your partner (if you have one) or others. Fathers (and siblings) will marvel at feeling their baby move, often helping them connect more closely with the unborn baby.
Other considerations
Belly size and shape
You may begin to notice other pregnant women more readily and start looking more closely at their belly size and shape. Each woman's pregnant belly differs, depending on their height and weight and whether it is their first or subsequent baby. Try to remember that every woman is unique in how she changes and responds to her pregnancy.
Maternity clothes
Many women look obviously pregnant by now and probably need to start wearing looser clothing or buy special maternity clothes. You can read more about maternity wear here.
Natural therapies in pregnancy
Art therapy is the spontaneous use of art materials to produce images or sculpture to heal emotional stresses and concerns by allowing the creative expression of feelings, thoughts, concerns, fantasies and emotions through art. Some childbirth educators use art therapy to help identify concerns and approaches to labour and birth.
What to do this week:
During the 20th week your baby's nails form and their fingerprints are now visibly engraved in their skin. Your baby's permanent teeth now appear behind their baby teeth deep within their gums. The bones in your baby's inner ear and their nerve endings are now developed to the point where it's possible for them to hear sounds (although their ears are not structurally complete until week 24). The sounds your baby can hear include their mother's heartbeat and the sound of her voice. So it's the ideal time to start speaking to your baby - and even reading to your baby now.
What is my body doing at 20 weeks?
Up until this point in your pregnancy, your placenta has weighed more than your baby, but from this point onwards, your baby will overtake it in weight. However, the placenta is still going to carry on growing, and will have trebled in size by the end of your pregnancy.
Whilst we’re talking about the placenta, it will be something your sonographer checks during your scan this week. A placenta positioned close to or covering your cervix and the opening to the womb, known as placenta praevia, can cause difficulties when it comes to giving birth. Luckily, as your uterus grows, it can pull the placenta up and away from the cervix, so even if you have a low-lying placenta now, it could sort itself out by the time you give birth, so don’t panic!
Now you are pretty much at the half way point, you’ll be feeling your baby more and people will probably be noticing your baby bump. You might also notice your hair and nails are growing faster than normal – this is one of the benefits of those pregnancy hormones.
Everything you need to know about your 20 week scan
Now for the exciting part, 20 weeks means it’s time to see your baby on ultrasound again at your anomaly scan. Your little one will be much more developed than at the last scan, and if you want, you can ask your sonographer to tell you if it’s a boy or a girl. This decision is completely up to you, and is one worth thinking carefully about.
The anomaly scan also checks your baby’s heartbeat, the structure of her abdomen, the head, the spine, the brain and the volume of amniotic fluid. The sonographer will also take detailed measurements of your baby’s bones, to ensure everything is as expected.
Once the scan is complete, you can usually take a printout home with you. Find more information about the scan and what’s happening here.
Common symptoms to look out for:
- Heartburn and indigestion: Yep, it’s still very much a problem, and unfortunately, it’s set to stay as your bump gets bigger. Try eating smaller meals, not lying down after meals and chewing sugarless gum after mealtimes to alleviate the symptoms.
- Headaches: Another normal side effect of pregnancy, be sure to take regular breaks to get fresh air and talk to your GP if they are too persistent.
- Leg Cramps: We’re still not sure why this happens during pregnancy, but if those shooting pains are waking you in the night, try and put your feet up more during the day and make sure you’re drinking plenty of water.
- Edema: If your feet and ankles look like you’ve just got off a long-haul flight, you’re suffering with edema – basically water retention in your ankles and feet. Don’t do a Victoria Beckham – ditch those heels and make sure your shoes are comfy and not too tight. Also, if you can avoid wearing tight socks or tights as these can cut off the blood flow and make the swelling worse.
- Your belly button changes: You knew it was going to happen, but in the next few weeks your innie is probably going to become an outie as your uterus pushes your abdomen forward. Don’t worry – it will go back to normal after you give birth.
Physical changes
Pregnant belly
If you lie down, you should be able to feel the top of your uterus (or fundus) around the level of your belly button now. Your caregiver may start using a measuring tape during visits to measure your fundal height, but this is not essential. You can read more about this here.
Baby kicking
Many women feel their unborn baby move for the first time around 20 weeks (sometimes earlier). However, if your placenta is in an anterior position (implanted at the front of your uterus closest to your belly), this can reduce the sensations and delay you feeling your baby until 22 weeks or later. Your partner and others will not be able to sense your baby moving by touching your belly until about 2 to 4 weeks after you do. Bear in mind this is a general guide and the timing may be longer, especially if the woman is sensing her baby move before 20 weeks.
Did you know? The medical term for when a woman feels her unborn baby move is called quickening and before the invention of modern pregnancy tests it was generally the first physical sign that confirmed a viable pregnancy.
Emotional reactions
Feeling your unborn baby move is something most women anticipate with great impatience. Sensing it for the first time is very exciting, as well as a wonderful confirmation of your baby's growth and presence. In the weeks that follow, the thrill and wonder of this sensation will become more regular and as your baby grows bigger, you can share their movements with your partner (if you have one) or others. Fathers (and siblings) will marvel at feeling their baby move, often helping them connect more closely with the unborn baby.
Other considerations
Belly size and shape
You may begin to notice other pregnant women more readily and start looking more closely at their belly size and shape. Each woman's pregnant belly differs, depending on their height and weight and whether it is their first or subsequent baby. Try to remember that every woman is unique in how she changes and responds to her pregnancy.
Maternity clothes
Many women look obviously pregnant by now and probably need to start wearing looser clothing or buy special maternity clothes. You can read more about maternity wear here.
Natural therapies in pregnancy
Art therapy is the spontaneous use of art materials to produce images or sculpture to heal emotional stresses and concerns by allowing the creative expression of feelings, thoughts, concerns, fantasies and emotions through art. Some childbirth educators use art therapy to help identify concerns and approaches to labour and birth.
What to do this week:
Make sure you’re getting enough calcium: If your baby were to have an X-ray, her skeleton would show up more clearly because more calcium has been deposited within her bones. Help her along by including plenty of calcium-rich foods in your diet!
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