Week 16 · Second trimester
16 weeks pregnant
Gerbera daisy
11.6 cm (4.6 in)crown to rump
The Gerbera daisy (~10–12 cm) has a broad, open face and a sturdy center. It brings a little structure to a week of quick growth.
This week, inside
The fetus is around 11.6 cm from head to bottom and is approaching another growth spurt. The nervous system continues to develop, supporting arm and leg movement; the hands can form fists, and small facial movements have begun.
What you might be noticing
Constipation and bloating are common possibilities at this stage. Heartburn, dizziness, and changes in skin or hair may also appear.
- Constipation
- Bloating
- Heartburn
- Dizzy
- Skin changes
Small things that help
Make frequently used things easier to reach and leave a little margin around the day's busiest part. Save a voice memo if writing feels like one task too many.
For the record
What has been growing quietly in you besides the pregnancy?
Zohra asks one of these every week, and keeps your answer. A year from now it is the part people say they are most glad they wrote down.
Where this came from
Not sure you are at week 16? Work out your due date — or see every week’s size on one chart, and the rest of the second trimester.
Keep this week
Zohra draws this same flower in the app, at this same size, and keeps what you write beside it — with your bump photos, the letters, and the sounds from your appointments.
Zohra arrives on the App Store for iPhone shortly. Everything on this site is free to read now, with no account and no sign-up.