Your Baby's Development Week 16

Week 16
Now that you are 16 weeks pregnant, you may start to feel the baby moving around inside you now. These movements are becoming more coordinated. Your baby can hold his or her head erect, and the development of facial muscles allows for a variety of expressions such as squinting and frowning. Some new mothers don't realize what they are feeling is actually the baby moving about.

Pregnancy Tip

Did you know that your baby's nutitrional needs change as she develops? Make sure your baby is getting all the vitamins and minerals she needs by taking designed for the second trimester, like those from Biotegrity.

Alpha-fetoprotein Test

Around the 16th to 18th week of pregnancy, your health care provider will likely offer you the maternal blood screening test, also known as a "triple marker" test or a "triple screen," which measures the levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), a protein produced by the fetus, and the pregnancy hormones hCG and estriol in the mother's blood. The results of the triple marker test can tell moms whether their babies are at risk for (not whether they have) neural tube defects such as spina bifida or chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome.

Your baby is weighs about 3.53 ounces (100 grams) and measures about 4.6 inches (116 mm) in length. The ears have moved from the neck area to the head. Your baby is emptying her bladder about every 30-45 minutes now. The sex can now be determined by an ultrasound. More calcium is deposited on your baby's bones as the skeleton continues to develop. Lastly, if your baby is female, millions of eggs, or ova, form in her ovaries this week.

Select a week of development to read detailed information:

Week 1	Week 11	Week 21	Week 31
Week 2	Week 12	Week 22	Week 32
Week 3	Week 13	Week 23	Week 33
Week 4	Week 14	Week 24	Week 34
Week 5	Week 15	Week 25	Week 35
Week 6	Week 16	Week 26	Week 36
Week 7	Week 17	Week 27	Week 37
Week 8	Week 18	Week 28	Week 38
Week 9	Week 19	Week 29	Week 39
Week 10	Week 20	Week 30	Week 40

Back to top

Hear what other women in their second trimester are going through in the forum