WHAT’S GOING ON WITH BABY?
Your Baby at 25 Weeks Pregnant
Baby’s growth and size
Your baby has grown a whopping 1.5-2 inches since last week and is now about 13 -13.6 inches in length. At 25 weeks baby is tipping the scales at 1.5 pounds.
What’s new developmentally?
Baby is continuing to pack on that fat. Under their translucent skin, capillaries, little blood vessels, are forming and filling with blood. These capillaries are starting to give the clear, translucent skin a pinkish red hue.
This week, baby’s lungs are starting to produce surfactant. This is a substance that helps keep your lungs expanded with oxygen. At 25 weeks, baby’s lungs still have a ways to go, but the surfactant production is a big step in the right direction.
Baby’s hearing continues to get better and better, and they are learning to recognize your voice (and the rest of the family, too!)! If you haven’t already, you and your partner can start singing, reading, and talking to baby.
Most mamas have felt movement by 25 weeks, and you may even notice that baby is more active at certain times of the day.
But because baby is still pretty small so don’t worry if you can only feel movement when you’re very still.
Fun facts about your week 25 baby
- Baby is learning which way is up and which way is down
- Baby’s eyelids are closed but they can still sense light and dark
- Baby’s startle reflex is developing
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH MAMA?
Week 25 of Pregnancy
Week 25 pregnancy symptoms
- Round ligament pain
- Stretch marks
- Melasma or “mask of pregnancy” (discoloration around the nose, forehead, cheeks, eyes)
- Darker and larger nipples and areola
- Braxton Hicks contractions
- Insomnia
- Pregnancy brain
- Moderate swelling in feet/ ankles
- Heartburn and indigestion
- Restless leg syndrome
- Linea nigra
- Leg cramps
- Hemorrhoids
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
How should I be feeling at 25 weeks pregnant?
Your uterus is now about the size of a standard soccer ball. Speaking of a growing uterus, you can help combat potential stretch marks by lathering on the lotion. Skin itching and irritation is common during pregnancy and is often related to your skin stretching as your belly expands during pregnancy.
There’s no guarantee moisturizer or stretch mark cream will prevent you from getting stretch marks all together but it can certainly help! My personal favorite stretch mark cream is Burt’s Bees Mama belly butter.
Are you having difficulty sleeping? Whether it’s because of the middle of the night bathroom trips, your growing belly, or just general anticipation of welcoming another member to your family, insomnia in pregnancy might be hitting you.
To help with pregnancy sleep you can:
- Use a pregnancy pillow or extra small pillows to support your belly, back, and between your knees
- Add pre-bed meditation to your bedtime routine
- Stay hydrated during the day to prevent nighttime leg cramps
- Create a bedtime routine
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
More Week 25 Info
25 weeks pregnant is how many months?
At 25 weeks you are in your 6th month of pregnancy. It does get a little tricky when you start referring to pregnancy in months because it’s not an equal comparison.
If this helps, you will be in your 6th month of pregnancy for weeks 23-27, so there’s still a couple more weeks before you hit the 7th month mark.
25 weeks pregnant fetal movement
You probably aren’t feeling all of it, but baby is moving around a ton in there! My guess is that you are feeling some sporadic kicks and jabs here and there, especially when you are still or lying down. But it’s probably not consistent and predictable just yet.
It’s definitely possible that you have started to recognize some movement patterns but don’t stress if you haven’t. Depending on the location of your placenta, activity level of your baby, and what number pregnancy this is, you might have been feeling movement for weeks now or you might have just started feeling it.
It’s not typically recommended to start seriously tracking fetal movement with daily kick counts until closer to 28 weeks. But if you notice a significant decrease or change in what is normal for your baby, definitely notify your provider about the change and/or get evaluated.
It’s always, always better to err on the side of caution when it comes to changes in fetal movement.
Things to avoid at 25 weeks pregnant
Can you believe that you’re only a couple weeks away from your third trimester? As a little review, I wanted to hit on some things you may want to avoid at 25 weeks pregnant.
A note about sex during pregnancy:
A common question that comes up during pregnancy is about sex. As long as your pregnancy is low-risk, uncomplicated, and your provider hasn’t advised you to abstain, sex should be safe throughout pregnancy.
Sleeping on your back:
Another common question is about sleeping on your back during pregnancy. This topic creates a lot of anxiety for some expecting women. Avoid intentionally sleeping or lying on your back for extended periods of time, but if you wake up in the middle of the night and happen to find yourself on your back, just roll over and go back to sleep. For more info about sleeping on your back in pregnancy and why you should avoid it be sure to check out this post!
Foods to avoid:
You likely learned this in your first trimester but here are some of the common foods to avoid in pregnancy:
- High mercury fish
- Unpasteurized cheese
- Processed, raw, or undercooked meat
- Unwashed fruits and vegetables
This isn’t an all-inclusive list, but to learn more about why these items are on the “avoid during pregnancy” list, you can find that info here.
Standing for long periods of time:
It’s a good idea to avoid standing for long periods of time during pregnancy, especially in the second half. As your uterus expands and your belly grows during pregnancy, prolonged standing can cause back pain, pelvic pressure and discomfort, and excessive swelling in your lower extremities.
If your profession or other circumstances require you to be on your feet a lot, it’s definitely worth investing in a few good pairs of compression socks and a belly support band and making sure you make a point to get off your feet here and there, if even for a brief moment.
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOUR BUMP?
25 Weeks Pregnant Belly
TIPS & RESOURCES FOR WEEK 25
Tips for 25 Weeks Pregnant
- Get ready for your glucose screening
- Start working on your baby registry and nursery
- Invest in a belly support band – my personal favorite
- Purchase a pregnancy pillow – I have a couple on my Amazon Storefront to help you narrow your search
- Curious about sleeping on your back in pregnancy?
- Start researching babymoons if you plan on taking one
- It’s never too early to start looking into childcare options – trust me on this one, mama, preschools and daycares fill up fast
- Treat yourself to a prenatal massage or pedicure this week – you and your mental health deserve it!
- Start thinking about whether a doula might be right for you
- Begin researching birth classes – there are SO MANY out there but I actually have online natural, epidural, and C-section courses that you can take all from the comfort of your own home, so check them out here
- Sign up for my free second trimester prep pack to receive my second trimester checklist, baby registry checklist, and old wives’ tales checklist!
- Sign up for MLN weekly pregnancy updates to stay up to date on everything going on with your pregnancy. So much good information and it’s all free!
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